The Central African Republic is a landlocked country in Central Africa, with French as the official language and Sangho widely spoken. It gained independence in 1960 and has a republic government with an executive, legislative, and judicial branch. The country’s major resources are timber, diamonds, gold, and agriculture. The climate is tropical, with savannah, forests, and deserts. The population is at high risk for infectious diseases and is dependent on foreign aid. The main ethnic groups are Baya, Banda, Mandjia, and Sara, with half the population being Christian.
The Central African Republic is located in Central Africa just north of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Its total land area is slightly smaller than that of Texas, but it is a landlocked nation. The official language is French, but Sangho is also widely spoken.
The Central African Republic became the French colony of Ubangi-Shari in the late 1800s. However, the Central Africans gained independence in 1960. From that time until the 1990s, it existed under military rule and experienced much turmoil. Civilian rule was established in the 1990s and in 2003 President Ange-Felix Patasse was deposed by General Francois Bozize.
The government of this nation is a republic consisting of an executive branch, a legislative branch, and a judicial branch. The president is elected for a five-year term and can serve up to two terms, while the prime minister is appointed by the political party that currently holds the majority in the legislature. The legislature is called the National Assembly and has 109 members, elected for five years. The Supreme Court consists of nine justices: three judges appointed by the president, three appointed by the president of the National Assembly, and three appointed by their fellow justices.
Some of the nation’s most important natural resources are timber, diamonds, gold, and agricultural products. Together, agriculture and forestry account for more than half of gross domestic product (GDP). Exports consist mainly of timber and diamonds.
The climate of the Central African Republic is tropical. The geography consists mostly of flat to undulating plateaus with some hills to the northeast and southwest. Much of the country is covered in savannah, with forests in the south and deserts in the north.
The population of the Central African Republic is at high risk for many major infectious diseases such as HIV, hepatitis A, typhoid fever and malaria. Due to these medical problems and the nation’s severe economic problems, the nation is dependent on foreign aid and many non-governmental organizations (NGOs). There are many ethnic groups in this country but the main groups include Baya, Banda, Mandjia and Sara. About half of the population of the Central African Republic is Christian, with the rest following indigenous beliefs or Islam.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
