{{Short description|Country in Central Africa}}
{{Distinguish|text=the geographical region [[Central Africa]]}}
{{Redirect|CAR|the vehicle|Car|other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2026}}
{{Infobox country
| conventional_long_name = Central African Republic
| native_name = {{native name|sg|Ködörösêse tî Bêafrîka}}
{{native name|fr|République centrafricaine}}
| image_flag = Flag of the Central African Republic.svg
| image_coat = Coat of arms of Central African Republic.svg
| symbol_type = [[Coat of arms of the Central African Republic|Coat of arms]]
| coa_size = 105px
| national_motto = {{plainlist|
* {{Native phrase|sg|"Zo Kwe Zo"}}
* "All people are people"
* {{Native phrase|fr|"Unité, Dignité, Travail"}}
* "Unity, Dignity, Work"
}}
| national_anthem = {{plainlist|
* {{Native phrase|sg|E Zingo|nolink=yes}}
* {{Native phrase|fr|[[La Renaissance]]|nolink=no}}
* "The Renaissance"
}}{{center|[[File:La Renaissance (1960s recording).ogg]]}}
| image_map = {{switcher|[[File:Central African Republic (centered orthographic projection).svg|frameless]]|Show globe|[[File:Location Central African Republic AU Africa.svg|upright=1.15|frameless]]|Show map of Africa|default=1}}
| map_caption =
| image_map2 =
| capital = [[Bangui]]
| coordinates = {{Coord|4|22|N|18|35|E|type:city}}
| largest_city = capital
| official_languages = {{hlist|[[Sango language|Sango]]|[[French language|French]][{{cite book |last=Samarin |first=William J. |chapter=The Status of Sango in Fact and Fiction: On the One-Hundredth Anniversary of its Conception |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jSByTfudlIcC&pg=PA301 |editor-last=McWhorter |editor-first=John H. |editor-link=John McWhorter |title=Language Change and Language Contact in Pidgins and Creoles |publisher=John Benjamins |series=Creole language library |volume=21 |year=2000 |pages=301–334 |isbn=9789027252432}}]}}
| national_languages = {{hlist|[[Sango language|Sango]]}}
| ethnic_groups = {{hlist|[[Baka people (Cameroon and Gabon)|Baka]]|[[Banda people|Banda]]|[[Aka people|Bayaka]]|[[Fula people|Fula]]|[[Gula People|Gula]]|[[Gbaya people|Gbaya]]|[[Kara people|Kara]]|[[Kresh people|Kresh]]|[[Mbaka people|Mbaka]]|[[Mandja people|Mandja]]|[[Ngbandi people|Ngbandi]]|[[Runga people|Runga]]|[[Sara people|Sara]]|[[Vidiri people|Vidiri]]|[[Wodaabe]]|[[Yakoma people|Yakoma]]|[[Yulu people|Yulu]]| [[Kanuri people|Kanuri]]|[[Zande people|Zande]]|[[Demographics of the Central African Republic#Ethnic groups|other]]}}
| religion = {{ublist |item_style=white-space:nowrap;
|73.2% [[Christianity]]
|13.9% [[Islam in Central African Republic|Islam]]
|12.0% [[African Traditional Religion|traditional faiths]]
|0.9% [[Religion in the Central African Republic|other]] / [[Irreligion|none]]
}}
| religion_year = 2020
| religion_ref = [{{cite web|url=https://www.thearda.com/world-religion/national-profiles?u=44c#IRFDEMOG|title=National Profiles|website=www.thearda.com|access-date=1 March 2023|archive-date=1 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301181352/https://www.thearda.com/world-religion/national-profiles?u=44c#IRFDEMOG|url-status=live}}]
| demonym = [[Demographics of the Central African Republic|Central African]]
| government_type = Unitary [[presidential system|presidential republic]]
| leader_title1 = [[List of heads of state of the Central African Republic|President]]
| leader_name1 = [[Faustin-Archange Touadéra]]
| leader_title2 = [[List of heads of government of the Central African Republic|Prime Minister]]
| leader_name2 = [[Félix Moloua]]
| leader_title3 = [[List of presidents of the National Assembly of the Central African Republic|President of the National Assembly]]
| leader_name3 = [[Simplice Sarandji]]
| legislature = [[National Assembly (Central African Republic)|National Assembly]]
| sovereignty_type = [[Independence]]
| established_event1 = Republic established
| established_date1 = 1 December 1958
| established_event2 = from [[France]]
| established_date2 = 13 August 1960
| established_event3 = [[Central African Empire]] established
| established_date3 = 4 December 1976
| established_event4 = [[Coronation of Bokassa I and Catherine|Coronation of Bokassa I]]
| established_date4 = 4 December 1977
| established_event5 = [[Operation Caban|Bokassa I's overthrow and republic restored]]
| established_date5 = 21 September 1979
| area_km2 = 622,984
| area_rank = 44th
| area_sq_mi = 240,534
| percent_water =
| population_estimate = {{Decrease}} 5,513,282[{{Cite CIA World Factbook|country=Central African Republic|access-date=22 June 2023|year=2023}}]
| population_estimate_year = 2025
| population_estimate_rank = 121st
| population_density_km2 = 8.6
| population_density_sq_mi = 22
| population_density_rank = 221st
| GDP_PPP = {{increase}} $7.940 billion[{{cite web |title=World Economic Outlook Database, October 2025: Edition (Central African Republic) |url=https://www.imf.org/en/publications/weo/issues/2025/10/14/world-economic-outlook-october-2025 |publisher=[[International Monetary Fund]] October, 14 2025 |language=en}}]
| GDP_PPP_year = 2026
| GDP_PPP_rank = 170th
| GDP_PPP_per_capita = {{increase}} $1,390[{{cite web |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.POV.GINI |title=Gini Index |publisher=World Bank Group |access-date=23 January 2025}}]
| HDI = 0.414
| HDI_year = 2023
| HDI_change = increase
| HDI_ref = [{{cite web|url=https://hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/hdr2025reporten.pdf|title=Human Development Report 2025 A matter of choice People and possibilities in the age of AI|website=hdr.undp.org}}]
| HDI_rank = 191st
| currency = {{plainlist|
* [[Central African CFA franc]] (XAF)
}}
| time_zone = [[West Africa Time|WAT]]
| utc_offset = +01:00
| drives_on = right[[http://www.brianlucas.ca/roadside/ Which side of the road do they drive on?] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120414073422/http://brianlucas.ca/roadside/ |date=14 April 2012}} Brian Lucas. August 2005. Retrieved 28 January 2009.]
| calling_code = [[+236]]
| iso3166code = CF
| cctld = [[.cf]]
| ethinc_groups_year =
| today =
}}
The '''Central African Republic'''{{efn|{{bulleted list|{{langx|sg|Ködörösêse tî Bêafrîka}}, {{IPA|sg|kōdōrōsésè tí bé.àfríkà}}|{{langx|fr|République centrafricaine}}, {{IPA|fr|ʁepyblik sɑ̃tʁafʁikɛn|IPA}}; abbreviated '''RCA''' or '''{{lang|fr|Centrafrique}}''', {{IPA|fr|sɑ̃tʁafʁik|}}[{{cite web|url=https://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/central_african_republic.htm|title=Central African Republic – CAR – Country Profile – Nations Online Project|website=www.nationsonline.org|access-date=28 October 2020|archive-date=5 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201105231847/https://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/central_african_republic.htm|url-status=live}}]}}}} ('''CAR''') is a [[landlocked country]] in [[Central Africa]]. It is bordered by [[Chad]] to [[Central African Republic–Chad border|the north]], [[Sudan]] to [[Central African Republic–Sudan border|the northeast]], [[South Sudan]] to [[Central African Republic–South Sudan border|the east]], the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]] to [[Central African Republic–Democratic Republic of the Congo border|the south]], the [[Republic of the Congo]] to [[Central African Republic–Republic of the Congo border|the southwest]], and [[Cameroon]] to [[Cameroon–Central African Republic border|the west]]. The Central African Republic covers a land area of about {{convert|620000|km2|sqmi}}. As of 2024, it has a population of 5,357,744, consisting of about 80 ethnic groups.[{{citation |last=Mudge |first=Lewis |title=World Report 2019: Rights Trends in Central African Republic |date=11 December 2018 |work= |url=https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2019/country-chapters/central-african-republic |access-date=13 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190530235536/https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2019/country-chapters/central-african-republic |archive-date=30 May 2019 |chapter=Central African Republic: Events of 2018}}] Having been a French colony under the name [[Ubangi-Shari]],{{efn|{{langx|fr|Oubangui-Chari}}}} [[Sango language|Sango]] is its national language and also served as [[official language|co-official language]] alongside [[French language|French]].[{{cite news |date=20 April 2011 |title=Central African Republic country profile |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-13150040 |access-date=17 March 2025 |publisher=BBC News |language=en-GB}}] Its capital and largest city is [[Bangui]], which sits on the country's southern border with the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]].
