Central African Republic, republic in central Africa, bordered on the north by Chad, on the east by Sudan,
on the south by the Democratic Republic of the
Congo (DRC, formerly Zaire)
and the Republic of the Congo,
and on the west by Cameroon.
The landlocked nation has an area of 622,436 sq km (240,324 sq mi). Bangui is the capital and
largest city.
LAND AND RESOURCES
The Central African Republic is situated on the
northern edge of the Congo
River Basin. Most of the
land is a plateau that ranges in elevation from about 610 to 790 m (about 2000
to 2600 ft). Two ranges of hills in the north and northeast rise to maximum
heights of about 1400 m (about 4600 ft). Most of the country has a savanna vegetation-a grassland interspersed with trees.
Open grassland is found in the extreme north, and a dense rain forest covers
the major part of the southwestern area. The country is drained by several
major rivers, the Bamingui and Ouham rivers in the
north, and the Ubangi, a tributary of the Congo, in the south.
Natural Resources The mineral resources of this primarily agricultural country are
relatively undeveloped. Diamonds are the dominant exploited mineral. Deposits
of uranium exist, as well as iron ore, gold, lime, zinc, copper, and tin.
Commercially valuable trees include the sapele mahogany and the obeche. Almost
every animal of the African Tropics is found in the country.
Agriculture and Forestry Only 3 percent of the total land area is used for growing crops. Basic
food crops include cassava, plantains, corn, peanuts, sweet potatoes, and
millet. In order to increase the wage-earning power of the peasant farmer, the
government has organized agricultural cooperatives, placing primary emphasis on
introducing new crops that are expected to produce a higher income. The
cultivation of tobacco, sesame, and rice is encouraged by the government. The
most important cash crop is coffee, once grown mostly on European-owned
plantations, but now produced largely on smaller African-owned farms. In 1997
coffee production was 18,000 metric tons. Cotton, which is widely cultivated,
is also a leading cash crop and represents a significant portion of export
earnings.
Exploitation of forest reserves was slow to
develop but has increased in importance. In 1995 some 3.9 million cu m (136 million
cu ft) of roundwood were produced. Timber accounted for 8 percent of export
revenues in the early 1990s.
Manufacturing and Mining Manufacturing activity in the Central
African Republic is very limited. Products
include cottonseed, peanut, and sesame oils; textiles; leather goods; tobacco
products; soap; flour; bricks; and paint. The output of electricity in 1996 was
100 million kilowatt-hours, 80 percent of which was generated in hydroelectric
installations. Gem diamonds account for nearly all the country's mineral output
and two-thirds of its export revenue. Production was 350,000 carats in 1996.
Uranium was discovered in the eastern part of the country in 1966, but
production is awaiting improvement in international prices. A small amount of
gold is mined, mostly by individual prospectors.
