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CENTRAL AFRICAN Facts & Figures

Size: 622,984 km²

Population: 4,422,000

Capital: Bangui

Weather / Climate:

The climate of the C.A.R. is generally tropical. The northern areas are subject to harmattan winds, which are hot, dry, and carry dust. The northern regions have been subject to desertification, and the northeast is a desert. The remainder of the country is prone to flooding from nearby rivers.

Taken from wikipedia

CENTRAL AFRICAN languages

The official languages of the Central African Republic are French and Sangho. In total there are about 120 languages in the country.

In the CAR, French is the language of writing and formal situations. It is estimated that 7.5% of the population are real French speakers.

Sangho has about 350,000 native speakers. It has become the lingua franca of the country. It became a national language in 1963 and the official language in 1991. It's estimated that 92% of the CARs population is able to speak Sangho. The language has become the mother tongue of almost all children in Bangui.

Nearly all of the languages of the CAR belong to the Ubangian family. There are a few Bantu languages in the extreme south, along the border with Congo-Brazzaville, and several Bongo–Baguirmi languages in the north, near the border with Chad. In addition, there is a Luo language, Runga.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_the_Central_African_Republic

CENTRAL AFRICAN culture

The Central African Republic (CAR) has been unstable since its independence from France in 1960 and is one of the least-developed countries in the world. Prior to French colonisation of central Africa around the 1880s, many tribes fled to the area in order to escape the slave trade. In 1910, the area known as Ubangi-Chari became incorporated into French Equatorial Africa, however, after World War II, the territory was granted its own assembly and representation in the French National Assembly.

Internal self-government followed in 1958, with the leading nationalist politician, Barthélemy Boganda, serving as Prime Minister. Boganda died the following year and his nephew, David Dacko, took the country to full independence in 1960. However, in 1965, with the country facing bankruptcy and political chaos, Dacko was overthrown by army chief Jean-Bedel Bokassa, It has endured several coups and a notorious period under the self-declared emperor, who headed a brutal regime.

The Bokassa era ended in 1979, when he was overthrown in a coup led by David Dacko and backed by French commandos based in the country. After just two years in office Mr Dacko was toppled by Andre Kolingba, who eventually allowed multi-party presidential elections and was duly rejected in the first round. Mr Kolingba's successor, Ange-Felix Patasse, had to contend with serious unrest, which culminated in riots and looting in 1997 by unpaid soldiers.

When in that year the French pulled out, there were fears of a power vacuum, so Paris financed a group of French-speaking African countries to create a peacekeeping force. That force was then transformed into the UN Mission to the Central African Republic, or Minurca.

In 1999 Mr Patasse beat nine other candidates to become president again, but there were allegations of electoral fraud. He was overthrown in a coup in 2003 and went into exile in Togo.

Illegal weapons proliferate across the CAR, the legacy of years of unrest. Armed groups are active in the volatile north. The unrest has displaced tens of thousands of Central Africans; many of them have crossed the border into Chad. Some progress towards ending the conflict was made in 2008, 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.

However, another threat has appeared - the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels of neighbouring Uganda, whose insurgency has spread to the wider region, including CAR. In 2009, LRA activities forced the populations of several towns and villages to flee, while government forces struggled to contain the gunmen.

The CAR possesses considerable agricultural, water and mineral resources, but corruption is rife, according to the IMF, and affects the timber and diamond industries. The country is endowed with virgin rainforests and has some of the highest densities of lowland gorillas and forest elephants in Africa.

The public face of the Central African Republic is one that is both politically volatile and environmentally savage. Yet the private face of this country is one with an attractive countenance of forests, savannah, waterfalls and magnificent national parks that teem with wildlife, including concentrations of lowland gorilla and forest elephant groups.

Life in the Central African Republic is a heady mix of arts, crafts and cultural diversity; as it is home to more than 80 different ethnic groups. Despite perceived dangers that lurk in a city such as Bangui, the Central African Republic's capital is a friendly and welcoming place.

