Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Central African Republic. Landlocked; almost the precise center of Africa. Mother's mean age at first birth is (), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 835 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
Location | Central Africa, north of Democratic Republic of the Congo |
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Geographic coordinates | 7 00 N, 21 00 E |
Map references | Africa |
Tarrain | vast, flat to rolling plateau; scattered hills in northeast and southwest |
Natural Resources | diamonds, uranium, timber, gold, oil, hydropower |
Natural Hazards | hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds affect northern areas; floods are common |
Irrigated Land | 10 sq km (2012) |
Major rivers (by length in km) | Oubangui (Ubangi) river [s] (shared with Democratic Republic of Congo and Republic of Congo [m]) - 2,270 km note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth |
Major aquifers | Congo Basin, Lake Chad Basin |
Land Boundaries | 5,920 km |
Border Countries | Cameroon 901 km; Chad 1556 km; Democratic Republic of the Congo 1,747 km, Republic of the Congo 487 km; South Sudan 1055 km; Sudan 174 km |
Coastline | 0 km (landlocked) |
Climate | tropical; hot, dry winters; mild to hot, wet summers |
Area | |
Total Area | |
Land Area | 622,984 sq km |
Water Area | 0 sq km |
comparative Area | slightly smaller than Texas; about four times the size of Georgia |
Maritime Claims | |
Elevations | |
Highest point | Mont Ngaoui 1,410 m |
Lowest point | Oubangui River 335 m |
Mean elevation | 635 m |
Land Use | |
Agricultural land | 8.1% (2018 est.) |
Agricultural land: arable land | arable land: 2.9% (2018 est.) |
Agricultural land: permanent crops | permanent crops: 0.1% (2018 est.) |
Agricultural land: permanent pasture | permanent pasture: 5.1% (2018 est.) |
Forest | 36.2% (2018 est.) |
Other | 55.7% (2018 est.) |
Majority of residents live in the western and central areas of the country, especially in and around the capital of Bangui as shown in this population distribution map
In Central African Republic, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: Baya 28.8%, Banda 22.9%, Mandjia 9.9%, Sara 7.9%, M'Baka-Bantu 7.9%, Arab-Fulani (Peuhl) 6%, Mbum 6%, Ngbanki 5.5%, Zande-Nzakara 3%, other Central African Republic ethnic groups 2%, non-Central African Republic ethnic groups .1% (2003 est.)
Population | |
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Pop growth rate | 1.76% (2024 est.) |
Birth rate | 31.9 births/1,000 population (2024 est.) |
Death rate | 11.3 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.) |
Health expenditure | 9.4% of GDP (2020) |
Physicians Density | |
Hospital bed Density | 1 beds/1,000 population (2011) |
Total fertility rate | 3.94 children born/woman (2024 est.) |
Gross reproduction rate | 1.94 (2024 est.) |
Contraceptive prevalence rate | 17.8% (2019) |
Est married women (ages 15-49) | 64.7% (2023 est.) |
Literacy | age 15 and over can read and write |
Education expenditures | 2.2% of GDP (2020 est.) |
Net Migration rate | -3.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.) |
Nationality | Central African | Central African(s) |
Languages | French (official), Sangho (lingua franca and national language), tribal languages |
Religions | Roman Catholic 34.6%, Protestant 15.7%, other Christian 22.9%, Muslim 13.8%, ethnic religionist 12%, Baha'i 0.2%, agnostic/atheist 0.7% (2020 est.) |
Age Structure | |
0-14 years | 38.5% (male 1,113,795/female 1,063,971) |
15-64 years | 58% (male 1,613,770/female 1,662,522) |
65 years and over | 3.5% (2024 est.) (male 86,932/female 109,967) |
Dependency Ratios | |
Total dependency ratio | 102.8 |
Youth dependency ratio | 97.7 |
Elderly dependency ratio | 5.1 |
Potential support ratio | 19.7 (2021 est.) |
Median Age | |
Total | 20.4 years (2024 est.) |
Male | 19.7 years |
Female | 21.2 years |
Urbanization | |
Urban population | 43.6% of total population (2023) |
Rate of urbanization | 3.32% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.) |
Major urban areas (Pop) | 958,000 BANGUI (capital) (2023). |
Sex Ratio | |
At birth | 1.03 male(s)/female |
0-14 years | 1.05 male(s)/female |
15-64 years | 0.97 male(s)/female |
65 years and over | 0.79 male(s)/female |
Total population | 0.99 male(s)/female (2024 est.) |
Infant Motality | |
Total | 80.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.) |
Male | 86.4 deaths/1,000 live births |
Female | 74.5 deaths/1,000 live births |
Life Expectancy at birth | |
Total population | 56.4 years (2024 est.) |
Male | 55.1 years |
Female | 57.7 years |
Drinking Water Sources | |
Improved: urban | urban: 83.9% of population |
Improved: rural | rural: 47.5% of population |
Improved: total | total: 62.9% of population |
Unimproved: urban | urban: 16.1% of population |
Unimproved: rural | rural: 52.5% of population |
Unimproved: total | total: 37.1% of population (2020 est.) |
Sanitation facility acess | |
Improved: urban | urban: 53.8% of population |
Improved: rural | rural: 12.4% of population |
Improved: total | total: 29.9% of population |
Unimproved: urban | urban: 46.2% of population |
Unimproved: rural | rural: 87.6% of population |
Unimproved: total | total: 70.1% of population (2020 est.) |
Major Infectious diseases | |
Degree of risk | very high (2023) |
Food or waterborne diseases | bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever |
Vectorborne diseases | malaria, dengue fever, and sexually transmitted diseases: HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B (2024) |
Water contact diseases | schistosomiasis |
Animal contact diseases | rabies |
Alcohol consumption per capita | |
Total | 0.94 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
Beer | 0.55 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
Wine | 0.04 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
Spirits | 0.02 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
Other alcohols | 0.33 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
Child marriage | |
Women married by age 15 | 25.8% |
Women married by age 18 | 61% |
Men married by age 18 | 17.1% (2019 est.) |
The Central African Republic’s (CAR) humanitarian crisis has worsened since the coup of March 2013. CAR’s high mortality rate and low life expectancy are attributed to elevated rates of preventable and treatable diseases (including malaria and malnutrition), an inadequate health care system, precarious food security, and armed conflict. Some of the worst mortality rates are in western CAR’s diamond mining region, which has been impoverished because of government attempts to control the diamond trade and the fall in industrial diamond prices. To make matters worse, the government and international donors have reduced health funding in recent years. The CAR’s weak educational system and low literacy rate have also suffered as a result of the country’s ongoing conflict. Schools are closed, qualified teachers are scarce, infrastructure, funding, and supplies are lacking and subject to looting, and many students and teachers have been displaced by violence.
Rampant poverty, human rights violations, unemployment, poor infrastructure, and a lack of security and stability have led to forced displacement internally and externally. Since the political crisis that resulted in CAR’s March 2013 coup began in December 2012, approximately 600,000 people have fled to Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and other neighboring countries, while another estimated 515,000 were displaced internally as of December 2022. The UN has urged countries to refrain from repatriating CAR refugees amid the heightened lawlessness.
(2019)Want to know more about Central African Republic? Check all different factbooks for Central African Republic below.