Africa

Central African Republic

Situated about 500 mi (805 km) north of the equator, the Central African Republic is a landlocked nation bordered by Cameroon, Chad, the Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Republic of Congo. The Ubangi and the Shari are the largest of many rivers.

As the name dictates, the Central African Republic lies in Central Africa entirely within the tropical zone. Completely landlocked, it is bordered to the North by Chad, on the east by Sudan, on the south by Zaire and the Congo, and on the west by Cameroon. The southern border follows the bed of the Ubangi River; the eastern border coincides with the divide between the watersheds of the Nile and the Zaire rivers...More Information on Central African Republic.

Full country name: Central African Republic
Area: 622,980 sq km
Population: 3.44 million
Capital City: Bangui (pop 670,000)
People: Baya, Banda, Sara, Mandjia, Mboum, M'Baka, European
Language: French, Sango, Arabic, Swahili
Religion: Catholic (25%), Muslim (9%), indigenous beliefs
Government: republic
Head of State: President François Bozize
Head of Government: Prime Minister Celestin Gaombalet

History of Central African Republic

Prior to French colonisation of central Africa around the 1880s, many tribes fled to the area in order to escape the slave trade. In 1910, the area known as Ubangi-Chari became incorporated into French Equatorial Africa and turned over to a number of concessionaires who ran their separate fiefdoms as commercial operations with little or no regard for the indigenous people. Numerous unsuccessful revolts were launched against the concessionaires until, immediately after World War II, the territory was granted its own assembly and representation in the French National Assembly. Internal self-government followed in 1958 with the leading nationalist politician, Barthlemy Boganda, serving as Prime Minister...More on Central African Republic's History.

Overview of Central African Republic's Economy

GDP: US$5.5 billion
GDP per capita: US$1,600
Annual Growth: 5.5%
Inflation:2.5%
Major Industries: Agriculture, diamond mining, timber, brewing
Major Trading Partners: France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Cote d'Ivoire, Spain, Cameroon, Eqypt
Member of EU: No

Also Read: A short note on Economy of Central African Republic

Political System of Central African Republic

- Government of Central African Republic
- Foreign relations of Central African Republic
- Defence of central African Republic

Climate, Vegetation and Fauna

Roughly the size of France, the CAR is surrounded on all sides by other nations, which, in a clockwise direction from the south, read: Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaïre, capital: Kinshasa), Republic of the Congo (capital: Brazzaville), Cameroon, Chad and Sudan. The country is mostly undulating land or flat plateau at around 600m (1968ft) above sea level. Dense tropical forests grow in the south, but that gradually thins as you move north and withers into Sahelian scrub in the northeast corner. The Bongo Massif near the border with Sudan rises to 1330m (4362ft) and the Yadé Massif along the Cameroon border rises to 1420m (4576ft). The Oubangui River forms the southern boundary with the Democratic Republic of the Congo...more.


Social Profile: Dress is informal. Care should be taken to dress modestly in Muslim areas, and Muslim customs...more.

Education: Education is compulsory for children aged 6 to 12. Even so, enrollment rates are low...more.

People of Central African Republic: There are more than 80 ethnic groups in the Central African Republic (C.A.R.)...more.

Health: Overall, health standards in CAR are relatively low and rank below the average of other countries...more.


Facts for the Traveler

Visas: Only nationals of France, Germany, Israel and Switzerland do not need visas. There is a CAR embassy in Washington DC, but none in the UK and only a few in Europe. In most African countries where there’s no CAR representation the French embassy can arrange CAR visas.
Health risks: Malaria, bilharzia (schistosomiasis, which makes swimming unsafe everywhere), AIDS (many adults, particularly prostitutes, are affected in Bangui).
Time: GMT/UTC + 1 hour
Electricity: 220 volts
Weights & measures: metric

Also Read: Money & Costs | Transportation in Central African Republic | Public holidays in Central African Republic

When to Go

Rain is the most important point to consider when planning a trip to the CAR, because a wet season downpour can strand you for days. Inmost of the CAR the best time to travel is from November to April, but the rains come by late February in the south and around Bangui. Most of the national parks are open year-round, but St Floris in the northeast is open only from 1 December to 15 May.

Also Read: Getting Around in Central African Republic | Getting There & Away

What to See in Central African Republic

Other Tourist Attractions in Central African Republic

more...