The Central African Republic mainly consists of Sudano-Guinean [[savanna]], but also includes a [[Sahel]]o-[[East Sudanian savanna|Sudanian]] zone in the north and an [[Northern Congolian forest–savanna mosaic|equatorial forest zone]] in the south. Two-thirds of the country is within the basin of the [[Ubangi River]] (a tributary of the [[Congo River]]), while the remaining third lies in the basin of the [[Chari River]], which flows into [[Lake Chad]].
The region has been inhabited since at least 8000 BCE. The borders were established by France, which began annexing portions to the [[French Congo]] in the late 19th century and in 1903 established the separate colony of Ubangi-Shari, part of [[French Equatorial Africa]]. After gaining independence from France in 1960, the CAR was ruled by a series of autocratic leaders, including [[Jean-Bédel Bokassa]] who changed the country's name to the [[Central African Empire]] and ruled as a monarch from 1976 to 1979.[[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/dec/03/jean-bedel-bokassa-posthumous-pardon 'Cannibal' dictator Bokassa given posthumous pardon] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170301025416/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/dec/03/jean-bedel-bokassa-posthumous-pardon |date=1 March 2017}}. ''The Guardian''. 3 December 2010] The [[Central African Bush War]] began in 2004 and, despite a peace treaty in 2007 and another in 2011, [[Central African Republic Civil War|civil war resumed]] in 2012. The civil war perpetuated the country's poor [[Human rights in the Central African Republic|human rights record]], characterized by widespread and increasing abuses by various participating armed groups.
Despite the vast amounts of [[natural resources]], such as [[uranium]] reserves, [[crude oil]], [[gold]], [[diamond]]s, [[cobalt]], [[lumber]], and [[hydropower]],[ as well as significant quantities of [[arable land]], the Central African Republic is among the ten poorest countries in the world, with the lowest [[Gross domestic product|GDP]] per capita at purchasing power parity (PPP) in the world as of 2017.][[http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2017/02/weodata/weorept.aspx?sy=2017&ey=2017&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&pr1.x=55&pr1.y=9&c=512%2C946%2C914%2C137%2C612%2C546%2C614%2C962%2C311%2C674%2C213%2C676%2C911%2C548%2C193%2C556%2C122%2C678%2C912%2C181%2C313%2C867%2C419%2C682%2C513%2C684%2C316%2C273%2C913%2C868%2C124%2C921%2C339%2C948%2C638%2C943%2C514%2C686%2C218%2C688%2C963%2C518%2C616%2C728%2C223%2C836%2C516%2C558%2C918%2C138%2C748%2C196%2C618%2C278%2C624%2C692%2C522%2C694%2C622%2C142%2C156%2C449%2C626%2C564%2C628%2C565%2C228%2C283%2C924%2C853%2C233%2C288%2C632%2C293%2C636%2C566%2C634%2C964%2C238%2C182%2C662%2C359%2C960%2C453%2C423%2C968%2C935%2C922%2C128%2C714%2C611%2C862%2C321%2C135%2C243%2C716%2C248%2C456%2C469%2C722%2C253%2C942%2C642%2C718%2C643%2C724%2C939%2C576%2C644%2C936%2C819%2C961%2C172%2C813%2C132%2C726%2C646%2C199%2C648%2C733%2C915%2C184%2C134%2C524%2C652%2C361%2C174%2C362%2C328%2C364%2C258%2C732%2C656%2C366%2C654%2C734%2C336%2C144%2C263%2C146%2C268%2C463%2C532%2C528%2C944%2C923%2C176%2C738%2C534%2C578%2C536%2C537%2C429%2C742%2C433%2C866%2C178%2C369%2C436%2C744%2C136%2C186%2C343%2C925%2C158%2C869%2C439%2C746%2C916%2C926%2C664%2C466%2C826%2C112%2C542%2C111%2C967%2C298%2C443%2C927%2C917%2C846%2C544%2C299%2C941%2C582%2C446%2C474%2C666%2C754%2C668%2C698%2C672&s=PPPPC&grp=0&a= World Economic Outlook Database, January 2018] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180503062812/http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2017/02/weodata/weorept.aspx?sy=2017&ey=2017&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&pr1.x=55&pr1.y=9&c=512,946,914,137,612,546,614,962,311,674,213,676,911,548,193,556,122,678,912,181,313,867,419,682,513,684,316,273,913,868,124,921,339,948,638,943,514,686,218,688,963,518,616,728,223,836,516,558,918,138,748,196,618,278,624,692,522,694,622,142,156,449,626,564,628,565,228,283,924,853,233,288,632,293,636,566,634,964,238,182,662,359,960,453,423,968,935,922,128,714,611,862,321,135,243,716,248,456,469,722,253,942,642,718,643,724,939,576,644,936,819,961,172,813,132,726,646,199,648,733,915,184,134,524,652,361,174,362,328,364,258,732,656,366,654,734,336,144,263,146,268,463,532,528,944,923,176,738,534,578,536,537,429,742,433,866,178,369,436,744,136,186,343,925,158,869,439,746,916,926,664,466,826,112,542,111,967,298,443,927,917,846,544,299,941,582,446,474,666,754,668,698,672&s=PPPPC&grp=0&a= |date=3 May 2018}}, [http://www.imf.org/external/ns/cs.aspx?id=28 International Monetary Fund] {{webarchive |url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20060214005019/http://www.imf.org/external/ns/cs.aspx?id=28 |date=14 February 2006}}. Database updated on 12 April 2017. Accessed on 21 April 2017.] As of 2023, according to the [[Human Development Index]], the country had the third-lowest level of human development, ranking 191 out of 193 countries. The country had the second-lowest [[inequality-adjusted Human Development Index]], ranking 164th out of 165 countries.[{{cite web|url=http://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/hdi_table.pdf|title=Human Development Index and its components|access-date=27 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180915042654/http://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/hdi_table.pdf|archive-date=15 September 2018}}] It is the unhealthiest country[{{Cite web |title=The unhealthiest countries in the world {{!}} indy100 {{!}} indy100 |url=https://www.indy100.com/news/the-unhealthiest-countries-in-the-world-7325161 |access-date=2026-07-26 |website=www.indy100.com |language=en}}] and the worst country for young people.[{{cite web|url=http://news.trust.org/item/20161020230325-xtrrw/|title=Central African Republic worst country in the world for young people – study|author=|website=[[Thomson Reuters Foundation]]|access-date=1 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170805184326/http://news.trust.org/item/20161020230325-xtrrw|archive-date=5 August 2017|url-status=live}}] The Central African Republic is a member of the [[United Nations]], the [[African Union]], the [[Economic Community of Central African States]], the {{lang|fr|[[Organisation internationale de la Francophonie]]|italic=no}} and the [[Non-Aligned Movement]].
== Etymology ==
The name is derived from the country's geographical location in [[Central Africa]] and its [[Republicanism|republican]] form of government. From 1976 to 1979, the country was known as the [[Central African Empire]].
