Central African Republic

 CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

A. THE COUNTRY

The Central African Republic (CAR) is a country in Africa’s geographical
centre.  Government is a multi-party democracy.  CAR is rich in natural
and mineral resources but there are several limiting factors:
underdeveloped infrastructure, landlocked status, conflict in
neighbouring countries and within the CAR.  The many rebel factions in
the north are being monitored through the UN presence but the east is
unstable due to the presence of the LRA which spilled over from Uganda
and Sudan.  Diamonds account for 55% of exports.  Farmers account for
most of the working population.  CAR is increasingly devastated by AIDS
and other diseases and life expectancy is dropping.  The country is one
of the poorest in the world.

B. THE PEOPLE

The population is ~4,600,000 and official languages French and Sango.
There are about 80 ethnic groups.
~78.7% are Adamawa-Ubangi, ~6.2% Sudanic, ~3% Bantu, ~3.6% Fulbe, ~4.9%
Sara-Bagirmi, ~2.8% Arab, ~0.3% Pygmy, ~0.5% Other.

C. RELIGIONS AND CHRISTIANITY/PENTECOSTALISM

~76.37% claim to be Christian, ~13.8% Muslim, ~8.6% Ethnoreligionist,
~0.92% Non-religious, ~0.3% Baha’i. Animistic religions may be
decreasing on the surface, but their influence is still strong.
In the Christian category:
~25.11% are Protestant, ~19.64% Catholic, ~19.63% Unaffiliated, ~11.56%
Independent, ~0.43% are considered ‘marginal’.
Evangelicals represent ~32.3% of the population.
Charismatics represent ~15.6% and of those ~12.9% are Pentecostals.  

Donna Siemens

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org

Operation World, Jason Mandryk. Colorado Springs: Biblica Publishing, 2010.