Central African Republic (2005) | Aruba (2002) | |
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Administrative divisions | 14 prefectures (prefectures, singular - prefecture), 2 economic prefectures* (prefectures economiques, singular - prefecture economique), and 1 commune**; Bamingui-Bangoran, Bangui**, Basse-Kotto, Haute-Kotto, Haut-Mbomou, Kemo, Lobaye, Mambere-Kadei, Mbomou, Nana-Grebizi*, Nana-Mambere, Ombella-Mpoko, Ouaka, Ouham, Ouham-Pende, Sangha-Mbaere*, Vakaga | none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 42.5% (male 813,596/female 802,728)
15-64 years: 54% (male 1,010,696/female 1,041,903) 65 years and over: 3.4% (male 54,345/female 76,629) (2005 est.) |
0-14 years: 21% (male 7,635; female 7,169)
15-64 years: 68.4% (male 23,270; female 24,906) 65 years and over: 10.6% (male 3,081; female 4,380) (2002 est.) |
Agriculture - products | cotton, coffee, tobacco, manioc (tapioca), yams, millet, corn, bananas; timber | aloes; livestock; fish |
Airports | 50 (2004 est.) | 1 (2001) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2004 est.) |
total: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (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 (2004 est.) |
- |
Area | total: 622,984 sq km
land: 622,984 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 193 sq km
land: 193 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Texas | slightly larger than Washington, DC |
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 - 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 has since established a transitional government. Though the government has the tacit support of civil society groups and the main parties, a wide field of affiliated and independent candidates will contest the municipal, legislative, and presidential elections scheduled for February 2005. The government still does not fully control the countryside, where pockets of lawlessness persist. | Discovered and claimed for Spain in 1499, Aruba was acquired by the Dutch in 1636. The island's economy has been dominated by three main industries. A 19th century gold rush was followed by prosperity brought on by the opening in 1924 of an oil refinery. The last decades of the 20th century saw a boom in the tourism industry. Aruba seceded from the Netherlands Antilles in 1986 and became a separate, autonomous member of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Movement toward full independence was halted at Aruba's request in 1990. |
Birth rate | 35.17 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) | 12.22 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Budget | revenues: NA
expenditures: NA, including capital expenditures of NA |
revenues: $135.81 million
expenditures: $147 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000) |
Capital | Bangui | Oranjestad |
Climate | tropical; hot, dry winters; mild to hot, wet summers | tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation |
Coastline | 0 km (landlocked) | 68.5 km |
Constitution | passed by referendum 5 December 2004 | 1 January 1986 |
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: none
conventional short form: Aruba |
Currency | - | Aruban guilder/florin (AWG) |
Death rate | 20.27 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) | 6.29 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Debt - external | $881.4 million (2000 est.) | $285 million (1996) |
Dependency status | - | part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; full autonomy in internal affairs obtained in 1986 upon separation from the Netherlands Antilles; Dutch Government responsible for defense and foreign affairs |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Charge d'Affaires James PANOS
embassy: Avenue David Dacko, Bangui mailing address: B. P. 924, Bangui telephone: [236] 61 02 00 FAX: [236] 61 44 94 note: the embassy is currently operating with a minimal staff |
chief of mission: Consul General Deborah A. BOLTON
embassy: J. B. Gorsiraweg #1, Curacao mailing address: P. O. Box 158, Willemstad, Curacao telephone: [599] (9) 461-3066 FAX: [599] (9) 461-6489 |
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 |
none (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands) |
Disputes - international | about 30,000 refugees fleeing the 2002 civil conflict in the CAR still reside in southern Chad; periodic skirmishes over water and grazing rights among related pastoral populations along the border with southern Sudan persist | none |
Economic aid - recipient | ODA $73 million; note - traditional budget subsidies from France (2000 est.) | $26 million (1995); note - the Netherlands provided a $127 million aid package to Aruba and Suriname in 1996 |
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. Factional fighting between the government and its opponents remains a drag on economic revitalization, with GDP growth at only 0.5% in 2004. Distribution of income is extraordinarily unequal. Grants from France and the international community can only partially meet humanitarian needs. | Tourism is the mainstay of the small, open Aruban economy, with offshore banking and oil refining and storage also important. The rapid growth of the tourism sector over the last decade has resulted in a substantial expansion of other activities. Construction has boomed, with hotel capacity five times the 1985 level. In addition, the reopening of the country's oil refinery in 1993, a major source of employment and foreign exchange earnings, has further spurred growth. Aruba's small labor force and low unemployment rate have led to a large number of unfilled job vacancies, despite sharp rises in wage rates in recent years. The government's goal of balancing the budget within two years will hamper expenditures, as will the decline in stopover tourist arrivals following the 11 September terrorist attacks. |