During the colonial era, the country's name was [[Ubangi-Shari]] ({{langx|fr|Oubangui-Chari}}), a name derived from two major rivers, the [[Ubangi River|Ubangi]] and the [[Chari River|Chari]]. [[Barthélemy Boganda]], the first [[List of heads of government of the Central African Republic|prime minister]], favored the name "Central African Republic" over Ubangi-Shari, reportedly because he envisioned [[United States of Latin Africa|a larger union of countries]] in Central Africa.[{{cite web |last=Palmer |first=Brian |date=9 March 2012 |title=Why Does the Central African Republic Have Such a Boring Name? |url=https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2012/03/joseph-kony-video-why-does-central-african-republic-have-such-a-boring-name.html |website=Slate |access-date=2 May 2022 |archive-date=2 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220502212254/https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2012/03/joseph-kony-video-why-does-central-african-republic-have-such-a-boring-name.html |url-status=live }}]
== History ==
{{main|History of the Central African Republic}}
=== Early history ===
[[File:Bouar Megaliths stamp.jpg|thumb|left|upright|The [[Bouar]] Megaliths, pictured here on a 1967 Central African stamp, date back to the very late Neolithic Era ({{Circa|3500–2700 BCE}}).]]
Approximately 10,000 years ago, [[desertification]] forced [[hunter-gatherer]] societies south into the [[Sahel]] regions of northern Central Africa, where some groups settled.[[[#McKenna|McKenna]], p. 4] Farming began as part of the [[Neolithic Revolution]].[{{Cite journal|last1=Brierley|first1=Chris|last2=Manning|first2=Katie|last3=Maslin|first3=Mark|date=1 October 2018|title=Pastoralism may have delayed the end of the green Sahara|journal=Nature Communications|volume=9|issue=1|page=4018|doi=10.1038/s41467-018-06321-y|doi-access=free|issn=2041-1723|pmc=6167352|pmid=30275473|bibcode=2018NatCo...9.4018B}}] Initial farming of [[Dioscorea rotundata|white yam]] progressed into [[millet]] and [[sorghum]], and before 3000{{Nbsp}}BCE[Fran Osseo-Asare (2005) ''Food Culture in Sub Saharan Africa''. Greenwood. {{ISBN|0313324883}}. p. xxi] the domestication of [[Elaeis guineensis|African oil palm]] improved the groups' nutrition and allowed for expansion of the local populations.[[[#McKenna|McKenna]], p. 5] This agricultural revolution, combined with a "Fish-stew Revolution", in which fishing began to take place and the use of boats, allowed for the transportation of goods. Products were often moved in ceramic pots.[{{Cite book |last=McKenna |first=Amy |title=The History of Central and Eastern Africa |publisher=Britannica Educational Publishing, in association with Rosen Educational Services |year=2011 |isbn=978-1-61530-322-9 |location=New York}}]
The [[Bouar]] Megaliths in the western region indicate an advanced level of habitation dating to the late [[Neolithic]] ({{Circa|3500–2700 BCE}}).[Methodology and African Prehistory by, [[UNESCO]]. International Scientific Committee for the Drafting of a General History of Africa, p. 548][UNESCO World Heritage Centre. [https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/4003/ "Les mégalithes de Bouar"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140803004514/https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/4003/ |date=3 August 2014 }}. UNESCO.] [[Ferrous metallurgy|Ironwork]] developed in the region around 1000{{Nbsp}}BCE.[{{Cite book |last=Ehret |first=Christopher |title=The civilizations of Africa : a history to 1800 |date=2002 |publisher=James Currey |isbn=0-85255-476-1 |location=Oxford |page=161 |oclc=59451060}}] The [[Ubangian languages|Ubangian people]] settled along the Ubangi River, while some [[Bantu peoples|Bantu people]] migrated from the southwest of Cameroon.[{{Citation|last=Mozaffari|first=Mehdi|chapter=Globalization, civilizations and world order: A world-constructivist approach |title=Globalization and Civilizations|pages=24–50|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-0-203-29460-4|doi=10.4324/9780203217979_chapter_2|year=2002}}]
[[Banana]]s arrived in the region during the first millennium BCE[{{Cite journal |last1=Mbida |first1=Christophe M. |last2=Van Neer |first2=Wim |last3=Doutrelepont |first3=Hugues |last4=Vrydaghs |first4=Luc |date=15 March 1999 |title=Evidence for banana cultivation and animal husbandry during the first millennium BCE in the forest of southern Cameroon |journal=[[Journal of Archaeological Science]] |volume=27 |issue=2 |pages=151–162 |doi=10.1006/jasc.1999.0447}}] and added an important source of carbohydrates to the diet; they were also used in the production of alcoholic beverages. Production of copper, salt, dried fish, and textiles dominated the economic trade in the Central African region.[[[#McKenna|McKenna]], p. 10]
===16th–19th century===
[[File:Sultan and his wives at Bangassou, 1906.png|thumb|The Sultan of [[Bangassou]] and his wives, 1906]]
In the 16th and 17th centuries, [[History of slavery|slave trade]]rs began to raid the region as part of the expansion of the [[Sahara|Saharan]] and [[Nile]] slave routes. Their captives were enslaved and shipped to the Mediterranean coast, Europe, Arabia, the Western Hemisphere, or to the slave ports and factories along the West and North Africa or south along the Ubangui and [[Congo River|Congo]] rivers.[{{Cite book|author=|title=Central African Republic Foreign Policy and Government Guide (World Strategic and Business Information Library)|date=2007|publisher=International Business Publications|isbn=978-1433006210|page=47|volume=1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XfIVA5KMEb8C&pg=PA47|access-date=25 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905090927/https://books.google.com/books?id=XfIVA5KMEb8C&pg=PA47|archive-date=5 September 2015|url-status=live}}][Alistair Boddy-Evans. [http://africanhistory.about.com/od/car/l/bl-CAR-Timeline-1.htm Central Africa Republic Timeline – Part 1: From Prehistory to Independence (13 August 1960), A Chronology of Key Events in Central Africa Republic]{{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130423060132/http://africanhistory.about.com/od/car/l/bl-CAR-Timeline-1.htm |date=23 April 2013 }}. About.com] During the 18th century Bandia-Nzakara [[Azande people|Azande]] peoples established the [[Bangassou]] Kingdom along the Ubangi.["[https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/102152/Central-African-Republic/214025/The-arts-and-cultural-institutions Central African Republic] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130413172207/https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/102152/Central-African-Republic/214025/The-arts-and-cultural-institutions |date=13 April 2013 }}". ''Encyclopædia Britannica''.] In 1875, the [[Sudan]]ese sultan [[Rabih az-Zubayr]] governed Upper-Oubangui, which included present-day Central African Republic.[{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Rabih-az-Zubayr|title=Rābiḥ az-Zubayr {{!}} African military leader|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en|access-date=27 February 2020|archive-date=27 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727191106/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Rabih-az-Zubayr|url-status=live}}]
=== French colonial period ===
{{Main|Ubangi-Shari|French Equatorial Africa|Colonialism in the Central African Republic}}
