The 1999 CIA World Factbook. United States. Central Intelligence Agency
1994 had mixed effects on the CAR's economy. Diamond, timber, coffee, and cotton exports increased, leading an estimated rise of GDP of 7% in 1994 and nearly 5% in 1995. Military rebellions and social unrest in 1996 were accompanied by widespread destruction of property and a drop in GDP of 2%. Ongoing violence between the government and rebel military groups over pay issues, living conditions, and political representation has destroyed many businesses in the capital and reduced tax revenues for the government. The IMF approved an Extended Structure Adjustment Facility in 1998.
GDP: purchasing power parity—$5.5 billion (1998 est.)
GDP—real growth rate: 5.5% (1998 est.)
GDP—per capita: purchasing power parity?$1,640 (1998 est.)
GDP—composition by sector: agriculture: 53% industry: 21% services: 26% (1997 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.6% (1998 est.)
Labor force: NA
Unemployment rate: 6% (1993)
Budget:
revenues: $638 million
expenditures: $1.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $888
million (1994 est.)
Industries: diamond mining, sawmills, breweries, textiles,
footwear, assembly of bicycles and motorcycles
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity—production: 100 million kWh (1996)
Electricity—production by source: fossil fuel: 20% hydro: 80% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1996)
Electricity—consumption: 100 million kWh (1996)
Electricity—exports: 0 kWh (1996)
Electricity—imports: 0 kWh (1996)
Agriculture—products: cotton, coffee, tobacco, manioc (tapioca), yams, millet, corn, bananas; timber
Exports: $182 million (f.o.b., 1998)
Exports—commodities: diamonds, timber, cotton, coffee, tobacco
Exports—partners: Belgium-Luxembourg 36%, Cote d'Ivoire 5%, Spain 4%, Egypt 3%, France
Imports: $155 million (f.o.b., 1998)
Imports—commodities: food, textiles, petroleum products,
machinery, electrical equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals,
pharmaceuticals, consumer goods, industrial products
Imports—partners: France 30%, Cote d'Ivoire 18%, Cameroon 11%,
Germany 4%, Japan
Debt—external: $930 million (1997 est.)
Economic aid—recipient: $172.2 million (1995); note?traditional
budget subsidies from France
Currency: 1 Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (CFAF) = 100
centimes
Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per
US$1—560.01 (December 1998), 589.95 (1998), 583.67 (1997), 511.55
(1996), 499.15 (1995), 555.20 (1994)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 16,867 (1992 est.)
Telephone system: fair system domestic: network consists principally of microwave radio relay and low-capacity, low-powered radiotelephone communication international: satellite earth station—1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 3 (including Africa No. 1 and R. France Internationale stations located in Bangui), shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios: NA
Television broadcast stations: NA
Televisions: 7,500 (1993 est.)
Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 23,810 km paved: 429 km unpaved: 23,381 km (1995 est.)
Waterways: 800 km; traditional trade carried on by means of shallow-draft dugouts; Oubangui is the most important river
Ports and harbors: Bangui, Nola
Airports: 52 (1998 est.)
Airports—with paved runways: total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (1998 est.)
Airports—with unpaved runways: total: 49 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 10 914 to 1,523 m: 23 under 914 m: 15 (1998 est.)
Military
Military branches: Central African Armed Forces (includes
Republican Guard and Air Force), Presidential Guard, National
Gendarmerie, Police Force
Military manpower—availability:
males age 15–49: 782,678 (1999 est.)
Military manpower—fit for military service:
males age 15–49: 409,044 (1999 est.)
Military expenditures—dollar figure: $29 million (1996)
Military expenditures—percent of GDP: 2.2% (1996)
Transnational Issues
Disputes—international: none
======================================================================
@Chad——
Introduction
Background: In 1960, Chad gained full independence from France. In December 1990, after Chad had endured three decades of ethnic warfare as well as invasions by Libya, former northern guerrilla leader Idriss DEBY seized control of the government. His transitional government eventually suppressed or came to terms with most political-military groups, settled the territorial dispute with Libya on terms favorable to Chad, drafted a democratic constitution which was ratified by popular referendum in 1996, held multiparty national presidential elections in 1996 (DEBY won with 69% of the vote), and held multiparty elections for the National Assembly in 1997 (DEBY's Patriotic Salvation Movement won a majority of the seats). But by the end of 1998, DEBY was beset with numerous problems including heavy casualties in the Democratic Republic of the Congo where Chadian troops had been deployed to support embattled President KABILA, a new rebellion in northern Chad, and further delays in the Doba Basin oil project in the south.
Geography
Location: Central Africa, south of Libya
Geographic coordinates: 15 00 N, 19 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area:
total: 1.284 million sq km
land: 1,259,200 sq km
water: 24,800 sq km
Area—comparative: slightly more than three times the size of
California
Land boundaries:
total: 5,968 km
border countries: 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)
Climate: tropical in south, desert in north
Terrain: broad, arid plains in center, desert in north, mountains