Key Facts

GDP (ppp) per CAPITA

$700 (2008 est.)

Inflation Rate

0.9% (2007 est.)

Population

4,511,488

Country Risk Ratings

D

Ease of Doing Business

180/181

Global Competitiveness

-/134

Country Map

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Central African Rep. : Introduction

The former French colony of Ubangi-Shari became the Central African Republic upon independence in 1960. After three tumultuous decades of misrule - mostly by military governments - civilian rule was established in 1993 and lasted for one decade. President Ange-Felix PATASSE's civilian government was plagued by unrest, and in March 2003 he was deposed in a military coup led by General Francois BOZIZE, who established a transitional government. Though the government has the tacit support of civil society groups and the main parties, a wide field of candidates contested the municipal, legislative, and presidential elections held in March and May of 2005 in which General BOZIZE was affirmed as president. The government still does not fully control the countryside, where pockets of lawlessness persist. Unrest in neighboring nations, Chad, Sudan, and the DRC, continues to affect stability in the Central African Republic as well.

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Sources:
CIA World Factbook (September 2009)
U.S. Dept. of State Country Background Notes (September 2009)