The European invasion of Central African territory began in the late 19th century during the [[Scramble for Africa]].[[http://www.discoverfrance.net/Colonies/Centr_Afr_Rep.shtml French Colonies – Central African Republic] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130321032403/http://discoverfrance.net/Colonies/Centr_Afr_Rep.shtml |date=21 March 2013 }}. Discoverfrance.net. Retrieved 6 April 2013.] Europeans—primarily the French, [[Germans]], and [[Belgians]]—arrived in the area in 1885. France seized and colonized Ubangi-Shari territory in 1894. In 1911 at the [[Treaty of Fes|Treaty of Fez]], France ceded a nearly 300,000 km2 portion of the [[Sangha River|Sangha]] and [[Lobaye River|Lobaye]] basins to the [[German Empire]] which ceded a smaller area (in present-day [[Chad]]) to France. After [[World War I]] France again annexed the territory. Modeled on [[Leopold II of Belgium|King Leopold]]'s [[Congo Free State]], concessions were doled out to private companies that endeavored to strip the region's assets as quickly and cheaply as possible before depositing a percentage of their profits into the French treasury. The concessionary companies [[corvée|forced local people]] to harvest rubber, coffee, and other commodities without pay and held their families hostage until they met their quotas.[{{Cite magazine|url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2015/10/28/one-day-we-will-start-a-big-war-central-african-republic-un-violence/|title=One day we will start a big war|magazine=Foreign Policy|access-date=13 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170205203123/http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/10/28/one-day-we-will-start-a-big-war-central-african-republic-un-violence/|archive-date=5 February 2017|url-status=live}}]
[[File:De Gaulle Bangui 1940.jpg|thumb|[[Charles de Gaulle]] in Bangui, 1940]]
In 1920, [[French Equatorial Africa]] was established, and Ubangi-Shari was administered from [[Brazzaville]].[Thomas O'Toole (1997) ''Political Reform in Francophone Africa''. Westview Press. p. 111] During the 1920s and 1930s the French introduced a policy of mandatory cotton cultivation,[{{Cite journal|last=Gardinier|first=David E.|title=Vocational and Technical Education in French Equatorial Africa (1842–1960)|date=1985|journal=Proceedings of the Meeting of the French Colonial Historical Society|publisher=Michigan State University Press|volume=8|pages=113–123|issn=0362-7055|jstor=42952135}}] New forms of forced labour were introduced, and a large number of Ubangians were sent to work on the [[Congo–Ocean Railway]]. Through the period of construction until 1934 there was a continual heavy cost in human lives, with total deaths among all workers along the railway estimated in excess of 17,000 of the construction workers, from a combination of both industrial accidents and diseases including [[malaria]].[{{Cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/07/africa_malaria_train/html/3.stm |title=In pictures: Malaria train, Mayomba forest |publisher=news.bbc.co.uk |access-date=9 December 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131003022228/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/07/africa_malaria_train/html/3.stm |archive-date=3 October 2013 |url-status=live}}] In 1928, a major insurrection, the [[Kongo-Wara rebellion]] or 'war of the hoe handle', broke out in western Ubangi-Shari and continued for several years. The extent of this insurrection, which was perhaps the largest anti-colonial rebellion in Africa during the interwar years, was carefully hidden from the French public because it provided evidence of strong opposition to French colonial rule and forced labour.[{{Cite book |last=Kalck |first=Pierre |title=Historical dictionary of the Central African Republic|date=2005|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=0-8108-4913-5|edition=3rd|location=Lanham, MD|oclc=55487416}}]
French colonization in Oubangui-Chari is considered to be the most brutal of the French Empire.[{{cite web|access-date=7 February 2020|date=11 August 2010|title=Key dates for the Central African Republic|url=http://www.rfi.fr/fr/afrique/20100811-dates-cle-republique-centrafricaine|website=rfi.fr|archive-date=22 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230422052427/https://www.rfi.fr/fr/afrique/20100811-dates-cle-republique-centrafricaine|url-status=live}}]
In September 1940, during the [[Second World War]], [[Charles de Gaulle|pro-Gaullist]] French officers took control of Ubangi-Shari, and [[Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque|General Leclerc]] established his headquarters for the [[French Liberation Army|Free French Forces]] in [[Bangui]].[[https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/102152/Central-African-Republic/40700/The-colonial-era Central African Republic: The colonial era – Britannica Online Encyclopedia] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130412075355/https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/102152/Central-African-Republic/40700/The-colonial-era |date=12 April 2013 }}. ''Encyclopædia Britannica''. Retrieved 6 April 2013.] In 1946 [[Barthélemy Boganda]] was elected with 9,000 votes to the [[French National Assembly]], becoming the first representative of the Central African Republic in the French government. Boganda maintained a political stance against racism and the colonial regime but gradually became disheartened with the French political system and returned to the Central African Republic to establish the [[Movement for the Social Evolution of Black Africa]] (''Mouvement pour l'évolution sociale de l'Afrique noire,'' MESAN) in 1950.[{{Cite encyclopedia |last=Cherkaoui |first=Said El Mansour |editor-last=Olson |editor-first=James S. |page=122 |entry =Central African Republic |title=Historical Dictionary of European Imperialism |publisher=Greenwood |date=1991 |isbn=0-313-26257-8}}] and won every legislative seat,[[[#Kalck|Kalck]], p. xxxi.] which led to Boganda being elected president of the Grand Council of French Equatorial Africa and vice-president of the Ubangi-Shari Government Council.[[[#Kalck|Kalck]], p. 90.] Within a year, he declared the establishment of the Central African Republic and served as the first prime minister. MESAN continued to exist, but its role was limited.[[[#Kalck|Kalck]], p. 136.] The Central African Republic was granted autonomy 1 December 1958, a status which meant it was still counted as part of the French Empire.[''Langer's Encyclopedia of World History'', p. 1268.]
After Boganda's death in a [[Barthélemy Boganda#Plane crash|plane crash]] on 29 March 1959, his cousin [[David Dacko]] took control of MESAN. Dacko became the country's first president when the Central African Republic formally received independence from France on 13 August 1960, a date celebrated by the country's [[List of national independence days|Independence Day]] holiday.[{{Cite web |title=Central African Republic |url=https://www.nepad.org/countries/central-african-republic |access-date=11 August 2020 |website=[[African Union]] Development Agency |archive-date=14 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414111452/https://www.nepad.org/countries/central-african-republic |url-status=live }}] Dacko threw out his political rivals, including [[Abel Goumba]], former prime minister and leader of [[Democratic Evolution Movement of Central Africa|Mouvement d'évolution démocratique de l'Afrique centrale]], whom he forced into exile in France. With all opposition parties suppressed by November 1962, Dacko declared MESAN as the official party of the state.[[[#Kalck|Kalck]], p. xxxii.]
