Central African Republic

Full name of country: Central African Republic

Region: Africa

Official language: French

Population: 5,650,957 (2024 est.)

Nationality: Central African(s) (noun), Central African (adjective)

Land area: 622,984 sq km (240,535 sq miles)

Capital: Bangui

National anthem: "Le Renaissance" (The Renaissance), by Barthelemy Boganda/Herbert Pepper

National holiday: Republic Day, December 1 (1958)

Population growth: 1.76% (2024 est.)

Time zone: UTC +1

Flag: The flag of the Central African Republic features four equal horizontal stripes (from top to bottom) of blue, white, green, and yellow, bisected with a centered red stripe. A gold star is emblazoned on the hoist (left) side of the blue stripe. The flag is a merging of the French tricolor (blue, white, and red) and Pan-African colors (red, green, and yellow). The red of the flag represents the blood of the people; the blue stands for freedom and the sky; the white represents peace; the green stands for hope; and the yellow symbolizes tolerance.

Motto: “Unité, Dignité, Travail” (Unity, Dignity, Work)

Independence: August 13, 1960 (from France)

Government type: presidential republic

Suffrage: universal for those eighteen years of age

Legal system: civil law system based on the French model

The Central African Republic (CAR), formerly the French colony of Ubangi-Shari, is located in central Africa, just north of the equator. Its neighbors are Cameroon to the west, the Republic of the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the south, Sudan to the northeast, South Sudan to the east, and Chad to the north.

Since gaining independence in 1960, the country has suffered political instability and military dictatorship. For a brief period in the 1970s, it was known as the Central African Empire. A civilian government was established in the early 1990s, but fell to a military coup led by General François Bozizé in 2003. Bozizé was elected president in 2005 and 2011, although the elections were widely viewed as flawed. In January 2013, a coalition government formed that included the leadership of several rebel groups from the northern and central parts of the country. Two months later, the coalition government dissolved and Bozizé fled the country. Despite several subsequent elections and a peace agreement signed in February 2019, armed conflicts persisted. Although the country is known for its beautiful rainforests and large wildlife populations, tourism remains hazardous because of political violence.

Note: unless otherwise indicated, statistical data in this article is sourced from the CIA World Factbook, as cited in the bibliography.

People and Culture

Population: The Central African Republic’s population includes more than eighty ethnic groups, none of which has a clear majority. The three largest groups are the Baya (28.8 percent of the population), Banda (22.9 percent), and Mandjia (9.9 percent). Other minority groups include the Sara (7.9 percent of the population), M'Baka-Bantu (7.9 percent), Arab-Fulani or Peul (6 percent), Mbum (6 percent), Ngbanki (5.5. percent), and Zande-Nzakara (3 percent).

French is the official language, but most of the population speaks Sangho (related to Ngbandi), which serves as a lingua franca, or common tongue. The Sangho themselves are a small ethnic group living near the Oubangui River; they number around 350,000 in the Central African Republic, with approximately 54,000 more in Chad, the Republic of the Congo, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Other languages spoken in the country include Arabic and Swahili, along with various tribal languages.

Roughly 89 percent of Central Africans identified as Christian according to 2020 estimates, including both Catholicism and Protestantism. Christianity in Central Africa is a syncretic religion, in that many people have adopted animistic beliefs and practices in addition to Christian elements. There is also a sizeable Muslim minority, accounting for around 9 percent of the population.

Over half of the population lives in rural areas and is engaged in subsistence agriculture, though there was a steady trend of urbanization through the late 2010s. The capital Bangui is the major city, with a population of 958,000 in 2023. Other urban centers include Berberati and Bossangoa.

The Central African Republic is one of the world’s poorest and least-developed countries. It was ranked 191 on the 2022 United Nations Human Development Index, which measures quality of life indicators.

Indigenous People: The Central African Republic has been settled by many ethnic groups since ancient times. The majority groups in the modern population, including the Baya, Banda, and Mandija, arrived from Sudan and Chad in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

Slavery came to the area in the 1500s, as the region became a source for the European slave trade. The French began colonizing the area in the mid-1880s, establishing large plantations.

Education: The Central African Republic’s education system is poor. Roughly half of eligible students complete primary school. It was estimated that less than half of the population was literate in 2020. Literacy is much higher among men (49.2 percent) than among women (26.2 percent).

Sangho is the main language of instruction in CAR schools.

Education is secular, although religious schools are allowed. Little or no higher education existed during the colonial era; students traveled aboard, generally to France or Senegal, to attend universities. The University of Bangui was established in 1969. Other institutions of higher learning include the National School of Administration and Judiciary (ENAM), which trains civil servants.

Health Care: Medical care is extremely poor in the Central African Republic, with high rates of HIV/AIDS and major infectious diseases such as hepatitis A, typhoid fever, and malaria. The bite of tsetse flies spreads African sleeping sickness (trypanosomiasis).

Because of these factors, the Central African Republic has a young population, with a median age of 20 years in 2020. Average life expectancy at birth in the CAR is an estimated 56.4years; 55.1 years for men and 57.7 years for women (2024 estimate). The infant mortality rate is extremely high, at 80.5 deaths per 1,000 live births (2024 estimate).

