Central African Republic

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Aptly located in the center of Africa, the CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC (French: La République Centrafricaine, or Centrafrique) achieved independence from France in 1960. There are 6 bordering countries: Cameroon located to the west, Chad to the north, Republic of the Congo to the southwest, Democratic Republic of the Congo to the south, South Sudan to the east, and Sudan to the northeast. The C.A.R. experiences a tropical climate in which winters are dry and hot, while summers are wet and mild or hot. Northeastern regions are typically arid, contrasting the humid tropical rainforests in the southwest. The currency is the Central African Franc, and its ISO 4217 currency code is XAF. Some of the country’s exports for global trade ↗ include diamonds, gold (small amount), petroleum (small amount), timber, and various crops. Speaking of crops, principal crops grown in the Central African Republic include bananas, cassava (manioc), coffee, corn (maize), cotton, diamonds, millet, tobacco, and yams.

● ● ● ● ●  People and Places  ● ● ● ● ●  According to Encyclopædia Britannica, the C.A.R.’s population in the year 2020 is about 4,830,000 and is ranked 123rd among populations of the whole world’s countries, dependencies, and territories. Major cities of the Central African Republic include the national capital, Bangui, as well as Bambari, Bangassou, Berbérati, Bimo, Bossangoa, Bouar, Bozoum, Bria, Carnot, Kaga Bandoro, Mbaïki, and Nola. Visiting the C.A.R. is not recommended and strongly discouraged due to unfortunate conflicts and violence. Since traveling in the C.A.R. is risky and downright dangerous, it would be better to explore the country virtually and not in person. There are wonderful photographs and details about megalithic stone monuments near Bouar, national parks and reserves (listed below), and various waterfalls (also listed below). Designated due to natural importance, two UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the C.A.R. are the Manovo-Gounda Saint Floris National Park and Sangha Trinational Park.

The Central African Republic’s official language is French, while Sangho (Sango) is a Ngbandi-based Creole language and is known as a national language. As of 2023, over 80 ethnic indigenous languages are used for communication in the Central African Republic. Examples of these languages are Aka (Yaka), Ali, Arabic, Banda dialects, Birri, Bodo, Bofi, Bokoto, Buraka, Chadian Arabic, Dagba, Dendi, Fulah, Fulfulde Bagirmi, Furu, Ganzi, Gbanu, Gbanziri, Gbaya, Gbaya-Bozoum, Gbayi, Geme, Gula, Gundi, Kaba, Kaba Na, Kako, Kara, Kare, Kpagua, Kpatili, Laka, Langbashe, Lingala, Lutos, Manza, Mbangi, Mbati, Mbay, Mbum, Monzombo, Mpiemo, Ngam, Ngando, Ngbaka (Ngbaka Ma’bo, Ngbaka Manza, etc.), Ngombe, Nzakara, Pana, Pande, Runga, Sango, Sango Riverain, Sara Kaba, Suma, Togbo-Vara Banda, Ukhwejo, Vale, Yakoma, Yulu, and Zande. The C.A.R. is comprised of over 80 ethnic groups, some of which correspond with their namesake languages listed above. Ethnic groups include the Baya (33% of the total population), Banda (25%), Mandjia (13%), Sara (10%), Mboum (7%), M’Baka (4%), Yakoma (4%), Ba’Aka pygmy people, and Ngbandi. About 65% of Central African citizens are believers in Christianity, followed by animist and ethnic beliefs (19%), Islam (14%), and Bahá’í (0.23%).

● ● ● ● ●  Land and Water Features  ● ● ● ● ●  The nation’s highest point is Mont Ngaoui which stands at an elevation of 4,659 feet and 1,420 meters on the border with Cameroon — northwest of the city of Bouar. The majority topography of the C.A.R. is not mountains but rather rolling plateaus with an average altitude of 600 meters and 2,000 feet. Vast savanna land and rainforests are typical landscapes of the C.A.R. Some rivers drain south to the mighty Congo river, while others flow north toward Lake Chad. Some of the dozens of rivers and tributaries winding throughout the country include the Bahr Aouk, Bamingui, Bomu (Mbomou), Chinko, Goro, Kadéï, Kameur, Kotto, Lobaye, Mambéré, Mbari, Ouaka, Ouandjia, Oubangui, Ouham, and Uele. Boali, Elephant Rapids, Mbeko, Mbi, Ngolo, and Touboutou are notable and picturesque waterfalls. Northern Central African Republic contains an assortment of national parks and reserves — many of them having hyphenated names — including Aouk-Aoukale, Bamingui-Bangoran, Gribingui-Bamingui, Konkourou-Bamingui, Nana Barya, Ouandja-Vakaga, Saint-Floris, Vassako-Bolo, and Yata-Ngaya. Dzanga-Ndoki National Park and Dzanga-Sangha Special Reserve both sit south of the city of Nola in the extreme southern tip of the country, while Zémongo National Park preserves land in the east near South Sudan.

This post was updated with more information in January 2024. GeoFact of the Day’s map of the Central African Republic was designed in August 2020.