====Bokassa and the Central African Empire (1965–1979)====
[[File:Bokassa with Ceausescu (cropped).jpg|thumb|[[Jean-Bédel Bokassa]], self-crowned [[Emperor of Central Africa]][]]
On 31 December 1965, Dacko was overthrown in the [[Saint-Sylvestre coup d'état]] by Colonel [[Jean-Bédel Bokassa]], who suspended the constitution and dissolved the National Assembly. President Bokassa declared himself President for Life in 1972 and named himself Emperor Bokassa I of the [[Central African Empire]] on 4 December 1976. A year later, Bokassa [[Coronation of Bokassa I and Catherine|crowned himself in an expensive ceremony]].][
In April 1979, students protested against Bokassa's decree that all school pupils were required to buy uniforms from a company owned by one of his wives. The government violently suppressed the protests, killing 100 children and teenagers. Bokassa might have been personally involved in some of the killings.]["[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7803421.stm 'Good old days' under Bokassa?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203043924/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7803421.stm |date=3 December 2013 }}". BBC News. 2 January 2009] In September 1979, [[Operation Caban|France overthrew Bokassa]] and restored Dacko to power (subsequently restoring the official name of the country and the original government to the Central African Republic). Dacko was again overthrown in a [[1981 Central African Republic coup d'état|1981 coup]] by General [[André Kolingba]].[{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/09/02/world/army-tropples-leader-of-central-african-republic.html|title=Army Tropples Leader of Central African Republic|last1=Prial|first1=Frank J.|date=2 September 1981|work=The New York Times|access-date=19 September 2019|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=21 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230521051018/https://www.nytimes.com/1981/09/02/world/army-tropples-leader-of-central-african-republic.html|url-status=live}}]
==== Central African Republic under Kolingba ====
Kolingba suspended the constitution and ruled with a [[military junta]] until 1985. He introduced a new constitution in 1986 which was adopted by a nationwide referendum. Membership in his new party, the [[Central African Democratic Rally|Rassemblement Démocratique Centrafricain]], was voluntary. In 1987 and 1988, semi-free elections to parliament were held, but Kolingba's two major political opponents, [[Abel Goumba]] and [[Ange-Félix Patassé]], were not allowed to participate.[{{Cite web|url=https://www.discoverworld.com/Central-African-Republic:In-depth#Why-Visit|title=Central African Republic – Discover World|website=www.discoverworld.com|access-date=10 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210180433/https://www.discoverworld.com/Central-African-Republic:In-depth#Why-Visit|archive-date=10 February 2018|url-status=live}}]
By 1990, inspired by the [[fall of the Berlin Wall]], a pro-democracy movement arose. Pressure from the United States, France, and from a group of locally represented countries and agencies called GIBAFOR (France, the US, Germany, Japan, the EU, the [[World Bank]], and the [[United Nations]]) finally led Kolingba to agree, in principle, to hold free elections in 1992 with help from the UN Office of Electoral Affairs. After using the excuse of alleged irregularities to suspend the results of the elections as a pretext for holding on to power, Kolingba came under intense pressure from GIBAFOR to establish a "Conseil National Politique Provisoire de la République" (Provisional National Political Council) and to set up a "Mixed Electoral Commission", which included representatives from all political parties.[ In 1998, parliamentary elections resulted in Kolingba's party winning 20 out of 109 seats. The next year, however, in spite of widespread public anger in urban centers over his corrupt rule, Patassé won a second term in the presidential election.][{{Cite web|url=https://www.eisa.org.za/wep/car1999results.htm|title=EISA Central African Republic: 1999 Presidential election results|date=October 2010|website=www.eisa.org.za|publisher=African Democracy Encyclopaedia Project|access-date=27 February 2020|archive-date=29 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190729062022/https://eisa.org.za/wep/car1999results.htm|url-status=live}}]
In 2001 rebels stormed strategic buildings in Bangui in an [[2001 Central African Republic coup attempt|unsuccessful coup attempt]]. The army chief of staff, Abel Abrou, and General François N'Djadder Bedaya were killed, but Patassé regained the upper hand by bringing in at least 300 troops of the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo|Congolese]] rebel leader [[Jean-Pierre Bemba]] and Libyan soldiers.[{{Cite web|author=International Crisis Group|title=Central African Republic: Anatomy of a Phantom State|url=http://www.crisisgroup.org/~/media/Files/africa/central-africa/central-african-republic/Central%20African%20Republic%20Anatomy%20of%20a%20Phantom%20State.pdf|website=CrisisGroup.org|publisher=International Crisis Group|access-date=24 July 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140626162538/http://www.crisisgroup.org/~/media/Files/africa/central-africa/central-african-republic/Central%20African%20Republic%20Anatomy%20of%20a%20Phantom%20State.pdf|archive-date=26 June 2014}}] In the aftermath of the failed coup, militias loyal to Patassé sought revenge against rebels in many neighborhoods of Bangui and incited unrest including the murder of many political opponents. Eventually, Patassé came to suspect that General [[François Bozizé]] was involved in another coup attempt against him, which led Bozizé to flee with loyal troops to Chad. In March 2003, Bozizé launched a surprise attack against Patassé, who was out of the country. Libyan troops and some 1,000 soldiers of Bemba's Congolese rebel organization failed to stop the rebels and Bozizé's forces succeeded in overthrowing Patassé.[{{Cite web|url=https://www.discoverworld.com/Central-African-Republic:In-depth#History|title=Central African Republic History|date=2018|website=DiscoverWorld.com|access-date=15 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210180433/https://www.discoverworld.com/Central-African-Republic:In-depth#History|archive-date=10 February 2018|url-status=live}}]
==== Civil wars ====
[[File:Rebel in northern CAR 01.jpg|thumb|Rebel militia in the northern countryside, 2007]]
Bozizé suspended the constitution and named a new cabinet, which included most opposition parties. [[Abel Goumba]] was named vice-president. Bozizé established a broad-based National Transition Council to draft a new constitution and announced that he would step down and run for office once the constitution was approved.[{{Cite web|url=http://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news/2003/04/28/bozize-step-down-after-transitional-period|title=Bozize to step down after transitional period|date=28 April 2003|website=The New Humanitarian|language=en|access-date=27 February 2020|archive-date=27 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200227210349/http://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news/2003/04/28/bozize-step-down-after-transitional-period|url-status=live}}]
In 2004, the [[Central African Bush War]] began as forces opposed to Bozizé took up arms against his government. In May 2005, Bozizé won the presidential election, which excluded Patassé, and in 2006 fighting continued between the government and the rebels.[{{Cite news|last=Polgreen|first=Lydia|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/10/world/africa/10africa.html|title=On the Run as War Crosses Another Line in Africa|date=10 December 2006|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=27 February 2020|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081211230556/https://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/10/world/africa/10africa.html|archive-date=11 December 2008|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}] In November 2006, Bozizé's government requested French military support to help them repel rebels who had taken control of towns in the country's northern regions.[{{Cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6146748.stm |title=CAR hails French pledge on rebels |access-date=26 December 2012 |date=14 November 2006 |publisher=BBC News |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120411202855/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6146748.stm |archive-date=11 April 2012 |url-status=live}}] Though the initial public details of the agreement pertained to logistics and intelligence, by December the French assistance included airstrikes by [[Dassault Mirage 2000]] fighters against rebel positions.[{{Cite web|url=https://reliefweb.int/report/central-african-republic/central-african-republic-hundreds-flee-birao-french-jets-strike|title=Central African Republic: Hundreds flee Birao as French jets strike|date=1 December 2006|website=[[ReliefWeb]] |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200227200339/https://reliefweb.int/report/central-african-republic/central-african-republic-hundreds-flee-birao-french-jets-strike|archive-date=27 February 2020|access-date=27 February 2020}}][{{Cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6196652.stm |title=French planes attack CAR rebels |access-date=26 December 2012 |date=30 November 2006 |publisher=BBC News |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108012738/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6196652.stm |archive-date=8 November 2012 |url-status=live}}]
The Syrte Agreement in February and the Birao Peace Agreement in April 2007 called for a cessation of hostilities, the billeting of [[Democratic Front of the Central African People|FDPC]] fighters and their integration with FACA, the liberation of political prisoners, the integration of FDPC into government, an amnesty for the [[Union of Democratic Forces for Unity|UFDR]], its recognition as a political party, and the integration of its fighters into the national army. Several groups continued to fight but other groups signed on to the agreement or similar agreements with the government. The only major group not to sign an agreement at the time was the [[Convention of Patriots for Justice and Peace|CPJP]], which continued its activities and signed a peace agreement with the government in 2012.[{{Cite web |title=PA-X: Peace Agreements Database |url=https://www.peaceagreements.org/view/807 |access-date=19 January 2023 |website=www.peaceagreements.org |archive-date=19 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230119151638/https://www.peaceagreements.org/view/807 |url-status=live }}]
In 2011, Bozizé was reelected in an election which was widely considered fraudulent.[ In November 2012, [[Séléka]], a coalition of rebel groups, took over towns in the northern and central regions of the country. These groups reached a peace deal with Bozizé's government in January 2013, involving a power-sharing government.][{{Cite web |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2013/03/24/world/africa/central-african-republic-unrest/index.html |title=Central African Republic president flees capital amid violence, official says |date=24 March 2013 |access-date=24 March 2013 |publisher=CNN |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130325043935/http://edition.cnn.com/2013/03/24/world/africa/central-african-republic-unrest/index.html |archive-date=25 March 2013 |url-status=live}}][{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/26/world/africa/leader-of-central-african-republic-francois-bozize-is-in-cameroon.html |title=Leader of Central African Republic Fled to Cameroon, Official Says |author=Lydia Polgreen |work=The New York Times |date=25 March 2013 |access-date =26 February 2017 |archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20170202135349/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/26/world/africa/leader-of-central-african-republic-francois-bozize-is-in-cameroon.html |archive-date=2 February 2017 |url-status=live}}]
[[File:Refugees of the fighting in the Central African Republic observe Rwandan soldiers being dropped off at Bangui M'Poko International Airport in the Central African Republic Jan. 19, 2014 140119-F-RN211-760.jpg|thumb|left|[[Refugee]]s of the fighting in the Central African Republic, January 2014]]
[[Michel Djotodia]] took over as president. Prime Minister [[Nicolas Tiangaye]] requested a UN peace, and on 31 May Bozizé was indicted for crimes against humanity and incitement to genocide.[[http://www.crisisgroup.org/en/publication-type/crisiswatch/2013/crisiswatch-117.aspx "CrisisWatch N°117"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130920154410/http://www.crisisgroup.org/en/publication-type/crisiswatch/2013/crisiswatch-117.aspx |date=20 September 2013 }}. crisisgroup.org.] By the end of the year, there were international warnings of a "genocide,"[{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-africa-24800682|title=UN warning over Central African Republic genocide risk|work=BBC News|access-date=25 November 2013|date=4 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131119131538/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-24800682|archive-date=19 November 2013|url-status=live}}][{{Cite news|url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-centralafrica-france-idUKBRE9AK0WU20131121|title=France says Central African Republic on verge of genocide|work=Reuters|access-date=25 November 2013|date=21 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131123121217/http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/11/21/uk-centralafrica-france-idUKBRE9AK0WU20131121|archive-date=23 November 2013|url-status=dead}}] and fighting was largely reprisal attacks on civilians by Seleka's predominantly Muslim fighters and Christian militias called "[[anti-balaka]]".[ By August 2013, there were reports of over 200,000 [[internally displaced persons]].][[http://www.crisisgroup.org/en/publication-type/crisiswatch/2013/crisiswatch-118.aspx "CrisisWatch N°118"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130920153834/http://www.crisisgroup.org/en/publication-type/crisiswatch/2013/crisiswatch-118.aspx |date=20 September 2013 }}. crisisgroup.org.][[http://www.crisisgroup.org/en/publication-type/crisiswatch/2013/crisiswatch-119.aspx "CrisisWatch N°119"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130920140045/http://www.crisisgroup.org/en/publication-type/crisiswatch/2013/crisiswatch-119.aspx |date=20 September 2013 }}. crisisgroup.org.]
