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- Abbreviation for Central Treaty Organization.
- Central African Republic
- (Republique centrafricaine) area 622,436 sq
- km/240,260 sq mi capital Bangui physical most
- of the country is on a plateau, with rivers
- flowing N and S. The N is dry and there is
- rainforest in the SW head of state and
- government Andre Kolingba from 1981 political
- system one-party military republic political
- parties Central African Democratic Assembly
- (RDC), nationalist exports diamonds, uranium,
- coffee, cotton, timber currency CFA franc
- (485.00 = 1 Feb 1990) population (1988)
- 2,860,000; annual growth rate 2.3% life
- expectancy men 41, women 45 language Sangho,
- French (both official) religion animist over
- 50%; Christian 35%, both Catholic and
- Protestant; Muslim 10% literacy 53% male/29%
- female (1985 est) GNP $690 million (1983);
- $310 per head of population chronology 1960
- Central African Republic achieved
- independence from France with David Dacko
- elected president. 1962 The republic made a
- one-party state. 1965 Dacko ousted in a
- military coup led by Col Bokassa. 1966
- Constitution rescinded and national assembly
- dissolved. 1972 Bokassa declared himself
- president for life. 1976 Bokassa made himself
- emperor of the Central African Empire. 1979
- Bokassa deposed by Dacko following violent
- repressive measures by the self-styled
- emperor, who went into exile. 1981 Dacko
- deposed in a bloodless coup, led by Gen Andre
- Kolingba, and an all-military government
- established. 1983 Clandestine opposition
- movement formed. 1984 Amnesty for all
- political party leaders announced. President
- Mitterrand of France paid a state visit. 1985
- New constitution, with some civilians in the
- government, promised. 1986 Formal trial of
- Bokassa started. Gen Kolingba re-elected.
- 1988 Bokassa found guilty and received death
- sentence, later commuted to life
- imprisonment.
-