Overview
The Central African Republic (CAR) is a landlocked country located in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to the north, Sudan to the northeast, South Sudan to the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the south, the Republic of the Congo to the southwest, and Cameroon to the west. The country covers a land area of approximately 620,000 square kilometers (240,000 square miles) and has a population of 5,357,744 as of 2024, consisting of about 80 ethnic groups.
Language and Capital
French is the official language of the Central African Republic, a legacy of its colonial past when it was known as Ubangi-Shari under French rule. Sango, a Ngbandi-based creole language, serves as the national and co-official language. The capital and largest city is Bangui, located on the southern border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Geography and Climate
The Central African Republic's landscape is diverse, consisting mainly of Sudano-Guinean savanna. The country also includes a Sahelo-Sudanian zone in the north and an equatorial forest zone in the south. Two-thirds of the country lies within the basin of the Ubangi River, which flows into the Congo River, while the remaining third is part of the Chari River basin, which flows into Lake Chad.
Etymology
The country's name is derived from its geographical location in the central region of Africa and its republican form of government. During the colonial era, it was called Ubangi-Shari, a name taken from two major rivers—the Ubangi and the Chari. From 1976 to 1979, the country was known as the Central African Empire. Barthélemy Boganda, the country's first prime minister, preferred the name "Central African Republic" over Ubangi-Shari, reportedly because he envisioned a larger union of countries in Central Africa.
Early History
The region has been inhabited since at least 8000 BCE. Approximately 10,000 years ago, desertification forced hunter-gatherer societies south into the Sahel regions of northern Central Africa, where some groups settled and began farming. The domestication of African oil palm before 3000 BCE improved nutrition and allowed for population expansion. The Bouar Megaliths in the western region indicate advanced habitation dating back to the late Neolithic Era (approximately 3500–2700 BCE), while ironwork developed around 1000 BCE.
The Ubangian people settled along the Ubangi River, while some Bantu people migrated from the southwest of Cameroon. Bananas arrived during the first millennium BCE and became an important food source. Trade in the region focused on copper, salt, dried fish, and textiles.
Slave Trade and Pre-Colonial Period
Beginning in the 16th and 17th centuries, slave traders raided the region as part of the expansion of Saharan and Nile River slave routes. Captives were shipped to the Mediterranean coast, Europe, Arabia, the Western Hemisphere, and various slave ports along West, North, and Central African rivers. During the 18th century, the Bangassou Kingdom was established by Bandia-Nzakara Azande peoples along the Ubangi River. By the mid-19th century, the Bobangi people had become major slave traders, selling captives to the Americas via the Ubangi River.
Colonial Period
European colonization of Central Africa began in the late 19th century during the Scramble for Africa. France seized and colonized Ubangi-Shari territory in 1894. In 1903, France established the separate colony of Ubangi-Shari as part of French Equatorial Africa. The French colonial period was marked by the exploitation of natural resources through concessionary companies that forced local people to harvest rubber, coffee, and other commodities without pay.
During the 1920s and 1930s, the French introduced mandatory cotton cultivation, built roads, and attempted to combat sleeping sickness. However, these developments came at great human cost, particularly during the construction of the Congo-Ocean Railway, where deaths among workers exceeded 17,000. In 1928, the Kongo-Wara rebellion broke out in Western Ubangi-Shari and continued for several years, representing one of the largest anti-colonial rebellions in Africa during the interwar period. French colonization in the territory is considered to have been the most brutal of the French colonial empire.
Independence and Modern History
The Central African Republic gained independence from France in 1960. After independence, the country was ruled by a series of autocratic leaders, including Jean-Bedel Bokassa, who changed the country's name to the Central African Empire and ruled as a monarch from 1976 to 1979.
The Central African Republic Bush War began in 2004. Despite a peace treaty in 2007 and another in 2011, civil war resumed in 2012. The civil conflict perpetuated the country's poor human rights record, characterized by widespread and increasing abuses by various participating armed groups.
Economy and Development
Despite possessing vast natural resources including uranium reserves, crude oil, gold, diamonds, cobalt, lumber, and hydropower, as well as significant quantities of arable land, the Central African Republic is among the ten poorest countries in the world. As of 2017, it had the lowest GDP per capita at purchasing power parity (PPP) in the world. According to the Human Development Index (HDI) for 2023, the country had the third-lowest level of human development, ranking 191 out of 193 countries. The country is also estimated to be the unhealthiest country and the worst country to be in for young people.
International Membership
The Central African Republic is a member of the United Nations, the African Union, the Economic Community of Central African States, the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, and the Non-Aligned Movement.