Part 168

Climate: tropical; hot, dry winters; mild to hot, wet summers

Terrain: vast, flat to rolling, monotonous plateau; scattered hills in northeast and southwest

Elevation extremes: lowest point : Oubangui River 335 m highest point: Mount Gaou 1,420 m

Natural resources: diamonds, uranium, timber, gold, oil

Land use: arable land: 3% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 5% forests and woodland: 75% other: 17% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Natural hazards: hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds affect northern areas; floods are common

Environment - current issues: tap water is not potable; poaching has diminished its reputation as one of the last great wildlife refuges; desertification; deforestation

Environment - international agreements: party to : Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Geography - note: landlocked; almost the precise center of Africa

@Central African Republic:People

Population: 3,342,051 (July 1997 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 44% (male 738,623; female 731,163) 15-64 years : 52% (male 858,386; female 894,695) 65 years and over: 4% (male 54,848; female 64,336) (July 1997 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.01% (1997 est.)

Birth rate: 39.52 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate: 17.94 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Net migration rate: -1.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years : 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 110.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 45.24 years male: 44.4 years female : 46.12 years (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate: 5.35 children born/woman (1997 est.)

Nationality: noun: Central African(s) adjective: Central African

Ethnic groups: Baya 34%, Banda 27%, Sara 10%, Mandjia 21%, Mboum 4%, M'Baka 4%, Europeans 6,500 (including 3,600 French)

Religions: indigenous beliefs 24%, Protestant 25%, Roman Catholic 25%, Muslim 15%, other 11% note: animistic beliefs and practices strongly influence the Christian majority

Languages: French (official), Sangho (lingua franca and national language), Arabic, Hunsa, Swahili

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 60% male: 68.5% female: 52.4% (1995 est.)

@Central African Republic:Government

Country name: conventional long form: Central African Republic conventional short form: none local long form : Republique Centrafricaine local short form: none former: Central African Empire abbreviation: CAR