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The former French colony of Ubangi-Shari became the Central African Republic upon independence in August 1960. Since that time, the country has been politically unstable and is one of the least-developed countries in the world. In 2008, some progress towards ending the conflict in the country was made, when peace talks led to an agreement committing two of the main rebel groups to disarm. The process culminated with the creation of a national unity government incorporating two rebel leaders in early 2009.The most commonly spoken languages are French and Sangho.
Leader: President Francois Bozize (since 2005) Capital city: Bangui
Economic profile
Monetary unit: CFA franc (Communaute Financiere Africaine)
GDP per capita: $700 (2010) (CIA) GDP composition by sector:
Agriculture: 52.9% (2008) (World Bank)
Industry: 14.2% (2008) (World Bank)
Services: 32.9% (2008) (World Bank) GDP growth rate: 3.3% (2008) (IMF)
Budget: Government revenue, excluding grants: $334-million (2010) (CIA) Government expenditure: $362-million (2010) (CIA) Consumer price inflation: 9,3% (2007) (IMF) Industries: Gold and diamond mining, logging, brewing, textiles, footwear, assembly of bicycles and motorcycles. Exports of goods and services: $146-million (207) (World Bank) Imports of goods and services: $237-million (2007) (World Bank) Import commodities: Food, textiles, petroleum products, machinery, electrical equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals. Export commodities: Diamonds, timber, cotton, coffee, and tobacco. Trade balance: -$77-million (2007) (IMF) Reserves: 2.2 months of imports (2007) (IMF) Total investment: 8.2% of GDP (2007) (IMF) Market capitalisation of listed companies: Figures not available
Social profile
Population: 4.42-million (2010) (World Bank) Population growth: 1.9% (2010) (World Bank) Life expectancy at birth: 44 years (2008) (CIA) Adult literacy: 55% (2009) (World Bank) School enrolment primary: 89% (2009) (World Bank)
School enrolement secondary: 14% (2009) (World Bank) School enrolment tertiary: 2% (2009) (World Bank) Number of people living with HIV/Aids: 130 000 (2009) (Unicef)
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