Food: The cuisine of the Central African Republic is based on traditional regional fare such as cassava, maize, yams, and bananas. Cassava flour, prepared as a thick porridge, is the staple food of the typical Central African’s diet.

Meat, usually chicken or pork, is often prepared as a sauce or stew. Beef is rarely, if ever, eaten in the CAR, due to fears over disease carried by the tsetse fly. Fish is often eaten, either dried or smoked, in the areas surrounding the Oubangui River.

Most Central Africans grow their own food, and supplement their diet with corn, beans, yams, and squash, or tropical fruits such as papayas and mangos. Favorite beverages include palm wine and millet beer.

Because of disease risks, it is hazardous for travelers in the CAR to eat food obtained from street vendors or to drink anything except bottled water. The country’s ongoing poverty and poor agricultural conditions have led to malnutrition among much of the population.

Arts & Entertainment: As in other central African nations, arts and entertainment in the CAR reflect a wide mix of ethnic cultures. Illiteracy is common, and traditional culture remains mostly oral.

Music plays an important part in Central African culture; genres such as soukous and Afrobeat, popular throughout the region, are prevalent in the CAR as well. The Banda population has its own distinct folk music, which employs groups of trumpeters and other horn players. Instruments such as the sanza, a type of thumb piano, and the mbela, a stringed instrument played with the mouth, are also used in Central African music.

Despite its official status, French is a minority language, although the major newspapers are in French. High illiteracy and censorship have limited the effectiveness of the Central African press, though the military government has begun relaxing its media restrictions.

The country’s only television station, Télévision Centrafricaine (TVCA), is government operated, but there are several non-government radio stations, including the privately owned Radio Nostalgie and United Nations–supported Radio Ndeke Luka. The government has gradually increased press freedom, but concerns about violence and retaliation against journalists remain.

Holidays: The Central African Republic’s national holiday is Republic Day (December 1), which commemorates the 1958 establishment of a self-governing republic within the “French Community.” Independence Day, celebrated on August 13, commemorates full independence from France in 1960.

Several Christian holidays are also official, including Christmas and Easter Monday. Muslims have the right to take leave from work on their religious holidays, but these are not official.

Environment and Geography

Topography: The Central African Republic is largely a plateau, covered with savannah (grassland). Parts of the country are hilly, especially in the southwest and northeast. Much of the country is covered with forest, particularly tropical rainforest in the south. The northeastern part of the country is covered by desert.

The major rivers include the Oubangui (or Ubangi) River, which is a tributary of the Congo River and forms the country’s southern border. In the north, the Chari River drains into Lake Chad. The Oubangui represents the country’s lowest point, at 335 meters (1,099 feet) above sea level. The highest point is Mont Ngaoui, at 1,420 meters (4,659 feet) above sea level.

Natural Resources: The CAR is rich in mineral and forest resources, though poor infrastructure development and political corruption have limited their economic impact. The country’s main mineral resources are gold, diamonds, and uranium; of these, only diamonds have been exploited extensively. Though important economically, representing about 30 percent of exports, the timber trade has led to extensive deforestation and environmental damage. The country’s rivers provide hydropower.

Plants & Animals: Many wild species inhabit the CAR, notably forest elephants and several species of gorilla (lowland and mountain), as well as chimpanzees, baboons, and rhinoceroses. On the savannah live the African elephant, the giant eland (a type of antelope), and the roan antelope. Outside of the rainforest, most vegetation consists of grassland with some trees.

The forests in particular are rich in bird and insect species. Termites are common throughout the country. Hippopotamuses and crocodiles are typically found in the areas surrounding the country’s major rivers, the Oubangui and the Chari.

Poaching is a major problem in the Central African Republic, and has severely diminished wildlife populations. There are several national parks which serve as refuges for wildlife. These include Dzanga-Sangha, Bamingui-Bongoran, and Manovo-Gounda St. Floris.

Climate: The climate of the Central African Republic is largely equatorial, or tropical, in the south, while the northern part of the country is dry and sometimes desert-like. Winters are hot and dry, while summers are often hot, humid, and wet.

During the dry season, the average temperature is about 30 degrees Celsius (85 degrees Fahrenheit); the average temperature during the rainy season is near 25 degrees Celsius (76 degrees Fahrenheit).

The rainy season lasts from May to September. Average rainfall ranges between 1,000 and 1,200 millimeters (40 and 50 inches), although the northeastern part of the country receives much less precipitation. Deforestation has intensified the effects of the hot harmattan winds that blow across the northern CAR.

Economy

The Central African Republic is one of the world’s poorest and least developed nations. Economic development has suffered from poor infrastructure, particularly the lack of energy and transportation networks. There are few paved roads and limited air travel. Rivers are the main means of travel, and hydroelectric power is the main energy source. Political corruption and instability are other obstacles to development.

The country receives extensive international aid, including humanitarian assistance. In 2023, the per capita gross domestic product (GDP) was estimated at US$1000.

