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Dec 18, 2008: The CIA Factbook writes that the government "does not fully control the countryside, where pockets of lawlessness persist." It adds that "unrest in neighboring nations, Chad, Sudan, and the DRC, continues to affect stability in the Central African Republic as well." The BBC writes of bands of bandits roaming the countryside, killing people. "In the last couple of years," according to the BBC, "tens of thousands of people in the CAR's countryside have fled their homes in terror at bandit raids."
Central Africa. South of Chad. North of Democratic Republic of the Congo. Landlocked. Tropical, Slightly smaller than Texas. Capital: Bangui.
A former colony of France (Ubangi-Shari). Became independent in 1960. Three decades of mostly military misrule. Civilian rule from 1993 to March 2003.
Figures unless otherwise stated are from the CIA Factbook.
Factbook: "Subsistence agriculture, together with forestry, remains the backbone of the economy of the Central African Republic (CAR), with more than 70% of the population living in outlying areas. The agricultural sector generates more than half of GDP. "
Estimated per capita GDP:
2008 $700 (ranks tenth from the bottom)
2007 $700
2006 $700
Military expenditures as a percentage of GDP: 1.1 (estimated for 2006)
Deaths: 18.26, down from 20.27 in 2005. Births: 33.13, down from 35.17 in 2005.
For July 2008 4.435 million, up from 3.8 million in 2005. Growth rate estimated for 2008: 1.487 per year.
Persons per square kilometer of arable land: 1967.6 (2005).
Infant mortality estimated for 2008: 82.36, down from 83.97 in 2007 (deaths before the age of one year, per 1,000 live births).
Average life expectancy at birth estimated for 2008: 43.97 years, up from 41 in 2005
Living with HIV/AIDS, ages 15 to 49: 13.5 percent
(2003)
SOURCES:
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/
Copyright © 2008 by Frank E. Smitha. All rights reserved.