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CAPE VERDE (Continued) Elections: national elections held December 1980, the first since independence

Political parties and leaders: only legal party, African Party for Independence of Cape Verde (PAICV), led by Aristides Pereira, Secretary General; PAICV established in January 1981 to replace the former ruling party in both Cape Verde and Guinea Bissau, the African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde (PA1GC), in protest of the November 1980 coup in Guinea-Bissau

Communists: a few Communists, some sympathizers

Member of: FAO, G-77, GATT (de facto), IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, ILO, IMCO, IMF, ITU, NAM, OAU, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO

ECONOMY
GDP: $40.7 million (1978 est.); $136 per capita income; 0.0% growth rate

Agriculture: main crops—corn, beans, manioc, sweet potatoes; barely self-sufficient in food

Fishing: catch 8,331 metric tons (1979 est.); largely undeveloped but provides major source of export earnings

Major industries: salt mining

Electric power: 6,000 kW capacity (1980); 9 million kWh produced (1980); 27 kWh per capita

Exports: $4.1 million (f.o.b., 1979); fish, bananas, salt, flour

Imports: $71.1 million (c.i.f., 1979); petroleum products, corn, rice, machinery, textiles

Major trade partners: Portugal, UK, Japan, African neighbors

Budget: $17.1 million public revenue, $22.1 million current expenditures (1980 est.)

Monetary conversion rate: 47 escudos=US$1 (1981)

Fiscal year: calendar year

COMMUNICATIONS
Ports: 1 major (Mindelo), 3 minor

Civil air: 2 major transport aircraft

Airfields: 6 total, 6 usable; 4 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 4 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Telecommunications: interisland radio-relay system, HF radio to mainland Portugal and Guinea-Bissau, about 1,700 telephones (0.5 per 100 popl.); 1 FM station and 1 AM station; 2 coaxial submarine cables

DEFENSE FORCES
Military manpower: males 15-49, 79,000; 45,000 fit for military service

Military budget: for fiscal year including 31 December 1980, $15 million; about 5% of central government budget  

LAND
626,780 km$2$; 10%-15% cultivated, 5% dense forests, 80%-85% grazing, fallow, vacant arable land, urban, waste

Land boundaries: 4,981 km

PEOPLE
Population: 2,471,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate 2.6%

Nationality: noun—Central African(s); adjective—Central African

Ethnic divisions: approximately 80 ethnic groups, the majority of which have related ethnic and linguistic characteristics; Banda (32%) and Baya-Mandjia (29%) are largest single groups; 6,500 Europeans, of whom 6,000 are French and majority of the rest Portuguese

Religion: 40% Protestant, 28% Catholic, 24% animist, 8% Muslim; animistic beliefs and practices strongly influence the Christian majority

Language: French official; Sangho, lingua franca and national language

Literacy: estimated at 20%

Labor force: about half the population economically active, 80% of whom are in agriculture; approximately 64,000 salaried workers

Organized labor: 1% of labor force

GOVERNMENT
Official name: Central African Republic

Type: republic, under military rule since September 1981

Capital: Bangui

Political subdivisions: 14 prefectures, 47 subprefectures Legal system: based on French law; Constitution, which was approved in February 1981 referendum, was suspended after September 1981 military takeover; judiciary, Supreme Court, court of appeals, criminal court, and numerous lower courts

National holiday: 4 December  38