Central African Republic
See also: Central Africa and Central African Federation
Central African Republic
République centrafricaine
Ködörösêse tî Bêafrîka
Flag
Coat of arms
Motto: "Unité, Dignité, Travail" (French)
"Unity, Dignity, Work"
Anthem: La Renaissance (French)
E Zingo (Sango)
Capital
(and largest city)
Bangui
4°22′N 18°35′E / 4.367°N 18.583°E / 4.367;
18.583
Official languages
Sango, French
Demonym
Central African
Government
Republic
-
President
François Bozizé
-
Prime
Minister
Faustin-Archange Touadéra
Independence
from France
-
Date
August 13, 1960
Area
-
Total
622,984 km2 (43rd)
240,534 sq mi
-
Water (%)
0
Population
-
2007 estimate
4,216,666 (124th)
-
2003 census
3,895,150
-
Density
6.77/km2 (191st)
17.53/sq mi
GDP (PPP)
2008 estimate
-
Total
$3.217 billion[1]
-
Per capita
$738[1]
GDP (nominal)
2008 estimate
-
Total
$1.997 billion[1]
-
Per capita
$458[1]
Gini (1993)
61.3 (high)
HDI (2007)
▲ 0.384 (low) (171st)
Currency
Central African CFA franc (XAF)
Time zone
WAT (UTC+1)
-
Summer (DST)
not observed (UTC+1)
Drives on the
right[2]
Internet TLD
.cf
Calling code
236
The Central African Republic (CAR) (French: République
centrafricaine pronounced [ʀepyblik sɑ̃tʀafʀikɛn] or Cen-
trafrique [sɑ̃tʀafʀik]; Sango Ködörösêse tî Bêafrîka), is a
landlocked country in Central Africa. It borders Chad in
the north, Sudan in the east, the Republic of the Congo
and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the south,
and Cameroon in the west.
Most of the CAR consists of Sudano-Guinean savan-
nas but it also includes a Sahelo-Sudanese zone in the
north and an equatorial forest zone in the south. Two
thirds of the country lies in the basins of the Ubangi
River, which flows south into the Congo River, while the
remaining third lies in the basin of the Chari River,
which flows north into Lake Chad.
Since most of the territory is located in the Ubangi
and Shari river basins, the French called the colony it
carved out in this region Ubangi-Chari, or Oubangui-
Chari in French. This French colony of Ubangi-Chari be-
came a semi