Compare Central African Republic (2002) - Bahamas, The (2003)

Compare Central African Republic (2002) z Bahamas, The (2003)

	Central African Republic (2002)	Bahamas, The (2003)

Administrative divisions	14 prefectures (prefectures, singular - prefecture), 2 economic prefectures* (prefectures economiques, singular - prefecture economique), and 1 commune; Bamingui-Bangoran, Bangui, Basse-Kotto, Gribingui, Haute-Kotto, Haute-Sangha, Haut-Mbomou, Kemo-Gribingui, Lobaye, Mbomou, Nana-Mambere, Ombella-Mpoko, Ouaka, Ouham, Ouham-Pende, Sangha, Vakaga	21 districts; Acklins and Crooked Islands, Bimini, Cat Island, Exuma, Freeport, Fresh Creek, Governor's Harbour, Green Turtle Cay, Harbour Island, High Rock, Inagua, Kemps Bay, Long Island, Marsh Harbour, Mayaguana, New Providence, Nichollstown and Berry Islands, Ragged Island, Rock Sound, Sandy Point, San Salvador and Rum Cay
Age structure	0-14 years: 43% (male 788,417; female 776,721) 15-64 years: 53.2% (male 951,908; female 986,947) 65 years and over: 3.8% (male 60,395; female 78,351) (2002 est.)	0-14 years: 28.8% (male 42,799; female 42,730) 15-64 years: 65.4% (male 95,718; female 98,875) 65 years and over: 5.8% (male 7,092; female 10,263) (2003 est.)
Agriculture - products	cotton, coffee, tobacco, manioc (tapioca), yams, millet, corn, bananas; timber	citrus, vegetables; poultry
Airports	51 (2001)	64 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2002)	total: 30 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 12 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 2 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 47 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 10 914 to 1,523 m: 23 under 914 m: 13 (2002)	total: 34 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 22 (2002)
Area	total: 622,984 sq km land: 622,984 sq km water: 0 sq km	total: 13,940 sq km land: 10,070 sq km water: 3,870 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly smaller than Texas	slightly smaller than Connecticut
Background	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 - a civilian government was installed in 1993.	Arawak Indians inhabited the islands when Christopher Columbus first set foot in the New World on San Salvador in 1492. British settlement of the islands began in 1647; the islands became a colony in 1783. Since attaining independence from the UK in 1973, The Bahamas have prospered through tourism and international banking and investment management. Because of its geography, the country is a major transshipment point for illegal drugs, particularly shipments to the US, and its territory is used for smuggling illegal migrants into the US.
Birth rate	36.6 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)	18.57 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Budget	revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA	revenues: $918.5 million expenditures: $956.5 million, including capital expenditures of $106.7 million (FY 99/00)
Capital	Bangui	Nassau
Climate	tropical; hot, dry winters; mild to hot, wet summers	tropical marine; moderated by warm waters of Gulf Stream
Coastline	0 km (landlocked)	3,542 km
Constitution	passed by referendum 29 December 1994; adopted 7 January 1995	10 July 1973
Country name	conventional long form: Central African Republic conventional short form: none local long form: Republique Centrafricaine local short form: none former: Ubangi-Shari, Central African Empire abbreviation: CAR	conventional long form: Commonwealth of The Bahamas conventional short form: The Bahamas
Currency	Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States	Bahamian dollar (BSD)
Death rate	18.62 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)	8.68 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Debt - external	$881.4 million (2000 est.)	$371.6 million (2001)
Diplomatic representation from the US	chief of mission: Ambassador Mattie R. SHARPLESS embassy: Avenue David Dacko, Bangui mailing address: B. P. 924, Bangui telephone: [236] 61 02 00 FAX: [236] 61 44 94	chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affairs Robert M. WITAJEWSKI embassy: 42 Queen Street, Nassau mailing address: local or express mail address: P. O. Box N-8197, Nassau; Department of State, 3370 Nassau Place, Washington, DC 20521-3370 telephone: [1] (242) 322-1181, 328-2206 (after hours) FAX: [1] (242) 356-0222
Diplomatic representation in the US	chief of mission: Ambassador Emmanuel TOUABOY chancery: 1618 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 483-7800 FAX: [1] (202) 332-9893	chief of mission: Ambassador Joshua SEARS chancery: 2220 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 319-2660 FAX: [1] (202) 319-2668 consulate(s) general: Miami and New York
Disputes - international	none	have not been able to agree on a maritime boundary with the US
Economic aid - recipient	$172.2 million (1995); note - traditional budget subsidies from France (1995)	$9.8 million (1995)
