Central African Republic

The Central African Republic (French: République centrafricaine, or Centrafrique; Sango: Ködörösêse tî Bêafrîka), is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It borders Chad in the north, Sudan in the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo in the south, and Cameroon in the west. The Republic covers a land area of almost 623,000 km²

It has an estimated population of about 4.4 million as per 2008. The eastern portion of the Republic is largely uninhabited.

Bangui is the capital city.

Most of the Republic consists of Sudano-Guinean savannas but it also includes a Sahelo-Sudanian zone in the north and an equatorial forest zone in the south. Two thirds of the country lies in the basins of the Ubangi River, which flows south into the Congo River, while the remaining third lies in the basin of the Chari River, which flows north into Lake Chad.

Since most of the territory is within the Ubangi and Shari river basins, France called the colony it carved out in this region Ubangi-Chari, or Oubangui-Chari in French. It became a semi-autonomous territory of the French Community in 1958 and then an independent nation on 13 August 1960.

The Central African Republic is one of the poorest countries in the world and among the ten poorest countries in Africa. The Human Development Index for the Central African Republic is 0.369, which gives the country a rank of 179 out of 182 countries with data. In 2001 though, The Ecologist magazine estimated that the Central African Republic is the world's leading country in sustainable development.

The Republic is divided into 14 administrative prefectures (préfectures), along with 2 economic prefectures (préfectures economiques) and one autonomous commune. The prefectures are further divided into 71 sub-prefectures (sous-préfectures).

The economy of the Republic is dominated by the cultivation and sale of food crops such as cassava, peanuts, maize, sorghum, millet, sesame, plantain and sara. The annual real GDP growth rate is just above 3%.

The population has almost quadrupled since independence. The United Nations estimates that approximately 11% of the population aged 15–49 is HIV positive.

The nation is divided into over 80 ethnic groups, each having its own language. The largest ethnic groups are the Baya 33%, Banda 27%, Mandjia 13%, Sara 10%, Mboum 7%, M'Baka 4%, and Yakoma 4%, with 2% others, including Europeans of mostly French descent.

French is the main official language but Sango is used as a lingua franca.

Christians form 50 percent of the population, while 35 percent of the population maintain Indigenous beliefs, and Islam is practiced by approximately 15 percent. There are many missionary groups operating in the country.

Education

Public education in the Central African Republic is free, and education is compulsory from ages 6 to 14. However, about half the adult population of the country is illiterate.

AIDS-related deaths have taken a heavy toll on teachers, contributing to the closure of more than 100 primary schools between 1996 and 1998.

In 1991, the gross primary enrollment rate was 56.9 percent. In 2000, the net primary enrollment rate for children between the ages of 6 and 11 was 43 percent. Primary school attendance rates were unavailable for the Central African Republic as of 2001. While enrollment rates indicate a level of commitment to education, they do not always reflect children’s participation in school.

The educational system’s limited budget and salary arrears have resulted in a shortage of teachers and an increase in the number of street children. The percentage of the national budget allocated to education, which traditionally stood at less than 12 percent, increased to 18 percent in the late 1990s. According to the government, it will further increase to 25 percent by 2010.

Higher Education

There was no higher education in the country immediately after independence in 1960. Students typically went to France to study. In the early 1960s, the Republic shared with Gabon, Chad, and the Republic of Congo, a tertiary institution: the Foundation for Higher Education in Central Africa. (This was created by France to provide a regional training infrastructure for people of the former colonies of French Equatorial Africa. In 1969 the national university was created.

Higher education in the Republic is provided and financed publicly.

A Country Report from CIHE (see References) notes that: "During the 2000 fiscal year, the budget of the University of Bangui represented approximately 1.7% of the national budget".

Institutions now include:

1. University of Bangui - http://www.univ-bangui.info/ - see also the old Wikipedia entry
2. Protestant University of Central Africa
3. National School of Administration and Judiciary - http://www.etat.sciencespobordeaux.fr/organismes/centrafriq.html#F2
4. Jean-Bedel Bokassa University

There is also the College Preparatoire International, a private institution.

Other tertiary insitutions include:

1. National Centre for Training and Handicrafts (Centre National de Formation et de Productions Artisanales) - http://www.unevoc.unesco.org/unevocdir3.php?akt=99&id=355
2. Central African Agency for TVE and Employment (Agence Centrafricaine pour la Formation Professionnelle et l'Emploi) - http://www.unevoc.unesco.org/unevocdir3.php?akt=99&id=417
3. Women's College of Technical Education - http://www.unevoc.unesco.org/unevocdir.php?akt=99&id=495
4. Institut Facultave de Technologie-Bangu

References

1. Country profile: Central African Republic, Gaston M. N'Guerekata, CIHE, circa 2003, http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/soe/cihe/inhea/profiles/Central_African_Republic.htm

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