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Central African Republic Facts and Figures from Encarta Go to article
Basic Facts
Official name Central African Republic
Capital Bangui
Area 622,436 sq km
240,324 sq mi
Central African Republic: Flag and Anthem
Central African Republic: Flag and Anthem
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People
Population 4,511,488 (2009 estimate)
Population growth
Population growth rate 1.49 percent (2009 estimate)
Projected population in 2025 5,503,035 (2009 estimate)
Projected population in 2050 6,523,563 (2009 estimate)
Population density 7.2 persons per sq km (2009 estimate)
19 persons per sq mi (2009 estimate)
Urban/rural distribution
Share urban 44 percent (2005 estimate)
Share rural 56 percent (2005 estimate)
Largest cities, with population
Bangui 622,771 (2004)
Berbérati 76,918 (2004)
Bambari 41,356 (2004)
Bouar 40,353 (2004)
Bossangoa 36,478 (2004)
Ethnic groups
Baya 34 percent
Banda 27 percent
Mandjia 21 percent
Sara 10 percent
Mboum 4 percent
M'Baka 4 percent
Languages
French (official), Sango
Religious affiliations
Christian 45 percent
Roman Catholic 18 percent
Protestant 14 percent
Other Christians 23 percent
Muslim 16 percent
Indigenous beliefs 15 percent
Other 14 percent
NOTE: Christians are strongly influenced by animistic beliefs and practices.
Health and Education
Life expectancy
Total 44.5 years (2009 estimate)
Female 44.5 years (2009 estimate)
Male 44.4 years (2009 estimate)
Infant mortality rate 81 deaths per 1,000 live births (2009 estimate)
Literacy rate
Total 53.9 percent (2005 estimate)
Female 43.2 percent (2005 estimate)
Male 65.6 percent (2005 estimate)
Economy
Gross domestic product (GDP, in U.S.$) $1,712.1 million (2007)
GDP per capita (U.S.$) $394.20 (2007)
GDP by economic sector
Agriculture, forestry, fishing 53.9 percent (2007)
Industry 14.2 percent (2007)
Services 31.9 percent (2007)
Monetary unit
1 Communauté Financière Africaine (CFA) franc, consisting of 100 centimes
Major trade partners for exports
Belgium, Spain, Pakistan, Italy, and France
Major trade partners for imports
France, Spain, Pakistan, Cameroon, and Germany
Sources
Basic Facts and People sections
Area data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Population, population growth rate, and population projections are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International Data Base (IDB) (www.census.gov). Urban and rural population data are from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), FAOSTAT database (www.fao.org). Largest cities population data and political divisions data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Ethnic divisions and religion data are largely from the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook and from various country censuses and reports. Language data are largely from the Ethnologue, Languages of the World, Summer Institute of Linguistics International (www.sil.org).
Health and Education section
Life expectancy and infant mortality data are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International database (IDB) (www.census.gov). Population per physician and population per hospital bed data are from the World Health Organization (WHO) (www.who.int). Education data are from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org).
Economy section
Gross domestic product (GDP), GDP per capita, GDP by economic sectors, employment, and national budget data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org). Monetary unit, agriculture, mining, manufacturing, exports, imports, and major trade partner information is from the statistical bureaus of individual countries, latest Europa World Yearbook, and various United Nations and International Monetary Fund (IMF) publications.
Note
Figures may not total 100 percent due to rounding.
© 2009 Microsoft