Central African Republic
| Country summary | |
|---|---|
|
Capital |
Bangui |
|
Borders |
Cameroon 797 km, Chad 1,197 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 1,577 km, Republic of the Congo 467 km, Sudan 1,165 km |
|
Government type |
republic |
|
Population |
4,511,488[1] |
|
Population growth |
1.491% (2010 est.)[1] |
|
Life expectancy |
44.47 years[1] |
|
Unemployment |
8% (2001 est.)[1] |
|
152[2] | |
|
158[3] | |
|
183[4] | |
The former French colony of Ubangi-Shari became the Central African Republic upon independence in 1960. After three tumultuous decades of misrule - mostly by military governments - civilian rule was established in 1993 and lasted for one decade. President Ange-Felix PATASSE's civilian government was plagued by unrest, and in March 2003 he was deposed in a military coup led by General Francois BOZIZE, who established a transitional government. Though the government has the tacit support of civil society groups and the main parties, a wide field of candidates contested the municipal, legislative, and presidential elections held in March and May of 2005 in which General BOZIZE was affirmed as president. The government still does not fully control the countryside, where pockets of lawlessness persist. Unrest in the neighboring nations of Chad, Sudan, and the DRC continues to affect stability in the Central African Republic as well.[1]
Economical characteristics
- Currency: Central African CFA franc (ISO code: XAF)
- Central bank discount rate: 4.75% (31 December 2008)[1]
- Commercial banks lending rate: NA% (31 December 2008)[1]
- Stock of money (M1): $241.3 million (31 December 2008)[1]
- Quasi money (with M1 makes M2): $51.65 million (31 December 2008)[1]
Notable events:
- Banking crisis: 1988-1999[5]
- Public default: 1981, 1983-2009 (external)
- Years in inflation: 4% (share of years 1960-2009 with annual inflation above 20 per cent per annum)[6]
Statistics
| Statistic / Year | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GDP (million USD)[7] | 1 051 | 959 | 968 | 1 042 | 1 139 | 1 270 | 1 350 | 1 477 | 1 712 | 1 988 |
| Govt. debt (% of GDP)[8] | ||||||||||
| Govt. revenue (% of GDP)[9] | 8.317 | |||||||||
| Govt. expenses (% of GDP)[10] | 9.665 | |||||||||
| Debt to revenue (years) |
References
Note: statistical data was rounded. Different sources may use different methodologies for their estimates. Debt to revenue is calculated by dividing the two variables from their original ('unrounded') values. It represents how long it would a government take to repay its entire debt if it used its whole revenue for this purpose.
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 CIA - The World Factbook. "Central African Republic", from The World Factbook. Referenced 2010-10-01.
- ↑ Heritage Foundation. "Central African Republic", Economic Freedom Score. A lower ranking is better; but please be careful when comparing between different countries or years. Referenced 2010-10-01.
- ↑ Transparency International. "Central African Republic", Corruption Perceptions Index 2009. A lower ranking is better; but please note that the numbers cannot be compared between countries or years due to different methodology. Referenced 2010-10-01.
- ↑ Doing Business. "Central African Republic", Doing Business 2010 (part of The World Bank Group). A lower ranking is better; but please be careful when comparing between different countries or years. Referenced 2010-10-01.
- ↑ Carmen M. Reinhart and Kenneth S. Rogoff. "This Time is Different", Princeton University Press, ISBN 978-0-691-14216-6, p. 356. (The list does not claim to be complete.) Referenced 2011-07-19.
- ↑ Carmen M. Reinhart. "This Time is Different Chartbook: Country Histories on Debt, Default, and Financial Crises" (pdf), March 3, 2010, p. 30. (The list does not claim to be complete.) Referenced 2011-07-19.
- ↑ World Bank. "Central African Republic: GDP", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-10-01.
- ↑ World Bank. "Central African Republic: government debt", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-10-01.
- ↑ World Bank. "Central African Republic: government revenue", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-10-01.
- ↑ World Bank. "Central African Republic: government expenses", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-10-01.
Links
- Central African Republic on Wikipedia
- Central bank of Central African Republic
- BBC country profile