Electricity - consumption | 98.58 million kWh (2002) | 418.5 million kWh (2000) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2002) | 0 kWh (2000) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2002) | 0 kWh (2000) |
Electricity - production | 106 million kWh (2002) | 450 million kWh (2000) |
Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2000) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Oubangui River 335 m
highest point: Mont Ngaoui 1,420 m |
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Jamanota 188 m |
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 | NA |
Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 94
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea |
- |
Ethnic groups | Baya 33%, Banda 27%, Mandjia 13%, Sara 10%, Mboum 7%, M'Baka 4%, Yakoma 4%, other 2% | mixed white/Caribbean Amerindian 80% |
Exchange rates | Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001), 711.98 (2000) | Aruban guilders/florins per US dollar - 1.7900 (fixed rate since 1986) |
Executive branch | chief of state: President Francois BOZIZE (since 15 March 2003 coup)
head of government: Prime Minister Elie DOTE (since 13 June 2005) note - Celestin GAOMBALET resigned 11 June 2005 cabinet: Council of Ministers elections: president elected to five year term with a two-term limit; next presidential elections scheduled for 10 April 2005; prime minister appointed by the political party with a parliamentary majority |
chief of state: Queen BEATRIX of the Netherlands (since 30 April 1980), represented by Governor General Olindo KOOLMAN (since 1 January 1992)
head of government: Prime Minister Nelson O. ODUBER (since 30 October 2001); deputy prime minister NA cabinet: Council of Ministers (elected by the Staten) elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed for a six-year term by the monarch; prime minister and deputy prime minister elected by the Staten for four-year terms; election last held 28 September 2001 (next to be held by December 2005) election results: Nelson O. ODUBER elected prime minister; percent of legislative vote - NA% |
Exports | NA | $2.58 billion f.o.b. (including oil reexports) (2000) |
Exports - commodities | diamonds, timber, cotton, coffee, tobacco | live animals and animal products, art and collectibles, machinery and electrical equipment, transport equipment |
Exports - partners | Belgium 39.2%, Italy 8.6%, Spain 7.9%, US 6.2%, France 6.1%, Indonesia 5.8%, China 4.9% (2004) | US 42%, Colombia 20%, Netherlands 12% (1999) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | calendar year |
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 | blue, with two narrow, horizontal, yellow stripes across the lower portion and a red, four-pointed star outlined in white in the upper hoist-side corner |
GDP | - | purchasing power parity - $1.94 billion (1999 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 55%
industry: 20% services: 25% (2001 est.) |
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA% services: NA% |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $1,100 (2004 est.) | purchasing power parity - $28,000 (2000 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 0.5% (2004 est.) | 2.5% (2000) |
Geographic coordinates | 7 00 N, 21 00 E | 12 30 N, 69 58 W |
Geography - note | landlocked; almost the precise center of Africa | a flat, riverless island renowned for its white sand beaches; its tropical climate is moderated by constant trade winds from the Atlantic Ocean; the temperature is almost constant at about 27 degrees Celsius (81 degrees Fahrenheit) |
Highways | total: 23,810 km
paved: 643 km unpaved: 23,167 km (1999 est.) |
total: 800 km
paved: 513 km unpaved: 287 km note: most coastal roads are paved, while unpaved roads serve large tracts of the interior (1995) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: 0.7%
highest 10%: 47.7% (1993) |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Illicit drugs | - | transit point for US- and Europe-bound narcotics with some accompanying money-laundering activity |
Imports | NA | $2.61 billion f.o.b. (2000) |
Imports - commodities | food, textiles, petroleum products, machinery, electrical equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, pharmaceuticals | machinery and electrical equipment, crude oil for refining and reexport, chemicals; foodstuffs |
Imports - partners | France 17.6%, US 16.3%, Cameroon 9.3%, Belgium 5% (2004) | US 63%, Netherlands 11%, Netherlands Antilles 3%, Japan (1999) |
Independence | 13 August 1960 (from France) | none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) |
Industrial production growth rate | 3% (2002) | NA% |
Industries | gold and diamond mining, logging, brewing, textiles, footwear, assembly of bicycles and motorcycles | tourism, transshipment facilities, oil refining |
Infant mortality rate | total: 91 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 97.84 deaths/1,000 live births female: 83.96 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) |
6.26 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 3.6% (2001 est.) | 4% (2000) |
International organization participation | ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC (observer), OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO | Caricom (observer), ECLAC (associate), Interpol, IOC, UNESCO (associate), WCL, WToO (associate) |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | NA |
Irrigated land | NA sq km | 0.01 sq km (1998 est.) |
