Compare Christmas Island (2003) - Central African Republic (2004)

Compare Christmas Island (2003) z Central African Republic (2004)

	Christmas Island (2003)	Central African Republic (2004)

Administrative divisions	none (territory of Australia)	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
Age structure	0-14 years: NA% 15-64 years: NA% 65 years and over: NA% (2003 est.)	0-14 years: 42.8% (male 806,506; female 795,639) 15-64 years: 53.8% (male 990,522; female 1,021,491) 65 years and over: 3.4% (male 53,860; female 74,464) (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products	NA	cotton, coffee, tobacco, manioc (tapioca), yams, millet, corn, bananas; timber
Airports	1 (2002)	50 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2002)	total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2004 est.)
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: 135 sq km land: 135 sq km water: 0 sq km	total: 622,984 sq km land: 622,984 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	about 0.7 times the size of Washington, DC	slightly smaller than Texas
Background	Named in 1643 for the day of its discovery, the island was annexed and settlement was begun by the UK in 1888. Phosphate mining began in the 1890s. The UK transferred sovereignty to Australia in 1958. Almost two-thirds of the island has been declared a national park.	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.
Birth rate	NA births/1,000 population (2003 est.)	35.55 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Budget	revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA	revenues: NA expenditures: NA, including capital expenditures of NA
Capital	The Settlement	Bangui
Climate	tropical; heat and humidity moderated by trade winds	tropical; hot, dry winters; mild to hot, wet summers
Coastline	80 km	0 km (landlocked)
Constitution	NA	passed by referendum 5 December 2004
Country name	conventional long form: Territory of Christmas Island conventional short form: Christmas Island	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
Currency	Australian dollar (AUD)	Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States
Death rate	NA deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)	19.99 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Debt - external	$NA	$881.4 million (2000 est.)
Dependency status	territory of Australia; administered by the Australian Department of Transport and Regional Services	-
Diplomatic representation from the US	none (territory of Australia)	chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant) 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
Diplomatic representation in the US	none (territory of Australia)	chief of mission: Ambassador Emmanuel TOUABOY chancery: 1618 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 483-7800 FAX: [1] (202) 332-9893
Disputes - international	none	internal political instabilities with fighting and violence overlap into Chad and CAR, leaving refugees and rebel groups in both countries; Sudan has pledged to work with CAR to stem violent skirmishes over water and grazing rights among related pastoral populations along the border
Economic aid - recipient	$NA	ODA $73 million; note - traditional budget subsidies from France (2000 est.)
Economy - overview	Phosphate mining had been the only significant economic activity, but in December 1987 the Australian Government closed the mine. In 1991, the mine was reopened. With the support of the government, a $34 million casino opened in 1993. The casino closed in 1998. The Australian Government in 2001 agreed to support the creation of a commercial space-launching site on the island, slated to begin operation in 2003.	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 likely to contract in 2004. Distribution of income is extraordinarily unequal. Grants from France and the international community can only partially meet humanitarian needs.
Electricity - consumption	NA kWh	98.63 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports	-	0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports	-	0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - production	NA kWh	106 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source	fossil fuel: NA% hydro: NA% nuclear: NA% other: NA%	-
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Murray Hill 361 m	lowest point: Oubangui River 335 m highest point: Mont Ngaoui 1,420 m
Environment - current issues	NA	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, Desertification, Endangered Species, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 94 signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Ethnic groups	Chinese 70%, European 20%, Malay 10% note: no indigenous population (2001)	Baya 33%, Banda 27%, Mandjia 13%, Sara 10%, Mboum 7%, M'Baka 4%, Yakoma 4%, other 2%
Exchange rates	Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.9354 (2002), 1.9320 (2001), 1.7173(2000), 1.5497 (1999), 1.5888 (1998)	Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 581.2 (2003), 696.988 (2002), 733.039 (2001), 711.976 (2000), 615.699 (1999)
Executive branch	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by the Australian governor general head of government: Administrator William Leonard TAYLOR (since 4 February 1999) elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; administrator appointed by the governor general of Australia and represents the monarch and Australia	chief of state: President Francois BOZIZE (since 15 March 2003 coup) and Vice President Abel GOUMA (since 12 December 2003) head of government: Prime Minister Celestin GAOMBALET (since 12 December 2003) cabinet: Council of Ministers elections: NA; municipal, legislative and presidential elections scheduled for December 2004 or January 2005; prime minister appointed by the president
Exports	$NA	NA (2001)
Exports - commodities	phosphate	diamonds, timber, cotton, coffee, tobacco
Exports - partners	Australia, NZ	Belgium 41.8%, Italy 10.7%, Spain 9.8%, France 7.4%, Indonesia 6.6% (2003)
Fiscal year	1 July - 30 June	calendar year
Flag description	the flag of Australia is used; note - in early 1986, the Christmas Island Assembly held a design competition for an island flag, however, the winning design has never been formally adopted as the official flag of the territory	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