What to do in Central African Republic

There are plenty of opportunities for hiking and bushwhacking through rainforest, as well as mountain climbing and rock climbing if you look hard enough around the Bongo and the Yadé Massifs. You can cycle in the CAR, and it is a great way to make contact with locals. If you bring a football or soccer ball you’ll make a splash with locals keen for a kick, and after soccer, basketball is Africa’s most popular sport. Taking a wildlife safari is the best way to see the wildlife in some of the more remote parts of the country.

The earliest inhabitants of the area were Khoisan hunter-gatherers. They were largely replaced by Bantu tribes during a series of migrations. The southern part of the country was named Matabeleland after the Ndebele tribe who occupied the area in the early 1800’s under a loose confederation of Ndebele-speaking tribes headed by the Khumalo tribe under [...]
Countries in Africa Algeria Angola Benin Botswana Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroon Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Cote d’Ivoire Democratic Republic of the Congo Djibouti Egypt Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Ethiopia Gabon The Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea-Bissau Kenya Lesotho Liberia Libya Madagascar Malawi Mali Mauritania Mauritius Morocco Mozambique Namibia Niger Nigeria Republic of the Congo Rwanda Senegal Seychelles Sierra Leone Somalia South Africa Sudan Swaziland Tanzania Togo Tunisia Uganda Zambia Zimbabwe
Religion in Africa Africans profess a wide variety of religious beliefs, with Christianity and Islam being the most widespread. Approximately 40% of all Africans are Christians and another 40% Muslims. Roughly 20% of Africans primarily follow indigenous African religions. A small number of Africans also have beliefs from the Judaic tradition, such as the Beta Israel [...]
Culture of Africa Africa has a number of overlapping cultures. The most conventional distinction is that between sub-Saharan Africa and the northern countries from Egypt to Morocco, who largely associate themselves with Arabic culture. In this comparison, the nations to the south of the Sahara are considered to consist of many cultural areas, in particular [...]
Demographics of Africa Africans may be grouped according to whether they live north or south of the Sahara Desert; these groups are called North Africans and Sub-Saharan Africans, respectively. Afro-Asiatic speaking peoples predominate in North Africa, while Sub-Saharan Africa is dominated by a number of disparate populations grouped according to their diverse languages–Niger-Congo predominantly in West [...]
Economy of Africa Africa is the world’s poorest inhabited continent: the United Nations’ Human Development Report 2003 (of 175 countries) found that positions 151 (Gambia) to 175 (Sierra Leone) were taken up entirely by African nations. It has had (and in some ways is still having) a shaky and uncertain transition from colonialism, with increases in corruption [...]
Politics in Africa Colonial Africa Colonialism had a destabilizing effect on what had been a number of ethnic groups that is still being felt in African politics. Prior to European influence, national borders were not much of a concern, with Africans generally following the practice of other areas of the world, such as the Arabian peninsula, where [...]
History of Africa Africa is home to the oldest inhabited territory on earth, with the human race originating from this continent. During the mid 20th century, anthropologists discovered many fossils and evidence of human occupation perhaps as early as 7 million years ago. The famous Leakey family, with ties to both Britain and Africa, discovered fossil [...]
Geography of Africa Africa is the largest of the three great southward projections from the main mass of the Earth’s surface. It includes within its remarkably regular outline an area, of c. 30,360,288 km² (11,722,173 mi²), including the islands. Separated from Europe by the Mediterranean Sea, it is joined to Asia at its northeast extremity by the [...]
Etymology of Africa The name Africa came into Western use through the Romans, who used the name Africa terra - “land of the Afri” (plural, or “Afer” singular) - for the northern part of the continent, as the province of Africa with its capital Carthage, corresponding to modern-day Tunisia. The Afri were a tribe - possibly Berber [...]

Travel Mantra: Africa Destination Guide

Browse the Africa Destination Guide

Got Text?
You're reading these text links and so are millions of other every month. Place your Adverts Here. E-Mail Us for Details.
 
Plan your Honeymoon in Alaska, Tahiti, Caribbean , New Zealand, Hawaii, Cooks Island, Fiji
 
Learn wide variety of courses at all levels in English and other languages in Delhi at Inlingua New Delhi
 
Plan your Visit to Agra, Jaipur and Delhi through Travel and Hospitality India
 
 
Customized Search Engine Solutions, Search Engine Rankings, Search Engine Promote, Affordable SEO Services, SEO India
 
Cellos and Violas Manufacturer and Suppliers


 
Africa Travel Guide