Central African Republic: Introduction (2024)

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Central African Republic: Introduction? ›

The Central African Republic (CAR), formerly known as Ubangi-Shari, is a landlocked country 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.

Landlocked in the heart of Africa, the Central African Republic is a sparsely populated country with an area of 623,000 km2. It is one of the poorest and most fragile countries in the world despite its abundant natural resources (470 mineral occurrences, with oil, gold and diamonds having the greatest potential).

Central Africa covers a large physical area ranging from desert conditions to the north in Chad to tropical rainforests and mountains in the equatorial region of the Congo. The entire region is roughly the same size as the United States west of the Mississippi River.

The French constitutional referendum of September 1958 dissolved the AEF, and on 1 December of the same year the Assembly declared the birth of the autonomous Central African Republic with Boganda as head of government. Boganda ruled until his death in a plane crash on 29 March 1959.

The Central African Republic (CAR) has been almost continuously unstable since independence from France in 1960. It is rich in diamonds, gold, oil and uranium, but has one of the world's poorest populations.

The Central African Republic is one of the world's least-developed countries, with over 60 percent of its population living in poverty. The country does have some important natural resources, with timber and diamonds dominating exports.

Central African Republic faces increased rebel activity and spillover from Sudan war, UN experts say. U.N. experts say activities of armed groups in the volatile Central African Republic have increased, complicating a security landscape that has seen a spillover of the conflict in neighboring Sudan.

Total population 6 million. It is estimated that 89 per cent are Christian, 9 per cent (Sunni) Muslim.

The government is a republic comprised of a strong executive branch (president, vice president, prime minister, and council of ministers), and weak legislative and judicial branches.

Africa, the second-largest continent, is bounded by the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean, and the Atlantic Ocean. It is divided in half almost equally by the Equator. The continent includes the islands of Cape Verde, Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, and Comoros.

What is the biggest problem in the Central African Republic? ›

Although security and stability have improved in parts of the country, Central African Republic remains one of the toughest places in the world to be a child. Around 70 per cent of the population lives in extreme poverty, while the infant mortality rate is one of the highest in the world.

Conflict, political instability and displacement have plagued CAR since gaining independence in 1960. As a result, the country's real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita has been declining and is lower today than in the 1960s.

The French were ultimately successful and named it the French Congo (later French Equatorial Africa), with its capital at Brazzaville. The French colonies included Ubangi-Shari (Oubangui-Chari; which later became the Central African Republic), Chad, Gabon, and the Middle Congo (which became the Republic of the Congo).

Because of its geographic location, the Central African Republic benefits from favorable climatic conditions and is endowed with rich agricultural lands and enormous natural resources, such as wood, gold, and diamonds, the exploitation of which remains rudimentary and artisanal.

PIP: The Central African Republic contains 242,000 square miles, which rolling terrain almost 2000 feet above sea level. The climate is tropical, and it has a population of 2.8 million people with a 2.5% growth rate.

national flag with horizontal stripes of blue, white, green, and yellow, all overlapped by a central red vertical stripe; a yellow star is in the upper hoist corner. Its width-to-length ratio is approximately 3 to 5.

In the central, western, and southern regions of the country, Catholicism and Protestant Christianity are the dominant religious groups, while Islam is practiced in the far northern border areas near Cameroon, Chad, and Sudan.

About 25 percent of the population is Roman Catholic and 25 percent is Protestant. The remaining 35 have retained their indigenous religions. People are generally family-oriented and hospitable. Most locals dress informally, but people living in Muslim areas dress modestly.