In February 2014, Secretary-General [[Ban Ki-moon]] called on the [[United Nations Security Council|UN Security Council]] to deploy 3,000 troops to the country, bolstering the 6,000 African Union soldiers and 2,000 French troops already in the country, to combat civilians being murdered in large numbers. The Séléka government was said to be divided,[{{Cite news|author=Mark Tran|title=Central African Republic crisis to be scrutinised by UN security council|url=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2013/aug/14/central-african-republic-humanitarian-crisis-un|newspaper=The Guardian|date=14 August 2013|access-date=11 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170215021631/https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2013/aug/14/central-african-republic-humanitarian-crisis-un|archive-date=15 February 2017|url-status=live}}] and in September 2013, Djotodia officially disbanded Séléka, but many rebels refused to disarm, becoming known as ex-Séléka, and veered further out of government control.[Smith, David (22 November 2013) [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/nov/22/central-african-republic-verge-of-genocide Unspeakable horrors in a country on the verge of genocide] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161202011436/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/nov/22/central-african-republic-verge-of-genocide |date=2 December 2016 }} ''The Guardian''. Retrieved 23 November 2013] It is argued that the focus of the initial disarmament efforts exclusively on the Séléka inadvertently handed the anti-Balaka the upper hand, leading to the forced displacement of Muslim civilians by anti-Balaka in Bangui and western Central African Republic.[
In January 2014, Michael Djotodia and Nicolas Tiengaye resigned as part of a deal negotiated at a regional summit in neighboring [[Chad]].][{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-25683279|title=CAR interim President Michel Djotodia resigns|publisher=BBC News|access-date=16 October 2014|date=11 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141012151730/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-25683279|archive-date=12 October 2014|url-status=live}}] [[Catherine Samba-Panza]] was elected interim president by the National Transitional Council,[{{Cite news |author=Paul-Marin Ngoupana |url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-centralafrican-idUKBREA090O220140111 |title=Central African Republic's capital tense as ex-leader heads into exile |publisher=Reuters |date=11 January 2014 |access-date=6 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140214060304/http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/01/11/uk-centralafrican-idUKBREA090O220140111 |archive-date=14 February 2014 |url-status=dead}}] becoming the first female Central African president. In July 2014, following Congolese mediation efforts, Séléka and anti-balaka representatives signed a ceasefire agreement in [[Brazzaville]].["[http://www.lavoixdelamerique.com/content/rca-signature-d-un-accord-de-cessez-le-feu-a-brazzaville/1964081.html RCA: signature d'un accord de cessez-le-feu à Brazzaville] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140729005744/http://www.lavoixdelamerique.com/content/rca-signature-d-un-accord-de-cessez-le-feu-a-brazzaville/1964081.html |date=29 July 2014}}". VOA. 24 July 2014. Retrieved 28 July 2014.] By the end of 2014, the country was de facto partitioned with the anti-Balaka in the southwest and ex-Séléka in the northeast.[ In March 2015, [[Samantha Power]], the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said 417 of the country's 436 mosques had been destroyed, and Muslim women were so scared of going out in public they were giving birth in their homes instead of going to the hospital.][{{Cite web|url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/article/almost-all-436-central-african-republic-mosques-destroyed-us-diplomat/|title=Almost all 436 Central African Republic mosques destroyed: U.S. diplomat|work=CTVNews |date=17 March 2015|access-date=15 March 2020|archive-date=27 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727184606/https://www.ctvnews.ca/mobile/world/almost-all-436-central-african-republic-mosques-destroyed-u-s-diplomat-1.2284619|url-status=live |last1=Anna |first1=Cara }}] On 14 December 2015, Séléka rebel leaders declared an independent [[Republic of Logone]].["[https://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFKBN0TZ0TW20151216 Rebel declares autonomous state in Central African Republic] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170518213619/http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFKBN0TZ0TW20151216 |date=18 May 2017 }}". Reuters. 16 December 2015.]
==== Touadéra government (2016–present) ====
[[File:War_in_Central_African_Republic.svg|thumb|Current military situation in Central African Republic]]
[[2015–16 Central African general election|Presidential elections]] were held in December 2015. As no candidate received more than 50% of the vote, a second round of elections was held on 14 February 2016 with run-offs on 31 March.[[http://rjdh.org/centrafrique-le-corps-electoral-convoque-le-14-fevrier-pour-le-1er-tour-des-legislatives-et-le-second-tour-de-la-presidentielle/ Centrafrique : Le corps électoral convoqué le 14 février pour le 1er tour des législatives et le second tour de la présidentielle] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170104145113/http://rjdh.org/centrafrique-le-corps-electoral-convoque-le-14-fevrier-pour-le-1er-tour-des-legislatives-et-le-second-tour-de-la-presidentielle/|date=4 January 2017}} (in French), RJDH, 28 January 2016][[https://www.enca.com/africa/new-central-african-president-takes-country-ruins New Central African president takes on a country in ruins] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170104144133/https://www.enca.com/africa/new-central-african-president-takes-country-ruins |date=4 January 2017 }} ENCA, 28 March 2016] In the second round of voting, former Prime Minister [[Faustin-Archange Touadéra]] was declared the winner with 63% of the vote, defeating [[Union for Central African Renewal]] candidate [[Anicet-Georges Dologuélé]], another former prime minister.[[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-35623491 CAR presidential election: Faustin Touadera declared winner] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128162104/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-35623491 |date=28 January 2021 }} BBC News, 20 February 2016] While the elections suffered from many potential voters being absent as they had taken refuge in other countries, the fears of widespread violence were ultimately unfounded, and the [[African Union]] regarded the elections as successful.[{{Cite web|url=https://freedomhouse.org/country/central-african-republic/freedom-world/2020|title=Central African Republic: Freedom in the World 2020 Country Report|website=Freedom House|access-date=30 December 2020|archive-date=29 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201129175737/https://freedomhouse.org/country/central-african-republic/freedom-world/2020|url-status=live}}] Touadéra was sworn in on 30 March 2016. No representatives of Séléka or the "anti-balaka" militias were included in the subsequently formed government.[Vincent Duhem, [http://www.jeuneafrique.com/317433/politique/centrafrique-quil-faut-retenir-nouveau-gouvernement-devoile-touadera/ "Centrafrique : ce qu’il faut retenir du nouveau gouvernement dévoilé par Touadéra"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201201092527/https://www.jeuneafrique.com/317433/politique/centrafrique-quil-faut-retenir-nouveau-gouvernement-devoile-touadera/ |date=1 December 2020 }}, ''Jeune Afrique'', 13 April 2016 {{In lang|fr}}.]
