-note: landlocked; almost the precise center of Africa

@Central African Republic:People

Population: 3,375,771 (July 1998 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 44% (male 745,128; female 737,879)
15-64 years: 52% (male 864,263; female 906,656)
65 years and over: 4% (male 55,051; female 66,794) (July 1998 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.02% (1998 est.)

Birth rate: 38.72 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Death rate: 16.75 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Net migration rate: -1.78 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female (1998 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 105.73 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 46.82 years
male: 45.02 years
female: 48.68 years (1998 est.)

Total fertility rate: 5.12 children born/woman (1998 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Central African(s)
adjective: Central African

Ethnic groups: Baya 34%, Banda 27%, Sara 10%, Mandjia 21%, Mboum 4%,
M'Baka 4%, Europeans 6,500 (including 3,600 French)

Religions: indigenous beliefs 24%, Protestant 25%, Roman Catholic 25%,
Muslim 15%, other 11%
note: animistic beliefs and practices strongly influence the Christian
majority

Languages: French (official), Sangho (lingua franca and national
language), Arabic, Hunsa, Swahili

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 60%
male: 68.5%
female: 52.4% (1995 est.)

@Central African Republic:Government

Country name:
conventional long form: Central African Republic
conventional short form: none
local long form: Republique Centrafricaine
local short form: none
former: Central African Empire
abbreviation: CAR

Data code: CT

Government type: republic

National capital: Bangui

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

Independence: 13 August 1960 (from France)

National holiday: National Day, 1 December (1958) (proclamation of the
republic)

Constitution: passed by referendum 29 December 1994; adopted 7 January
1995

Legal system: ba