ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a brief historical background and a description of major events in Central African Republic. It also provides basic political, economic, and social data arranged in the following categories: polity, economy, population, purchasing power parities, life expectancy, ethnic groups, capital, political rights, civil liberties, and status. The chapter discusses the progress and decline of political rights and civil liberties in Central African Republic. The Central African Republic (CAR) was wracked by violence twice in 2001 by disgruntled members of the military, which left the democratically elected government vulnerable to further attacks by renegade troops. The CAR, a sparsely populated country, gained independence from France in 1960 after a period of particularly brutal colonial exploitation. Presidential and legislative elections were held in 1993 in line with the 1986 constitution, giving the CAR's people their first opportunity to choose their leaders in an open and democratic manner.
