Total fertility rate: 5.6 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Central African(s); adjective—Central African
Ethnic divisions: about 80 ethnic groups, the majority of which have related ethnic and linguistic characteristics; 34% Baya, 27% Banda, 10% Sara, 21% Mandjia, 4% Mboum, 4% M'Baka; 6,500 Europeans, of whom 3,600 are French
Religion: 24% indigenous beliefs, 25% Protestant, 25% Roman Catholic, 15% Muslim, 11% other; animistic beliefs and practices strongly influence the Christian majority
Language: French (official); Sangho (lingua franca and national language); Arabic, Hunsa, Swahili
Literacy: 40.2%
Labor force: 775,413 (1986 est.); 85% agriculture, 9% commerce and services, 3% industry, 3% government; about 64,000 salaried workers; 55% of population of working age (1985)
Organized labor: 1% of labor force
- Government Long-form name: Central African Republic (no short-form name); abbreviated CAR
Type: republic, one-party presidential regime since 1986