9-89), $6 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $38
million
Currency:
Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (plural - francs); 1 CFA franc (CFAF)
= 100 centimes
Exchange rates:
Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1 - 269.01 (January
1992), 282.11 (1991), 272.26 (1990), 319.01 (1989), 297.85 (1988), 300.54
(1987)

:Central African Republic Economy

Fiscal year:
calendar year

:Central African Republic Communications

Highways:
22,000 km total; 458 km bituminous, 10,542 km improved earth, 11,000
unimproved earth
Inland waterways:
800 km; traditional trade carried on by means of shallow-draft dugouts;
Oubangui is the most important river
Civil air:
2 major transport aircraft
Airports:
66 total, 52 usable; 4 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways
over 3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 22 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications:
fair system; network relies primarily on radio relay links, with
low-capacity, low-powered radiocommunication also used; broadcast stations -
1 AM, 1 FM, 1 TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station

:Central African Republic Defense Forces

Branches:
Central African Army (including Republican Guard), Air Force, National
Gendarmerie, Police Force
Manpower availability:
males 15-49, 677,889; 354,489 fit for military service
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $23 million, 1.8% of GDP (1989 est.)

:Chad Geography

Total area:
1,284,000 km2
Land area:
1,259,200 km2
Comparative area:
slightly more than three times the size of California
Land boundaries:
5,968 km; Cameroon 1,094 km, Central African Republic 1,197 km, Libya 1,055
km, Niger 1,175 km, Nigeria 87 km, Sudan 1,360 km
Coastline:
none - landlocked
Maritime claims:
none - landlocked
Disputes:
Libya claims and occupies the 100,000 km2 Aozou Strip in the far north;
demarcation of international boundaries in Lake Chad, the lack of which has
led to border incidents in the past, is completed and awaiting ratification
by Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria
Climate:
tropical in south, desert in north
Terrain:
broad, arid plains in center, desert in north, mountains in northwest,
lowlands in south
Natural resources:
crude oil (unexploited but exploration under way), uranium, natron, kaolin,
fish (Lake Chad)
Land use:
a