[[2020–21 Central African general election|Presidential elections]] were held on 27 December 2020.[{{Cite web|date=20 August 2019|title=Code électoral de la République Centrafricaine (Titre 2, Chapitre 1, Art. 131)|url=http://www.droit-afrique.com/uploads/RCA-Code-2019-electoral.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.droit-afrique.com/uploads/RCA-Code-2019-electoral.pdf |archive-date=9 October 2022 |url-status=live|access-date=30 December 2020|website=Droit-Afrique.com|language=fr}}] Former President Bozizé announced his candidacy but was rejected by the Constitutional Court, which held that Bozizé did not satisfy the "good morality" requirement for candidates because of an international warrant and United Nations sanctions against him for alleged assassinations, torture and other crimes.[{{Cite web|date=3 December 2020|title=RCA : présidentielle du 27 décembre, la Cour Constitutionnelle publie la liste définitive des candidats|url=https://corbeaunews-centrafrique.com/rca-presidentielle-du-27-decembre-la-cour-constitutionnelle-publie-la-liste-definitive-des-candidats/|access-date=30 December 2020|archive-date=9 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109184142/https://corbeaunews-centrafrique.com/rca-presidentielle-du-27-decembre-la-cour-constitutionnelle-publie-la-liste-definitive-des-candidats/|url-status=dead}}] As large parts of the country were at the time controlled by armed groups, the election could not be conducted in many areas of the country.[{{Cite web|date=29 December 2020|title=Centrafrique : " ces élections, c'est une escroquerie politique ", dixit le candidat à la présidentielle Martin Ziguélé|url=https://letsunami.net/centrafrique-ces-elections-cest-une-escroquerie-politique-dixit-le-candidat-a-la-presidentielle-martin-ziguele/|access-date=30 December 2020|archive-date=29 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201229130521/https://letsunami.net/centrafrique-ces-elections-cest-une-escroquerie-politique-dixit-le-candidat-a-la-presidentielle-martin-ziguele/|url-status=live}}][{{Cite web|date=29 December 2020|title=Élections en Centrafrique: la légitimité du scrutin, perturbé en province, divise à Bangui|url=https://corbeaunews-centrafrique.com/elections-en-centrafrique-la-legitimite-du-scrutin-perturbe-en-province-divise-a-bangui/|access-date=30 December 2020|archive-date=29 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201229050648/https://corbeaunews-centrafrique.com/elections-en-centrafrique-la-legitimite-du-scrutin-perturbe-en-province-divise-a-bangui/|url-status=dead}}] Some 800 of the polling stations, or 14% of the total, were closed due to violence.[{{Cite news|date=28 December 2020|title=CAR violence forced closure of 800 polling stations: Commission|language=en|work=aljazeera.com|publisher=Al Jazeera English|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/12/28/violence-forces-800-polling-stations-to-close-in-car-commission|access-date=29 December 2020|archive-date=20 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210120045703/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/12/28/violence-forces-800-polling-stations-to-close-in-car-commission|url-status=live}}] Three [[Burundi]]an peacekeepers were killed and an additional two were wounded during the run-up to the election.[{{Cite news|date=26 December 2020|title=Three UN peacekeepers killed in CAR ahead of Sunday's elections|language=en|work=www.aljazeera.com|publisher=Al Jazeera|agency=Al Jazeera|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/12/26/three-peacekeepers-killed-in-car-as-rebel-group-calls-off-truce|access-date=26 December 2020|archive-date=27 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201227144436/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/12/26/three-peacekeepers-killed-in-car-as-rebel-group-calls-off-truce|url-status=live}}][{{Cite news|date=26 December 2020|title=UN chief condemns attacks against peacekeepers in the Central African Republic|language=en|work=UN News|agency=United Nations News Service|url=https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/12/1080892|access-date=26 December 2020|ref=UNNews_261220|archive-date=27 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201227144916/https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/12/1080892|url-status=live}}] Touadéra was reelected.[{{Cite web|url = https://www.africanews.com/2021/01/04/car-president-touadera-reelected-electoral-commission/|title = Central African Republic President Touadéra wins re-election|date = 4 January 2021|access-date = 27 April 2021|archive-date = 9 January 2021|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210109000339/https://www.africanews.com/2021/01/04/car-president-touadera-reelected-electoral-commission//|url-status = live}}]
Russian mercenaries from the [[Wagner Group]] have supported Touadéra in the fight against rebels. Wagner Group has been accused of harassing and intimidating civilians.[{{Cite news |title=Wagner Group: Why the EU is alarmed by Russian mercenaries in Central Africa |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-59699350 |work=BBC News |date=19 December 2021 |access-date=21 April 2022 |archive-date=27 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220327074036/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-59699350 |url-status=live}}][{{cite news |last1=Cohen |first1=Roger |last2=Lima |first2=Mauricio |title=Putin Wants Fealty, and He's Found It in Africa |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/24/world/africa/central-african-republic-russia-wagner.html |access-date=4 January 2023 |work=The New York Times |date=24 December 2022 |archive-date=3 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103183631/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/24/world/africa/central-african-republic-russia-wagner.html |url-status=live}}] In December 2022, [[Roger Cohen]] wrote in ''[[The New York Times]]'' that "Wagner shock troops form a Praetorian Guard for Mr. Touadéra, who is also protected by Rwandan forces, in return for an untaxed license to exploit and export the Central African Republic's resources" and "one Western ambassador called the Central African Republic...a 'vassal state' of the Kremlin."[Roger Cohen. "Africa's Allegiance to Putin". ''New York Times'', International Edition; 31 December 2022 / 1 January 2023, page A1+.]