GDP	purchasing power parity - $NA	purchasing power parity - $4.183 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%	agriculture: 55% industry: 20% services: 25% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $NA	purchasing power parity - $1,100 (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	NA%	-7% (2003 est.)
Geographic coordinates	10 30 S, 105 40 E	7 00 N, 21 00 E
Geography - note	located along major sea lanes of Indian Ocean	landlocked; almost the precise center of Africa
Highways	total: 240 km paved: 30 km unpaved: 210 km (2000)	total: 23,810 km paved: 643 km unpaved: 23,167 km (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%	lowest 10%: 0.7% highest 10%: 47.7% (1993)
Imports	$NA	NA (2001)
Imports - commodities	consumer goods	food, textiles, petroleum products, machinery, electrical equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, pharmaceuticals
Imports - partners	principally Australia	France 27%, Cameroon 9.2%, US 5.3% (2003)
Independence	none (territory of Australia)	13 August 1960 (from France)
Industrial production growth rate	NA%	3% (2002)
Industries	tourism, phosphate extraction (near depletion)	diamond mining, logging, brewing, textiles, footwear, assembly of bicycles and motorcycles
Infant mortality rate	total: NA% male: NA% female: NA%	total: 92.15 deaths/1,000 live births male: 99.09 deaths/1,000 live births female: 84.99 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	NA%	3.6% (2001 est.)
International organization participation	none	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
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)	2 (2000)	-
Irrigated land	NA sq km	NA sq km
Judicial branch	Supreme Court; District Court; Magistrate's Court	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
Labor force	NA	NA (2000 est.)
Labor force - by occupation	tourism 400 people, mining 100 people (1995)	-
Land boundaries	0 km	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
Land use	arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% note: mainly tropical rainforest; 63% of the island is a national park (1998 est.)	arable land: 3.1% permanent crops: 0.14% other: 96.76% (2001)
Languages	English (official), Chinese, Malay	French (official), Sangho (lingua franca and national language), tribal languages
Legal system	under the authority of the governor general of Australia and Australian law	based on French law
Legislative branch	unicameral Christmas Island Shire Council (9 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve one-year terms) elections: last held NA December 2002 (next to be held NA December 2003) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 9	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 2004) 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
Life expectancy at birth	total population: NA years male: NA years female: NA years (2003 est.)	total population: 41.36 years male: 39.7 years female: 43.08 years (2004 est.)
Literacy	NA	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 51% male: 63.3% female: 39.9% (2003 est.)
Location	Southeastern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of Indonesia	Central Africa, north of Democratic Republic of the Congo
Map references	Southeast Asia	Africa
Maritime claims	contiguous zone: 12 NM exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM	none (landlocked)
Merchant marine	none (2002 est.)	-
Military - note	defense is the responsibility of Australia	-
Military branches	-	Central African Armed Forces (FACA): Republican Guard, Ground Forces, Naval Forces, Air Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure	-	$14.5 million (2003)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	-	1.1% (2003)
Military manpower - availability	-	males age 15-49: 878,980 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service	-	males age 15-49: 460,469 (2004 est.)
National holiday	NA	Republic Day, 1 December (1958)
Nationality	noun: Christmas Islander(s) adjective: Christmas Island	noun: Central African(s) adjective: Central African
Natural hazards	the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can be a maritime hazard	hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds affect northern areas; floods are common
Natural resources	phosphate, beaches	diamonds, uranium, timber, gold, oil, hydropower
Net migration rate	NA migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Political parties and leaders	none	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]
Political pressure groups and leaders	none	NA
Population	433 (July 2003 est.)	3,742,482 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 2004 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA%	NA (1993)
Population growth rate	-9% (2003 est.)	1.56% (2004 est.)
Ports and harbors	Flying Fish Cove	Bangui, Nola, Salo, Nzinga
Radio broadcast stations	AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998)	AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 1 (2002)
Railways	24 km to serve phosphate mines	-
Religions	Buddhist 36%, Muslim 25%, Christian 18%, other 21% (1997)	indigenous beliefs 35%, Protestant 25%, Roman Catholic 25%, Muslim 15% note: animistic beliefs and practices strongly influence the Christian majority
Sex ratio	NA (2003 est.)	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: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Suffrage	-	21 years of age; universal
Telephone system	general assessment: service provided by the Australian network domestic: only analog mobile telephone service is available international: satellite earth stations - one Intelsat earth station provides telephone and telex service (2000)	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)
Telephones - main lines in use	NA	9,000 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular	NA	13,000 (2003)
Television broadcast stations	NA	1 (2001)
Terrain	steep cliffs along coast rise abruptly to central plateau	vast, flat to rolling, monotonous plateau; scattered hills in northeast and southwest
Total fertility rate	NA children born/woman (2003 est.)	4.59 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate	NA%	8% (23% for Bangui) (2001 est.)
Waterways	none	2,800 km (primarily on the Oubangui and Sangha rivers) (2004)

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