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government type:
republic 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. haute-kotto. haut-mbomou. kemo. lobaye. mambere-kadei. mbomou. nana-grebizi*. nana-mambere. ombella-mpoko. ouaka. ouham. ouham-pende. sangha-mbaere*. vakaga independence: 13 august 1960 (from france) national holiday: republic day. 1 december (1958) constitution: 5 december 2004; ratified by popular referendum legal system: based on french law suffrage: 21 years of age; universal executive branch: chief of state: president francois bozize (since 15 march 2003 coup) head of government: prime minister elie dote (since 13 june 2005) note - celestin gaombalet resigned 11 june 2005 cabinet: council of ministers elections: president elected to five year term with a two-term limit; next presidential elections scheduled for 10 april 2005; prime minister appointed by the political party with a parliamentary majority legislative branch: unicameral national assembly or assemblee nationale (109 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 13 march 2005 and 8 may 2005 (next to be held na 2010) 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 judicial branch: 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 political parties and leaders: 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: na international organization participation: 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 diplomatic representation in the us: chief of mission: ambassador emmanuel touaboy chancery: 1618 22nd street nw. washington. dc 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 483-7800 fax: [1] (202) 332-9893 diplomatic representation from the us: chief of mission: charge d'affaires james panos 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 flag description: 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 economy - overview: 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 40%. 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 growth at only 0.5% in 2004 and 2.5% in 2005. distribution of income is extraordinarily unequal. grants from france and the international community can only partially meet humanitarian needs. gdp (purchasing power parity): $4.47 billion (2005 est.) gdp (official exchange rate): $1.467 billion (2005 est.) gdp - real growth rate: 2.5% (2005 est.) gdp - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1.200 (2005 est.) gdp - composition by sector: agriculture: 55% industry: 20% services: 25% (2001 est.) labor force: na unemployment rate: 8% (23% for bangui) (2001 est.) population below poverty line: na household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 0.7% highest 10%: 47.7% (1993) distribution of family income - gini index: 61.3 (1993) inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.6% (2001 est.) budget: revenues: na expenditures: na. including capital expenditures of na agriculture - products: cotton. coffee. tobacco. manioc (tapioca). yams. millet. corn. bananas; timber industries: gold and diamond mining. logging. brewing. textiles. footwear. assembly of bicycles and motorcycles industrial production growth rate: 3% (2002) electricity - production: 106 million kwh (2003) electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 19.8% hydro: 80.2% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) electricity - consumption: 98.58 million kwh (2003) electricity - exports: 0 kwh (2003) electricity - imports: 0 kwh (2003) oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003) oil - consumption: 2.400 bbl/day (2003 est.) oil - exports: na oil - imports: na exports: $131 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) exports - partners: belgium 39.6%. italy 8.7%. spain 8%. us 6.2%. france 6.1%. indonesia 5.9%. china 4.9% (2004) imports: $203 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) imports - partners: france 17.6%. us 16.3%. cameroon 9.3%. belgium 5% (2004) debt - external: $1.06 billion (2002 est.) economic aid - recipient: oda $59.8 million; note - traditional budget subsidies from france (2002 est.) currency (code): communaute financiere africaine franc (xaf); note - responsible authority is the bank of the central african states currency code: xaf exchange rates: communaute financiere africaine francs (xaf) per us dollar - 528.28 (2005). 528.29 (2004). 581.2 (2003). 696.99 (2002). 733.04 (2001) fiscal year: calendar year telephones - main lines in use: 9.000 (2002) telephones - mobile cellular: 13.000 (2003) telephone system: 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) radio broadcast stations: am 1. fm 5. shortwave 1 (2002) radios: 283.000 (1997) television broadcast stations: 1 (2001) televisions: 18.000 (1997) internet country code: .cf internet hosts: 6 (2002) internet service providers (isps): 1 (2002) internet users: 5.000 (2002) airports: 50 (2004 est.) airports - with paved runways: total: 3 2.438 to 3.047 m: 1 1.524 to 2.437 m: 2 (2005 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 (2005 est.) roadways: total: 23.810 km (1999) waterways: 2.800 km (primarily on the oubangui and sangha rivers) (2004) ports and terminals: bangui. nola. salo. nzinga military branches: central african armed forces (faca): ground forces. air force; general directorate of gendarmerie inspection (dgig). republican guard (2004) military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary and compulsory military service; conscript service obligation is two years (2005) manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 758.103 (2005 est.) manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 330.255 (2005 est.) military expenditures - dollar figure: $15.5 million (2004) military expenditures - percent of gdp: 1% (2004) disputes - international: about 30.000 refugees fleeing the 2002 civil conflict in the car still reside in southern chad; periodic skirmishes over water and grazing rights among related pastoral populations along the border with southern sudan persist refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 36.479 (sudan) 1.864 (chad) 6.484 (democratic republic of the congo) idps: 200.000 (unrest following coup in 2003) (2004)
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