Africa
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"Central African Republic." Geography, Africa, Q-files Encyclopedia, 22 Sep. 2026.
https://www.q-files.com/geography/africa/central-african-republic.
Accessed 23 Sep. 2026.
Central African Republic 2026. Geography, Africa. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from
https://www.q-files.com/geography/africa/central-african-republic
Geography, Africa, s.v. "Central African Republic," accessed September 23, 2026.
https://www.q-files.com/geography/africa/central-african-republic
Central African Republic
The Central African Republic (often abbreviated to CAR) is a landlocked country in the middle of Africa. Decades of political unrest have left its people among of the world’s poorest. Most of the land is fairly flat, covered by savanna merging with the Sahel scrubland in the north, and rainforest to the south. The only uplands are the Karre Mountains in the west and the Massif des Bongo in the northeast. The CAR has a hot, tropical climate with two seasons, rainy and dry. During the dry season, a cool, dusty wind from the Sahara, the harmattan, blows across the north. In the south, the rivers often flood during the rainy season.
People
The CAR is home to more than 80 different ethnic groups. The largest are the Baya and Banda who together make up more than half the population. Most people speak Ubangian languages, such as Sango. The CAR is a difficult and often dangerous place to live. Life is especially hard for children: many have lost their parents in fighting during the recent civil wars, and a lot of schools have been closed down. Today, about two-thirds of Central Africans live in poverty; tens of thousands have had to leave their homes as refugees to escape violence.
Economy
Years of unstable government have left the CAR’s economy badly damaged. Most people make a living from subsistence farming, growing enough cassava, maize or millet for their families and selling any leftover produce at markets. Some farmers grow cotton or coffee for export. Another major industry is diamond-mining, but this industry is riven with corruption. In the past, income from the diamond industry has often been used to support war. Diamonds sold to finance war are called “conflict” or “blood” diamonds.
Consultant: Nicholas Harris
Facts about Central African Republic
Population 5,650,957 (2024 estimate)
Area 622,984 sq km
Highest point Mont Ngaoui 1410 m (4626 ft)
Capital Bangui, population 889,231
Other major cities Bimbo (pop. 129,700), Berbérati (77,000)
Languages French, Sango
Religions Christian (Protestant) 61%, Christian (Roman Catholic) 29%, Muslim 19%
Ethnicity Baya 33%, Banda 27%, Mandjia 13%, Sara 10%, Mboum 7%, M’baka 7%, Yakoma 4%, others 2%
Currency Central African CFA franc (XAF)
Chief exports diamonds, timber, cotton, coffee
History of Central African Republic
1000 BC
Bantu peoples begin to settle along the River Ubangi in the south of the region
1000
People in the region trade copper, salt, textiles and dried fish
16th century
Arab slave traders raid the region, transporting locals to the Mediterranean and West African coasts to be sold as slaves
1875
Sudanese sultan Rabih al-Zubayr rules the area
1885–94
French settlers arrive in the region and take control of land along the Ubangi
1903
French forces defeat Rabih al-Zubayr and take control of the whole region
1910
The new French territory, called Ubangi-Chari, becomes part of French Equatorial Africa
1921–34
Thousands of Central Africans are forced to work on the Congo-Ocean Railway; many die in the harsh working conditions
1928
Violent protests break out: local people rebel against French rule and forced labour
1946
The territory is given its own national assembly and a representative in the French parliament
1958
The territory becomes self-governing with Barthélémy Boganda as prime minister
1960
The territory becomes an independent country, the Central African Republic
1962
President David Dacko bans all other political parties, making the country a one-party state
1965
Dacko is removed from power by a military coup, led by Jean-Bedel Bokassa
1972
Bokassa declares himself president for life
1979
Ex-president David Dacko and French troops seize control of the government, removing Bokassa from power
1981
Military seize control in a coup; its leader, Andre Kolingba, rules the country until 1993
1991
New political parties are allowed to form for the first time in 30 years
1993
Ange-Felix Patasse becomes president
2003
Rebel leader Francois Bozize seizes power and dissolves the government
2005
Flooding in Bangui leaves more than 20,000 people homeless
2008
Rebel leaders sign a peace agreement with the government
2012
Fighting breaks out between government, Muslim and Christian factions
2013
The mostly Muslim rebel force, called Séléka, seizes control of the capital; their leader, Michel Djotodia, becomes president; UN and French troops move in to disarm the rebel fighters
2014
Djotodia resigns and Catherine Samba-Panza becomes the country’s temporary leader; the country is effectively divided into two: the forces of the Christian "anti-Balaka” in the southwest and the Séléka in the northeast
2015
Séléka rebel leaders declare their territory the independent Republic of Logone, later renamed Dar al-Kuti, after the historic Islamic sultanate which existed from around 1830 until 1912
2021
Anti-government rebels, the Coalition of Patriots for Change, who dispute President Touadéra's re-election, seize control of two-thirds of the country and surround the capital, Bangui. Fighting forces over 200,000 people to flee their homes as a state of emergency is declared. The rebels are repelled by government forces assisted by Russian mercenaries and Rwandan troops.
2026
(August) Following a landslide near the village of Zamboye, 50 km (31 miles) from Baboua, an artisanal gold mine (a small-scale, illegal mine) collapses, killing at least 107 people
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