Population: 3,576,884

Languages: French (official), Sangho (lingua franca and national language), Arabic, Hunsa, Swahili

Background: The former French colony of Ubangi-Shari became the Central African Republic upon independence in 1960. After three tumultuous decades of misrule - mostly by military governments - a civilian government was installed in 1993.

Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF, No information)

Data from CIA World Factbook. Click on CIA link for more. Click on map or flag for larger images.