Economy - overview	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 half of GDP. Timber has accounted for about 16% of export earnings and the diamond industry for 54%. Important constraints to economic development include the CAR's landlocked position, a poor transportation system, a largely unskilled work force, and a legacy of misdirected macroeconomic policies. The 50% devaluation of the currencies of 14 Francophone African nations on 12 January 1994 had mixed effects on the CAR's economy. Diamond, timber, coffee, and cotton exports increased, leading an estimated rise of GDP of 7% in 1994 and nearly 5% in 1995. Military rebellions and social unrest in 1996 were accompanied by widespread destruction of property and a drop in GDP of 2%. The IMF approved an Extended Structure Adjustment Facility in 1998 and the World Bank extended further credits in 1999 and approved a $10 million loan in early 2001. As of January 2002, many civil servants were owed as much as 16 months pay during the PATASSE administration, as well as 14 months pay from the KOLINGBA administration.	The Bahamas is a stable, developing nation with an economy heavily dependent on tourism and offshore banking. Tourism alone accounts for more than 60% of GDP and directly or indirectly employs half of the archipelago's labor force. Steady growth in tourism receipts and a boom in construction of new hotels, resorts, and residences had led to solid GDP growth in recent years, but the slowdown in the US economy and the attacks of 11 September 2001 held back growth in these sectors in 2002. Manufacturing and agriculture together contribute approximately a tenth of GDP and show little growth, despite government incentives aimed at those sectors. Overall growth prospects in the short run rest heavily on the fortunes of the tourism sector, which depends on growth in the US, the source of most of the visitors.
Electricity - consumption	96.72 million kWh (2000)	1.451 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2000)	0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2000)	0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - production	104 million kWh (2000)	1.56 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source	fossil fuel: 20% hydro: 80% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2000)	fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Oubangui River 335 m highest point: Mont Ngaoui 1,420 m	lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Alvernia, on Cat Island 63 m
Environment - current issues	tap water is not potable; poaching has diminished its reputation as one of the last great wildlife refuges; desertification; deforestation	coral reef decay; solid waste disposal
Environment - international agreements	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 94 signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups	Baya 33%, Banda 27%, Mandjia 13%, Sara 10%, Mboum 7%, M'Baka 4%, Yakoma 4%, other 2%	black 85%, white 12%, Asian and Hispanic 3%
Exchange rates	Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 742.79 (January 2002), 733.04 (2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.70 (1999), 589.95 (1998), 583.67 (1997); note - from 1 January 1999, the XAF is pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XAF per euro	Bahamian dollars per US dollar - 1 (2002), 1 (2001), 1 (2000), 1 (1999), 1 (1998)
Executive branch	chief of state: President Ange-Felix PATASSE (since 22 October 1993) head of government: Prime Minister Martin ZIGUELE (since 1 April 2001) cabinet: Council of Ministers elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term; election last held 19 September 1999 (next to be held NA September 2005); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Ange-Felix PATASSE reelected president; percent of vote - Ange-Felix PATASSE 51.63%, Andre KOLINGBA 19.38%, David DACKO 11.15%	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Ivy DUMONT (since NA May 2002) head of government: Prime Minister Perry CHRISTIE (since 3 May 2002) and Deputy Prime Minister Cynthia PRATT (since 7 May 2002) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the prime minister's recommendation elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; the prime minister recommends the deputy prime minister
Exports	$166 million f.o.b. (2000)	NA (2001)
Exports - commodities	diamonds, timber, cotton, coffee, tobacco	fish and crawfish; rum, salt, chemicals; fruit and vegetables
Exports - partners	Benelux 64%, Cote d'Ivoire, Spain, China, Egypt, France (1999)	US 39.1%, Germany 15.4%, Spain 10.8%, France 7.4%, Poland 4.6%, Switzerland 4.3% (2002)
Fiscal year	calendar year	1 July - 30 June
Flag description	four equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, green, and yellow with a vertical red band in center; there is a yellow five-pointed star on the hoist side of the blue band	three equal horizontal bands of aquamarine (top), gold, and aquamarine, with a black equilateral triangle based on the hoist side
GDP	purchasing power parity - $4.6 billion (2001 est.)	purchasing power parity - $4.59 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 55% industry: 20% services: 25% (2001 est.)	agriculture: 3% industry: 7% services: 90% (1999 est.)
