ng 12 January 1994, the CFA franc was devalued to CFAF 100 per
French franc from CFAF 50 at which it had been fixed since 1948
Fiscal year:
calendar year

@Central African Republic, Communications

Highways:
total:
22,000 km
paved:
bituminous 458 km
unpaved:
improved earth 10,542 km; unimproved earth 11,000 km
Inland waterways:
800 km; traditional trade carried on by means of shallow-draft
dugouts; Oubangui is the most important river
Airports:
total:
65
usable:
51
with permanent-surface runways:
3
with runways over 3,659 m:
0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
2
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
20
Telecommunications:
fair system; network relies primarily on radio relay links, with
low-capacity, low-powered radiocommunication also used; broadcast
stations - 1 AM, 1 FM, 1 TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station

@Central African Republic, Defense Forces

Branches:
Central African Army (including Republican Guard), Air Force, National
Gendarmerie, Police Force
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49 701,728; fit for military service 367,264
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $23 million, 1.8% of GDP (1989 est.)

@Chad, Geography

Location:
Central Africa, between the Central African Republic and Libya
Map references:
Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
1.284 million sq km
land area:
1,259,200 sq km
comparative area:
slightly more than three times the size of California
Land boundaries:
total 5,968 km, Cameroon 1,094 km, Central African Republic 1,197 km,
Libya 1,055 km, Niger 1,175 km, Nigeria 87 km, Sudan 1,360 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
none; landlocked
International disputes:
the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled in February 1994 that
the 100,000 sq km Aozou Strip between Chad and Libya belongs to Chad,
and that Libya must withdraw from it by 31 May 1994; Libya had
withdrawn its forces in response to the ICJ ruling, but as of June
1994 still maintained an airfield in the disputed area; demarcation of
international boundaries in Lake Chad, the lack of which has led to
border incidents in the past, is completed and awaiting ratification
by Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria
Climate:
tropical in south, desert in north
Terrain:
broad, arid plains in center, desert in north, mountains in northwest,
lowlands in south
Natural resources:
petrol