25% of the population is Protestant. 25% is Roman Catholic. There is a small Islamic minority of 15% and 35% of the population have indigeneous beliefs.

Dress is informal. Care should be taken to dress modestly in Muslim areas, and Muslim customs should be respected and observed; visitors should not, for instance, show the soles of their feet when sitting. Shorts are also generally frowned upon, and women are expected to dress modestly. It is customary to shake hands. Women are strictly segregated, especially in towns. In Muslim areas, visitors should not smoke or drink in public during Ramadan. Film is expensive and should be sent abroad for developing. Show caution and discretion when photographing local people; ask for permission. Do not photograph military installations or government buildings.

Holidays

· 01 January – New Year's Day

· 29 March – Anniversary of the Death of Barthélemy Boganda

· April – Easter Monday

· 13 August – Independence Day

· 15 August – Assumption

· 01 November – All Saints’ Day

· 01 December – National Day

· 25 December – Christmas

Taken from:

www.bbc.co.uk

www.worldtravelguide.net

CENTRAL AFRICAN people

There are more than 80 ethnic groups in the Central African Republic (CAR), each with its own language. About 50% are Baya-Mandjia, 40% Banda (largely located in the northern and central parts of the country), and 7% are M'Baka (southwestern corner of the CAR). Sangho, the language of a small group along the Oubangui River, is the national language spoken by the majority of Central Africans. Only a small part of the population has more than an elemental knowledge of French, the official language.

More than 55% of the population of the CAR lives in rural areas. The chief agricultural areas are around the Bossangoa and Bambari. Bangui, Berberati, Bangassou, and Bossangoa are the most densely populated urban centers.

Population

4,950,027

Note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2011 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years: 41.9% (male 907,629/female 897,153)

15-64 years: 53.9% (male 1,146,346/female 1,173,268)

65 years and over: 4.2% (male 71,312/female 107,648) (2006 est.)

Median age

Total: 19.2 years

Male: 18.8 years

Female: 19.6 years (2011 est.)

Population growth rate

2.146% (2011 est.)

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_the_Central_African_Republic

CENTRAL AFRICAN food

Central African cuisineis the cooking traditions, practices, foods and dishes associated with the Central African Republic (CAR). The diet is heavy on staple starches such as millet and sorghum, and utilizes a significant amount of vegetables and sauces.^[1]Okra, onions, garlic, chiles and peanuts are commonly used in stews and sauces.^[1] Meat is generally scarce in CAR, and sources of protein include peanuts and insects such as cicadas, grasshoppers, crickets and termites.^[1]

Common foods and dishes

Muama de galinha, chicken with okra and palm oil^[1]
Palm butter soup ^[1]
Fufu (pounded cassava) and Foutou (pounded plantains) are often served with stews, soups and sauces

Beverages
Palm wine^[1]
Banana wine^[1]

Food scarcity

CAR's potential agricultural output can feed the entire population, however, four coups have occurred during the last decade which has significantly reduced agriculture and food production.^[2] These political and economic crises have caused significant food shortages due to the burning of agricultural fields, food storage areas and villages by armed groups.

Taken from wikipedia

Places to go in CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

Discover the present-day capital, Bangui, which rests beside the River Ubangi. Built on a rock, Bangui is shaded by tropical greenery and features many modern buildings. Places of interest include the colourful Central Market (renowned for its malachite necklaces), the Boganda Museum, the Arts and Crafts School, the cathedral and the Saint Paul Mission, whose small brick church overlooks the river, and the Hausa quarter. The Grande Corniche leads to the banks of the Ubangi and provides a picturesque view of the fishermen's round huts and canoes. Bangui has reasonable shopping facilities, including the Marché Central (Central Market) notably for ebony, gold jewellery, butterfly collections and objects d'art made from butterfly wings. However, one of the best methods of finding bargain souvenirs is by bartering with villagers outside the urban areas for their handmade goods. The few hotels in Bangui have clubs catering for tourists and businessmen; local nightlife is centred on the district known as 'Kilomètre Cinq'.

