What are the Key Facts of the Central African Republic?

Where is the Central African Republic?

The Central African Republic (CAR) is in Central Africa. It is located north of the Equator and south of the Sahara Desert. The CAR shares its borders with Cameroon to the west, the Republic of the Congo to the southwest, the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the south, South Sudan to the east, Sudan to the northeast, and Chad to the north.

What is the Geography of the Central African Republic?

The total area of the Central African Republic is 622,984 sq. km (240,535 sq. mi), out of which the land area is 622,984 sq. km (240,535 sq. mi) and the water area is 0 sq. km (0 sq. mi). It has a 5,920 km (3,679 mi) land boundary but no coastline.

The land boundary is shared with six neighboring countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo (1,747 km or 1,086 mi), Chad (1,556 km or 967 mi), South Sudan (1,055 km or 656 mi), Cameroon (901 km or 560 mi), Republic of the Congo (487 km or 303 mi), and Sudan (174 km or 108 mi).

The landscape in the Central African Republic is dominated by vast, flat-rolling plateaus. Hills are also found in the country. However, they are scattered in the northeast as well as the southwest. The mean elevation of CAR is (635 m or 2,083 ft). While Mont Ngaoui is the highest elevation point at 1,410 m (4,626 ft), the Oubangui River is the lowest elevation point at 335 m (1,099 ft).

Besides Ngaoui, other major mountains in the country are Mont Toussoro, Pana, Koun Nzoro, Goulé, and Mont Toussoro. Some of the major rivers in the Central African Republic are Sangha, Ubangi, Chari, etc.

The CAR’s terrain is basically an undulating plateau. The series of rolling hills (reaching as high as 2,000 ft or 610 m) in the central and southern regions of the country are forested. In front of the Ubangi River, a dense tropical rainforest is situated. In the northern part, the land flattens and becomes savanna grassland, desert-like and treeless.

Along the western border in the west, the land starts rising to form Karre Mountain’s high granite plateau. In the far northeast, the Bongos Massif is located, and it extends into Sudan. The northern and central regions of the country are crisscrossed by Chair’s number of tributaries. The southern part is dominated by the Ubangi River system, forming the southern border of the Central African Republic with the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

A tropical climate is found in the Central African Republic. The country remains hot throughout the year. The winter season remains dry here.

The southern parts of the CAR get its rainy season almost all months of the year. However, rainfall takes place for a limited period in the northern parts of the country. While the rainy season persists in the central and northern parts of the Central African Republic during July-September, in the south it starts in May and continues till October. The extent of rainfall can lead to flood situation.

A drier strip that is close to the Sahel is in the north. Winters get more sunlight than summers. The northern parts get more sunlight than the south. While the south gets an average annual rainfall of around 178 cm (70 in), the extreme northeast region gets around 86 cm (30 in) annual rainfall. The average minimum and maximum temperature at Bangui ranges reaches within 21 °C (70 °F) to 34 °C (93 °F).

What is the Economy of the Central African Republic?

The nominal GDP of the Central African Republic grew at a rate of 4.341% in 2018 to reach US$ 2.38 billion.

The major export items of the country are sawn wood, rough wood, raw lead, raw cotton, etc. The major import items of CAR are refined petroleum, broadcasting equipment, passenger/cargo ships, packaged medicaments, etc.

The value of export and import in the year 2017 was $62.4 million and $229 million respectively, resulting in a negative balance of trade of US$166 million.

The unemployment rate increased from 6.40% in 2017 to 6.50% in 2018. The Central African Republic is considered among the poorest economies in the African continent. The last household survey was made in 2008 and the projections say that in 2017, the rate of poverty (as per US$1.90 per day, 2011 PPP) was a staggering 75%. Reports say the lowest level of HDI is recorded in this country.

What is the Transportation System of the Central African Republic?

The Central African Republic has 24,000 km (14,913 mi) long roadway, out of which 700 km (435 mi) is paved and 23,300 km (14,478 mi) unpaved. Over 2,800 km (1,740 mi) long waterway is available in the country. Ubangi is the main navigable river in CAR.

Some of the major roadways of the Central African Republic are Route Nationale 1 (Bangui – Bossangoa – Moundou), Route Nationale 2 (Bangui – Bambari – Bangassou – Bambouti), Route Nationale 3 (Bossembélé – Bouar – Baboua – Boulai), etc.

The major river ports are Nola (Sangha) and Bangui (Oubangui). Bangui is also the seaport of the country. There are over 39 airports in the country, out of which 2 have paved runways but 37 have unpaved runways. Bangui M’Poko International Airport is the major airport of CAR.

What International Organizations is the Central African Republic part of?

UN, WTO, IMF, ILO, NAM, FAO, UNESCO, ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCT, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITSO, ITU, MIGA, OIF, OPCW, UNCTAD, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, OIC (observer), ITUC (NGOs), EITI (compliant country) (suspended)

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