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 | Joint High Court of Justice (judges are appointed by the monarch) |
Labor force | NA | 41,501 |
Labor force - by occupation | - | most employment is in wholesale and retail trade and repair, followed by hotels and restaurants; oil refining |
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% (2001) |
arable land: 10.53% (including aloe 0.01%)
permanent crops: 0% other: 89.47% (1998 est.) |
Languages | French (official), Sangho (lingua franca and national language), tribal languages | Dutch (official), Papiamento (a Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, English dialect), English (widely spoken), Spanish |
Legal system | based on French law | based on Dutch civil law system, with some English common law influence |
Legislative branch | unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (109 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms
elections: last held 22-23 November and 13 December 1998 (next to be held 13 March 2005) 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 |
unicameral Legislature or Staten (21 seats; members elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 28 September 2001 (next to be held by NA 2005) election results: percent of vote by party - MEP 52.4%, AVP 26.7%, PPA 9.6%, OLA 5.7%, Aliansa 3.5%, other 2.1%; seats by party - MEP 12, AVP 6, PPA 2, OLA 1 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 43.39 years
male: 43.27 years female: 43.52 years (2005 est.) |
total population: 78.67 years
male: 75.32 years female: 82.19 years (2002 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 51% male: 63.3% female: 39.9% (2003 est.) |
definition: NA
total population: 97% male: NA% female: NA% |
Location | Central Africa, north of Democratic Republic of the Congo | Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, north of Venezuela |
Map references | Africa | Central America and the Caribbean |
Maritime claims | none (landlocked) | territorial sea: 12 NM |
Merchant marine | - | note: there is one foreign-owned ship registered here as a flag of convenience: Monaco 1 (2002 est.) |
Military - note | - | defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands |
Military branches | Central African Armed Forces (FACA): Ground Forces, Air Force; General Directorate of Gendarmerie Inspection (DGIG), Republican Guard (2004) | no regular indigenous military forces; Royal Dutch Navy and Marines, Coast Guard |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $15.5 million (2004) | - |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 1% (2004) | - |
National holiday | Republic Day, 1 December (1958) | Flag Day, 18 March |
Nationality | noun: Central African(s)
adjective: Central African |
noun: Aruban(s)
adjective: Aruban; Dutch |
Natural hazards | hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds affect northern areas; floods are common | lies outside the Caribbean hurricane belt |
Natural resources | diamonds, uranium, timber, gold, oil, hydropower | NEGL; white sandy beaches |
Net migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) | NEGL migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 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 deposed 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] | Aruba Solidarity Movement or MAS [leader NA]; Aruban Democratic Alliance or Aliansa [leader NA]; Aruban Democratic Party or PDA [Leo BERLINSKI]; Aruban Liberal Party or OLA [Glenbert CROES]; Aruban Patriotic Party or PPA [Benny NISBET]; Aruban People's Party or AVP [Jan (Henny) H. EMAN]; Concentration for the Liberation of Aruba or CLA [leader NA]; People's Electoral Movement Party or MEP [Nelson O. ODUBER]; For a Restructured Aruba Now or PARA [Urbana LOPEZ]; National Democratic Action or ADN [Pedro Charro KELLY] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | NA |
Population | 3,799,897
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 2005 est.) |
70,441 (July 2002 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA (1993) | NA% |
Population growth rate | 1.49% (2005 est.) | 0.59% (2002 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Bangui, Nola, Salo, Nzinga | Barcadera, Oranjestad, Sint Nicolaas |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 1 (2002) | AM 4, FM 6, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Radios | - | 50,000 (1997) |
Railways | - | 0 km |
Religions | indigenous beliefs 35%, Protestant 25%, Roman Catholic 25%, Muslim 15%
note: animistic beliefs and practices strongly influence the Christian majority |
Roman Catholic 82%, Protestant 8%, Hindu, Muslim, Confucian, Jewish |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2005 est.) |
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2002 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: country code - 236; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
general assessment: NA
domestic: more than adequate international: 1 submarine cable to Sint Maarten (Netherlands Antilles); extensive interisland microwave radio relay links |
Telephones - main lines in use | 9,000 (2002) | 33,000 (1997) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 13,000 (2003) | 3,402 (1997) |
Television broadcast stations | 1 (2001) | 1 (1997) |
Terrain | vast, flat to rolling, monotonous plateau; scattered hills in northeast and southwest | flat with a few hills; scant vegetation |
Total fertility rate | 4.5 children born/woman (2005 est.) | 1.8 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 8% (23% for Bangui) (2001 est.) | 0.6% |
Waterways | 2,800 km (primarily on the Oubangui and Sangha rivers) (2004) | none |