Aptly named, Central African Republic, this landlocked nation rich in diamond, gold and uranium-rich is located at the heart of Africa.
The Central African Republic is roughly the size of France and is bordered by Chad to the north, Sudan and South Sudan to the north and east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Kinshasa) and the Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville) to the south, and Cameroon to the west.
The capital city is called Bangui and was founded as a French trading post in 1889. It sprawls on the banks of the Ubangi River, a tributary of the Congo River. The country is well supplied with waterways. Tributaries of the Chari River occupy the northern third of the country’s territory.
A moist savanna climate prevails in the north and an equatorial forest zone in the south.
Bangui was famed in colonial times as one of the most agreeable cities in equatorial Africa. It blends wooded hills and grassy meadows with heavily populated shantytowns, a handsome if now somewhat run-down city centre, and modern residential districts.
Though faced with civil wars, strikes and curfews all which has brought the city to a standstill too many times to count, Bangui enjoys a vibrant nightlife and a diverse musical culture.
The people of the Central African Republic range from the hunting-and-gathering forest Pygmy peoples, the Aka, to state-forming groups such as the Zande and Nzakara. Prior to the arrival of Europeans in the late 19th century, distinctions between different groups were highly fluid. Colonial administrators favoured some ethnic groups over others, resulting in political rivalries that persists to date.
A minority of Greek, Portuguese, and Yemeni traders are scattered around the country, and a small French population lives in Bangui. Diamond traders from west Africa and Chad, merchants from various African countries, and refugees from nearby countries, such as the DR Congo, also reside in Bangui and the hinterlands.
Agriculture is the largest sector and the basis of the Central African economy, contributing half of the gross domestic product and occupying nearly four-fifths of the workforce; diamonds and timber also contribute to the economy. More than two-fifths of the population is under the age of 15, and life expectancy is less than 50 years because of poor health conditions and services and inadequate food distribution.
What to see in CAR
Many species of antelope, as well as baboons, buffalo, and elephants, are found in the savannas of the Central African Republic. There are also forest elephants, which are smaller than those in the savanna. Once-numerous black rhinoceroses are now rare due to overhunting.
There are several national parks and wildlife reserves, including Bamingui-Bangoran National Park in the north, Manovo–Gounda–St. Floris National Park (a world Heritage site since 1988) in the northeast, Zemongo Faunal Reserve in the east, and Dzanga-Ndoki National Park and Dzanga-Sangha Special Dense Forest Reserve, both in the southwest.