In Bangassou, near the Ubangi River on the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo, venture to the extraordinary Kembe Falls on the River Kotto.

At Bouar, in the east of the country, see burial mounds thought to be thousands of years old, studded with tanjunu (upright megaliths).

In the dry season, take a 4-wheel drive vehicle and spot some wildlife in the Central African Republic's national parks. The three most important parks are Manovo-Gounda St Floris, known for its high concentration of hippos; Bamingui-Bangoran in the north; and Dzanga-Sangha in the southwest. The game population of these national parks is impressive, although the activities of poachers have led to a considerable decrease in recent years - elephants and rhinos being the worst affected species. It is also possible to view gorillas in Bayanga.

Watch the flow of the Boali Waterfalls, near the charming and picturesque village of Boali. The falls are 250m (820ft) wide and 50m (165ft) high, with a chance to see stunning views from the restaurant at the top. The nearby hydroelectric power plant can also be visited.

See indigenous forest tribes living in encampments of small, low huts made of lianas and roofed with leaves in the Lobaye Region, 100km (60 miles) from the capital. There are coffee plantations on the fringe of the forest.

Basketball is the country's most popular sport and a good way to forge connections with the people of the Central African Republic. See some rare examples of beautifully forged wooden houses in the town of Zinga on the Oubangui river.

Taken from:

· www.worldtravelguide.net

Doing business in CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

The economy of the CAR is dominated by the cultivation and sale of food crops such as cassava, peanuts, maize, sorghum, millet, sesame, and plantain . The annual real GDP growth rate is just above 3%. The importance of foodcrops over exported cash crops is indicated by the fact that the total production of cassava, the staple food of most Central Africans, ranges between 200,000 and 300,000 tons a year, while the production of cotton, the principal exported cash crop, ranges from 25,000 to 45,000 tons a year. Foodcrops are not exported in large quantities but they still constitute the principal cash crops of the country because Central Africans derive far more income from the periodic sale of surplus foodcrops than from exported cash crops such as cotton or coffee.^{[citation needed]}

The CAR's largest import partner is South Korea (20.2%), followed by France (13.6%) and Cameroon (7.7%), while its largest export partner is Japan (40.4%), followed by Belgium (9.8%) and China (8.2%).^[20][21]

Many rural and urban women also transform foodcrops into alcoholic drinks such as sorghum beer or hard liquor and derive considerable income from the sale of these drinks. Much of the income derived from the sale of foods and alcohol is not "on the books" and thus is not considered in calculating per capita income, which is one reason why official figures for per capita income are not accurate in the case of the CAR.

The per capita income of the CAR is often listed as being around $300 a year, said to be one of the lowest in the world, but this figure is based mostly on reported sales of exports and largely ignores the more important but unregistered sale of foods, locally produced alcohol, diamonds, ivory, bushmeat, and traditional medicine, for example. The informal economy of the CAR is more important than the formal economy for most Central Africans.^{[citation needed]}

Diamonds constitute the most important export of the CAR, accounting for 40–55% of export revenues, but an estimated 30–50% of the diamonds produced each year leave the country clandestinely. Export trade is hindered by poor economic development, and the location of this country far from the coast.^{[citation needed]}

The wilderness regions of this country have potential as ecotourist destinations. The country is noted for its population of forest elephants. In the southwest, the Dzanga-Sangha National Park is a rain forest area. To the north, the Manovo-Gounda St Floris National Park has been well-populated with wildlife, including leopards, lions, and rhinos. To the northeast the Bamingui-Bangoran National Park. However the population of wildlife in these parks has severely diminished over the past 20 years due to poaching, particularly from the neighboring Sudan.^{[citation needed]}

The CAR is a member of the Organization for the Harmonization of Business Law in Africa (OHADA).^[22]

The CAR is ranked 180 out of 181 on 'ease of business' in the 2009 Doing Business Report of the World Bank Group. The 'ease of business' ranking uses a composite index on regulations that enhance business activity and those that constrain it.^[23]

Taken from wikipedia