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $1,300 (2001 est.)	purchasing power parity - $15,300 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	1.8% (2001 est.)	0.1% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates	7 00 N, 21 00 E	24 15 N, 76 00 W
Geography - note	landlocked; almost the precise center of Africa	strategic location adjacent to US and Cuba; extensive island chain of which 30 are inhabited
Heliports	-	1 (2002)
Highways	total: 23,810 km paved: 429 km unpaved: 23,381 km (2000)	total: 2,693 km paved: 1,546 km unpaved: 1,147 km (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: 1% highest 10%: 48% (1993) (1993)	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Illicit drugs	-	transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana bound for US and Europe; offshore financial center
Imports	$154 million f.o.b. (2000)	NA (2001)
Imports - commodities	food, textiles, petroleum products, machinery, electrical equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, consumer goods, industrial products	machinery and transport equipment, manufactures, chemicals, mineral fuels; food and live animals
Imports - partners	France 35%, Cameroon 13%, Benelux, Cote d'Ivoire, Germany, Japan (1999)	US 20.3%, South Korea 20.1%, Germany 11.5%, Norway 11.5%, Japan 10%, Italy 7.2% (2002)
Independence	13 August 1960 (from France)	10 July 1973 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate	3.9% (2001)	NA%
Industries	diamond mining, sawmills, breweries, textiles, footwear, assembly of bicycles and motorcycles	tourism, banking, e-commerce, cement, oil refining and transshipment, salt, rum, aragonite, pharmaceuticals, spiral-welded steel pipe
Infant mortality rate	103.81 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)	total: 26.21 deaths/1,000 live births male: 32.45 deaths/1,000 live births female: 19.83 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	3.6% (2001 est.)	1.8% (2001 est.)
International organization participation	ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC, CCC, CEEAC, CEMAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC (observer), OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO	ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (observer)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)	1 (2002)	19 (2000)
Irrigated land	NA sq km	NA sq km
Judicial branch	Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; Constitutional Court (3 judges appointed by the president, 3 by the president of the National Assembly, and 3 by fellow judges); Court of Appeal; Criminal Courts; Inferior Courts	Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; magistrates courts
Labor force	NA	156,000 (1999)
Labor force - by occupation	-	tourism 50%, other services 40%, industry 5%, agriculture 5% (1999 est.)
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, Sudan 1,165 km	0 km
Land use	arable land: 3.1% permanent crops: 0.14% other: 96.76% (1998 est.)	arable land: 0.6% permanent crops: 0.4% other: 99% (1998 est.)
Languages	French (official), Sangho (lingua franca and national language), tribal languages	English (official), Creole (among Haitian immigrants)
Legal system	based on French law	based on English common law
Legislative branch	unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (109 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms; note - there were 85 seats in the National Assembly before the 1998 election) elections: last held 22-23 November and 13 December 1998 (next to be held NA 2003) election results: percent of vote by party - MLPC 43%, RDC 18%, MDD 9%, FPP 6%, PSD 5%, ADP 4%, PUN 3%, FODEM 2%, PLD 2%, UPR 1%, FC 1%, independents 6%; seats by party - MLPC 47, RDC 20, MDD 8, FPP 7, PSD 6, ADP 5, PUN 3, FODEM 2, PLD 2, UPR 1, FC 1, independents 7	bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (16-member body appointed by the governor general upon the advice of the prime minister and the opposition leader for five-year terms) and the House of Assembly (40 seats; members elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 1 May 2002 (next to be held by May 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - PLP 50.8%, FNM 41.1%, independents 5.2%; seats by party - PLP 29, FNM 7, independents 4
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 43.58 years male: 42.08 years female: 45.13 years (2002 est.)	total population: 65.71 years male: 62.3 years female: 69.18 years (2003 est.)
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 60% male: 68.5% female: 52.4% (1995 est.)	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 95.6% male: 94.7% female: 96.5% (2003 est.)
Location	Central Africa, north of Democratic Republic of the Congo	Caribbean, chain of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Florida, northeast of Cuba
Map references	Africa	Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims	none (landlocked)	exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM
Merchant marine	-	total: 1,090 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 33,065,778 GRT/46,202,085 DWT ships by type: bulk 150, cargo 223, chemical tanker 45, combination bulk 12, combination ore/oil 18, container 108, liquefied gas 26, livestock carrier 2, multi-functional large-load carrier 8, passenger 102, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 178, refrigerated cargo 135, roll on/roll off 40, short-sea passenger 17, specialized tanker 2, vehicle carrier 23 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Angola 1, Argentina 1, Australia 4, Belgium 18, Bermuda 1, Canada 5, Chile 1, China 3, Croatia 2, Cuba 3, Cyprus 2, Denmark 27, Ecuador 1, Estonia 2, Finland 9, France 15, Germany 26, Greece 173, Hong Kong 6, India 2, Indonesia 2, Ireland 1, Israel 3, Italy 9, Jamaica 1, Japan 32, Kenya 3, Malaysia 10, Malta 2, Monaco 67, Netherlands 32, New Zealand 2, Norway 237, Panama 2, Philippines 3, Poland 13, Reunion 1, Russia 6, Saudi Arabia 9, Singapore 13, Slovenia 1, South Korea 2, Spain 7, Sweden 12, Switzerland 8, Thailand 1, Trinidad and Tobago 2, Turkey 2, Ukraine 2, United Arab Emirates 10, United Kingdom 107, United States 159, Uruguay 1 (2002 est.)
