Central African Republic

The Central African Republic is a landlocked country in the heart of Africa, between Chad, Sudan, South Sudan, both Congos and Cameroon. Its 620,000 km² (240,000 sq mi) are mostly savanna, with dry Sahel in the north and equatorial forest in the south. Bangui, on the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is the capital; French and Sango, a lingua franca built on the Ngbandi language, are the official languages.

People have lived here since at least 8000 BCE, and the Bouar Megaliths in the west date from about 3500 to 2700 BCE. France annexed the area in the late 19th century and in 1903 created the colony of Ubangi-Shari, named after two rivers, within French Equatorial Africa. Concession companies forced villagers to gather rubber and coffee, and cotton growing was made compulsory in the 1920s and 1930s. Independence came in 1960. Jean-Bédel Bokassa named himself emperor in 1976 and was crowned the next year, and the republic returned in 1979.

A presidential republic, it has a president as head of state and a prime minister leading the government, and a 2023 referendum removed presidential term limits. Diamonds earn 40 to 55% of export income. The country also has uranium, crude oil, gold, cobalt, timber and hydropower, while most farmers grow cassava, peanuts, maize, sorghum and millet for food. The currency is the CFA franc.

In the southwest, Dzanga-Sangha National Park protects rainforest with forest elephants and western lowland gorillas. Manovo-Gounda St. Floris National Park in the north is home to lions, leopards and cheetahs. The Aka people of the southwest sing a complex polyphony of four voices that every member of the community learns, a tradition noted by UNESCO. Barthélemy Boganda, the first prime minister, chose the country's name, and the national football team plays at the stadium named after him. The basketball team qualified for the 1974 World Cup, the first from sub-Saharan Africa.