Industry: Industry accounts for roughly 16 percent of GDP (2017 estimate). Gold and diamond mining and timbering are important industries, along with brewing and sugar refining. Major international markets include Belarus, Germany, France, Chad, Cameroon, and China.

Agriculture: Agriculture represents 43.2 percent of the Central African Republic’s GDP (2017 estimate). More than half of the population supports itself by subsistence agriculture, and much of the country is malnourished. Most farmers raise food crops, while a few in the western CAR raise cattle. Less than 3 percent of the land is arable, with a fraction of that land planted with permanent crops, and the quality of soil is poor.

Coffee and cotton are the most important crops grown for export. Central African farmers also grow food crops such as manioc (cassava), yams, corn, rice, millet, and plantains. Tobacco, peanuts, and palm are also important to the agricultural economy.

Tourism: Tourism is relatively low in the CAR, due to the country’s ongoing political instability, lawlessness, and violence. Tourists are often targeted by gangs as robbery victims. Among the main tourist attractions are the country’s beautiful landscapes and nature preserves. The Central African rainforests are home to large populations of elephants and gorillas, and are popular destinations for tourists and nature enthusiasts. In 2022, the CAR’s tourism industry directly contributed 4.1 percent of GDP and directly supported 34,900 jobs, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council.

Government

The Central African Republic was the French colony of Ubangi-Shari from the late nineteenth century until after World War II. Established in 1894, Ubangi-Shari was merged in 1906 with the French colony of Chad. In 1910, France created French Equatorial Africa, a federation based at Brazzaville which included the territories of Ubangi-Shari, Chad, Gabon, and Middle Congo (the modern Republic of the Congo). After World War II, the federation was part of the “French Community” of former colonies, an arrangement similar to the British Commonwealth of Nations.

In 1958, the member territories of French Equatorial Africa voted to become separate members of the French Community and dissolved their federation. On August 13, 1960, Ubangi-Shari gained full independence as the Central African Republic. The CAR was unable to attain political stability, however, and suffered a string of dictatorships.

After a military coup, Jean-Bédel Bokassa took power as president in 1966. In the late 1970s Bokassa, who admired Napoleon Bonaparte, declared himself emperor of the “Central African Empire” and achieved international notoriety for his extravagance and extreme cruelty. He was deposed with the help of the French in 1979. During the 1980s and 1990s, the country alternated between civilian and military rule. In 2003, a military coup ended a decade of civilian government. Rebel groups overthrew the president installed by the coup in 2013, forcing him to flee the country, and established a transitional government. The country continues to transition back to democracy, but the international community remains concerned about the CAR’s human rights record.

The president serves as chief of state. They are elected by universal direct suffrage for a five-year term and may serve two terms. The president appoints the Council of Ministers. The prime minister, the head of government, is chosen by the political party that controls the legislature.

The unicameral legislature is known as the National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale). There are 140 members, who are directly elected by popular vote and serve for five years.

The nation’s highest court is the Supreme Court (Cour Supreme). The Constitutional Court rules on constitutional law. Traditional law plays an important part in CAR life, especially outside the capital. The CAR legal system is based on French law. The 1995 constitution was suspended following the 2003 military coup. A new constitution was approved on December 5, 2004 by a national referendum. After the deposition of the military government, the transitional government began working on a new constitution, which was adopted by referendum in December 2015 and ratified in March 2016. Despite the signing of a peace treaty between the transitional government and the various armed factions in 2019, fighting continued throughout the country.

The CAR is divided into fourteen prefectures, two economic prefectures, and the capital Bangui as a self-governing commune. The prefectures are divided into more than sixty smaller units known as “subprefectures.” Local administration is highly centralized, with the president appointing all prefects, subprefects, and communal authorities.

In August 2023, the country's top court approved the outcome of a July referendum, increasing the length of a presidential term to seven years and removing limits on re-election.

Interesting Facts

• Western conservationist David Greer established armed antipoaching patrols in the Central African Republic, to protect the area’s wildlife.
• The land that is now the Central African Republic has been inhabited by humans for at least 8,000 years, according to anthropologists.
• It has been suggested that Joseph Kony, leader of the violent and controversial Lord Resistance Army, may have hidden somewhere in the Central African Republic.

Bibliography

"Central African Republic." The World Bank, 2024, data.worldbank.org/country/central-african-republic?view=chart. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.

"Central African Republic." The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency, 15 Jan. 2025., www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/central-african-republic/. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.

"Central African Republic—2023 Annual Research: Key Highlights." World Travel & Tourism Council, 2023, researchhub.wttc.org/factsheets/central-african-republic. Accessed 31 Oct. 2023.

"Human Development Insights." Human Development Reports, United Nations Development Programme, 13 Mar. 2024, hdr.undp.org/data-center/country-insights#/ranks. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025..

Lambert, Mossoa, and Charl C Wolhuter. "The Central African Republic: The Vicious Circle of Economic Underdevelopment and Dysfunctional Education." Education in East and Central Africa, edited by Charl Wolhunter, Bloomsbury, 2014, pp. 69–88.

McKenna, Amy, editor. "Central African Republic." The History of Central and Eastern Africa, pp. 31–38., Britannica, 2011.