Military branches	Central African Armed Forces (FACA) (including Republican Guard, Ground Forces, Naval Forces, and Air Force), Presidential Security Guard, Gendarmerie, National Police	Royal Bahamas Defense Force (Coast Guard only), Royal Bahamas Police Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure	$29 million (FY96)	$20 million (FY95/96)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	2.2% (FY96)	0.7% (FY99)
Military manpower - availability	males age 15-49: 845,182 (2002 est.)	-
Military manpower - fit for military service	males age 15-49: 442,220 (2002 est.)	-
National holiday	Republic Day, 1 December (1958)	Independence Day, 10 July (1973)
Nationality	noun: Central African(s) adjective: Central African	noun: Bahamian(s) adjective: Bahamian
Natural hazards	hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds affect northern areas; floods are common	hurricanes and other tropical storms cause extensive flood and wind damage
Natural resources	diamonds, uranium, timber, gold, oil, hydropower	salt, aragonite, timber, arable land
Net migration rate	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)	-2.21 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Political parties and leaders	Alliance for Democracy and Progress or ADP [Jacques MBOLIEDAS]; Central African Democratic Assembly or RDC [Andre KOLINGBA]; Civic Forum or FC [Gen. Timothee MALENDOMA]; Democratic Forum for Modernity or FODEM [Charles MASSI]; Liberal Democratic Party or PLD [Nestor KOMBO-NAGUEMON]; Movement for Democracy and Development or MDD [David DACKO]; Movement for the Liberation of the Central African People or MLPC [the party of the president, Ange-Felix PATASSE]; Patriotic Front for Progress or FPP [Abel GOUMBA]; People's Union for the Republic or UPR [Pierre Sammy MAKFOY]; National Unity Party or PUN [Jean-Paul NGOUPANDE]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Enoch LAKOUE]	Free National Movement or FNM [Tommy TURNQUEST]; Progressive Liberal Party or PLP [Perry CHRISTIE]
Political pressure groups and leaders	NA	NA
Population	3,642,739 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2002 est.)	297,477 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2003 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA%	NA%
Population growth rate	1.8% (2002 est.)	0.77% (2003 est.)
Ports and harbors	Bangui, Nola, Salo, Nzinga	Freeport, Matthew Town, Nassau
Radio broadcast stations	AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 1 (2002)	AM 3, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios	283,000 (1997)	-
Railways	0 km	0 km
Religions	indigenous beliefs 35%, Protestant 25%, Roman Catholic 25%, Muslim 15% note: animistic beliefs and practices strongly influence the Christian majority	Baptist 32%, Anglican 20%, Roman Catholic 19%, Methodist 6%, Church of God 6%, other Protestant 12%, none or unknown 3%, other 2%
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2002 est.)	at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
Suffrage	21 years of age; universal	18 years of age; universal
Telephone system	general assessment: fair system domestic: network consists principally of microwave radio relay and low-capacity, low-powered radiotelephone communication international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)	general assessment: modern facilities domestic: totally automatic system; highly developed international: tropospheric scatter and submarine cable to Florida; 3 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (1997)
Telephones - main lines in use	9,500 (2000)	96,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular	710 (1998)	6,152 (1997)
Television broadcast stations	1 (2001)	1 (1997)
Terrain	vast, flat to rolling, monotonous plateau; scattered hills in northeast and southwest	long, flat coral formations with some low rounded hills
Total fertility rate	4.77 children born/woman (2002 est.)	2.25 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate	8% (23% for Bangui) (2001 est.)	6.9% (2001 est.)
Waterways	900 km note: traditional trade carried on by means of shallow-draft dugouts; Oubangui is the most important river, navigable all year to craft drawing 0.6 m or less; 282 km navigable to craft drawing as much as 1.8 m	none

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