Central African Republic

Map of Central African Republic

Country name	Central African Republic
Capital	Bangui
Independence	13 August 1960 (from France)
National holiday	Republic Day, 1 December (1958)
Population	5,166,510 (July 2013 est.)
Sex ratio	1.03 male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-24 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 25-54 years: 1 male(s)/female 55-64 years: 0.75 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2013 est.)
Nationality	Central African(s)
Religions	indigenous beliefs 35%, Protestant 25%, Roman Catholic 25%, Muslim 15%
Languages	French (official), Sangho (lingua franca and national language), tribal languages
Literacy	age 15 and over can read and write total population: 56.6% male: 69.6% female: 44.2% (2011 est.)
Industries	gold and diamond mining, logging, brewing, sugar refining
Location	Central Africa, north of Democratic Republic of the Congo
Geographic coordinates	7 00 N, 21 00 E
Map references	Africa
Area	total: 622,984 sq km land: 622,984 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly smaller than Texas
Land boundaries	total: 5,203 km border countries: Cameroon 797 km, Chad 1,197 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 1,577 km, Republic of the Congo 467 km, South Sudan 990 km, Sudan 175 km
Coastline	0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims	none (landlocked)
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: Mont Ngaoui 1,420 m
Natural resources	diamonds, uranium, timber, gold, oil, hydropower
Exports - commodities	Diamonds, timber, cotton, coffee
Imports - commodities	Food, textiles, petroleum products, machinery, electrical equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, pharmaceuticals
Land use	arable land: 3.1% permanent crops: 0.15% other: 96.75% (2005)
Irrigated land	10 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources	144.4 cu km (2003)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)	total: 0.03 cu km/yr (80%/16%/4%) per capita: 7 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards	hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds affect northern areas; floods are common
Environment - current issues	tap water is not potable; poaching has diminished the country's reputation as one of the last great wildlife refuges; desertification; deforestation
Environment - international agreements	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Geography - note	landlocked; almost the precise center of Africa