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The Central African Republic is a landlocked nation within the interior of the African continent. It is bordered by Cameroon, Chad, Sudan, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Republic of the Congo. The country lies between latitudes 2 and 11°N and longitudes 14° and 28°E By the 1990s, calls for democracy led to the first multi-party demo- cratic elections in 1993. Ange-Félix Patassé became president, but was later removed by General François Bozizéin the 2003 coup. The Central African Republic Bush War began in 2004 and, despite a peace treaty in 2007 and another in 2011, fighting broke out between government, Mus- lim, and Christian factions in December 2012, leading to ethnic and reli- gious cleansing and massive population displacement in 2013 and 2014. World famous Encyclopedias do not agree on the religious distribution in CAR. According to some, 80.3% of the population is Christian-51.4% Protestant and 28.9% Catholics and 15% is Muslim. Indigenous beliefs (animism) are also practiced, and many indigenous beliefs are incorporated into Christian and Islamic practice. A UN director described religious tensions between Muslims and Christians as being high. According to the World Fact book, approximately fifty percent of the population of CAR are Christians (Protestant 25%, Roman Catholic 25%) , while 35% of the population main- tain indigenous beliefs and 15% practice Islam though it is unclear how recent this information is There are many missionary groups operating in the country, including Lutherans, Baptists, Catholics, Grace Brethren, and Jehovah's Witnesses. While these missionaries are predominantly from the United States, France, Italy, and Spain, many are also from Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and other African countries.
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