Although the constitution initially limited presidency to two terms, Touadéra abolished constitutional term limits through a controversial referendum in 2023. He was reelected for a third term in December 2025.[{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0q40xg3j0jo|title=Central African Republic (CAR) election: Faustin-Archange Touadéra wins third term|date=6 January 2026|website=www.bbc.com}}][{{Cite web |date=6 January 2026 |title=Central African Republic (CAR) election: Faustin-Archange Touadéra wins third term |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0q40xg3j0jo |last=Muia |first=Wycliffe |access-date=10 February 2026 |website=www.bbc.com |archive-date=6 January 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260106081224/https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0q40xg3j0jo |url-status=live |language=en-GB}}] As of 2026, Russian military personnel is reportedly still heavily integrated into Touadéra government, both from state-run [[Africa Corps (Russia)|Africa Corps]],[{{Cite web |last=Olivier |first=Mathieu |date=7 April 2026 |title=From Wagner to Africa Corps: Touadéra finally submits to the new guard |url=https://www.theafricareport.com/413923/from-wagner-to-africa-corps-touadera-finally-submits-to-the-new-guard/ |url-status=live |access-date=18 July 2026 |website=The Africa Report}}] and from the independent remnants of the Wagner Group.[{{Cite web |date=13 July 2026 |title=Remnants of Wagner Group led by Prigozhin’s son control smuggling of the opioid tramadol in Central African Republic, WSJ reports – The Insider |url=https://theins.press/en/news/294783 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260715170823/https://theins.press/en/news/294783 |archive-date=15 July 2026 |access-date=18 July 2026 |website=[[The Insider (website)|The Insider]]}}][{{Cite web |last=Bariyo |first=Nicholas |date=11 July 2026 |title=Wagner’s Remnants Are Running an Opioid Empire in the Center of Africa |url=https://www.wsj.com/world/africa/russia-wagner-africa-opioid-trade-d015c4bc |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260715110734/https://www.wsj.com/world/africa/russia-wagner-africa-opioid-trade-d015c4bc |archive-date=15 July 2026 |access-date=18 July 2026 |website=[[The Wall Street Journal]]}}]
== Geography ==
{{main|Geography of the Central African Republic}}
[[File:Republique Centrafricaine - Boali - Chutes de Boali.jpg|thumb|Falls of Boali on the Mbali River]]
[[File:CARvillagefromthesky.jpg|thumb|A village in the Central African Republic]]
The Central African Republic is a landlocked nation within the interior of the African continent. It is bordered by Cameroon, Chad, Sudan, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Republic of the Congo. It lies between latitudes [[2nd parallel north|2°]] and [[11th parallel north|11°N]], and longitudes [[14th meridian east|14°]] and [[28th meridian east|28°E]].[{{Cite web|url=https://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/africa/centralafricanrepublic/cfland.htm|title=Geography of Central African Republic, Landforms – World Atlas|last=Moen|first=John|website=www.worldatlas.com|access-date=27 February 2020|archive-date=27 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200227210349/https://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/africa/centralafricanrepublic/cfland.htm|url-status=live}}]
At {{convert|622984|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=}}, the Central African Republic is the [[List of countries and dependencies by area|world's 44th-largest country]].[{{Cite web |title=UNData app |url=http://data.un.org/en/iso/ua.html |access-date=22 June 2022 |website=data.un.org |archive-date=7 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220807093709/http://data.un.org/en/iso/ua.html |url-status=live}}] Much of the country consists of a flat or rolling plateau [[savanna]] approximately {{convert|500|m|ft|0}} above sea level. In addition to the Fertit Hills in the northeast, there are scattered hills in the southwest. In the northwest is the Yade Massif, a granite plateau with an altitude of {{convert|1143|ft|m|0|order=flip}}. The Central African Republic contains six terrestrial ecoregions: [[Northeastern Congolian lowland forests]], [[Northwestern Congolian lowland forests]], [[Western Congolian swamp forests]], [[East Sudanian savanna]], [[Northern Congolian forest-savanna mosaic]], and [[Sahelian Acacia savanna]].[{{Cite journal|last1=Dinerstein|first1=Eric|last2=Olson|first2=David|last3=Joshi|first3=Anup|last4=Vynne|first4=Carly|last5=Burgess|first5=Neil D.|last6=Wikramanayake|first6=Eric|last7=Hahn|first7=Nathan|last8=Palminteri|first8=Suzanne|last9=Hedao|first9=Prashant|last10=Noss|first10=Reed|last11=Hansen|first11=Matt|last12=Locke|first12=Harvey|last13=Ellis|first13=Erle C|last14=Jones|first14=Benjamin|last15=Barber|first15=Charles Victor|last16=Hayes|first16=Randy|last17=Kormos|first17=Cyril|last18=Martin|first18=Vance|last19=Crist|first19=Eileen|last20=Sechrest|first20=Wes|last21=Price|first21=Lori|last22=Baillie|first22=Jonathan E. M.|last23=Weeden|first23=Don|last24=Suckling|first24=Kierán|last25=Davis|first25=Crystal|last26=Sizer|first26=Nigel|last27=Moore|first27=Rebecca|last28=Thau|first28=David|last29=Birch|first29=Tanya|last30=Potapov|first30=Peter|last31=Turubanova|first31=Svetlana|last32=Tyukavina|first32=Alexandra|last33=de Souza|first33=Nadia|last34=Pintea|first34=Lilian|last35=Brito|first35=José C.|last36=Llewellyn|first36=Othman A.|last37=Miller|first37=Anthony G.|last38=Patzelt|first38=Annette|last39=Ghazanfar|first39=Shahina A.|last40=Timberlake|first40=Jonathan|last41=Klöser|first41=Heinz|last42=Shennan-Farpón|first42=Yara|last43=Kindt|first43=Roeland|last44=Lillesø|first44=Jens-Peter Barnekow|last45=van Breugel|first45=Paulo|last46=Graudal|first46=Lars|last47=Voge|first47=Maianna|last48=Al-Shammari|first48=Khalaf F.|last49=Saleem|first49=Muhammad|title=An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm|journal=BioScience|volume=67|issue=6|year=2017|pages=534–545|issn=0006-3568|doi=10.1093/biosci/bix014|pmid=28608869|pmc=5451287|doi-access=free}}]
Much of the southern border is formed by tributaries of the Congo River; the [[Mbomou River]] in the east merges with the [[Uele River]] to form the Ubangi River, which also comprises portions of the southern border. The Sangha River flows through some of the western regions of the country, while the eastern border lies along the edge of the Nile [[drainage basin|watershed]].[[http://www.forestsmonitor.org/en/reports/540539 "Sold Down the River (English)"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100413014533/http://www.forestsmonitor.org/en/reports/540539 |date=13 April 2010 }}. forestsmonitor.org.] The deforestation rate is about 0.4% per annum, and [[Illegal logging|lumber poaching]] is commonplace.[{{Cite web |url=http://carpe.umd.edu/resources/Documents/THE_FORESTS_OF_THE_CONGO_BASIN_State_of_the_Forest_2006.pdf/view |title=The Forests of the Congo Basin: State of the Forest 2006 |access-date=6 September 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110220052802/http://carpe.umd.edu/resources/Documents/THE_FORESTS_OF_THE_CONGO_BASIN_State_of_the_Forest_2006.pdf/view |archive-date=20 February 2011 }}. CARPE 13 July 2007] The Central African Republic had a 2018 [[Forest Landscape Integrity Index]] mean score of 9.28/10, ranking it seventh globally out of 172 countries.[{{Cite journal|last1=Grantham|first1=H. S.|last2=Duncan|first2=A.|last3=Evans|first3=T. D.|last4=Jones|first4=K. R.|last5=Beyer|first5=H. L.|last6=Schuster|first6=R.|last7=Walston|first7=J.|last8=Ray|first8=J. C.|last9=Robinson|first9=J. G.|last10=Callow|first10=M.|last11=Clements|first11=T.|last12=Costa|first12=H. M.|last13=DeGemmis|first13=A.|last14=Elsen|first14=P. R.|last15=Ervin|first15=J.|last16=Franco|first16=P.|last17=Goldman|first17=E.|last18=Goetz|first18=S.|last19=Hansen|first19=A.|last20=Hofsvang|first20=E.|last21=Jantz|first21=P.|last22=Jupiter|first22=S.|last23=Kang|first23=A.|last24=Langhammer|first24=P.|last25=Laurance|first25=W. F.|last26=Lieberman|first26=S.|last27=Linkie|first27=M.|last28=Malhi|first28=Y.|last29=Maxwell|first29=S.|last30=Mendez|first30=M.|last31=Mittermeier|first31=R.|last32=Murray|first32=N. J.|last33=Possingham|first33=H.|last34=Radachowsky|first34=J.|last35=Saatchi|first35=S.|last36=Samper|first36=C.|last37=Silverman|first37=J.|last38=Shapiro|first38=A.|last39=Strassburg|first39=B.|last40=Stevens|first40=T.|last41=Stokes|first41=E.|last42=Taylor|first42=R.|last43=Tear|first43=T.|last44=Tizard|first44=R.|last45=Venter|first45=O.|last46=Visconti|first46=P.|last47=Wang|first47=S.|last48=Watson|first48=J. E. M.|title=Anthropogenic modification of forests means only 40% of remaining forests have high ecosystem integrity – Supplementary Material|journal=Nature Communications|volume=11|issue=1|year=2020|page=5978|issn=2041-1723|doi=10.1038/s41467-020-19493-3|pmid=33293507|pmc=7723057|bibcode=2020NatCo..11.5978G |doi-access=free}}]
In 2008, Central African Republic was the world's least [[light pollution]] affected country.[''National Geographic'' magazine, November 2008]
The focal point of the [[Bangui magnetic anomaly]], one of the largest [[Magnetic anomaly|magnetic anomalies]] on Earth, is located in the capital.[{{Cite journal|author=L. A. G. Antoine|author2=W. U. Reimold|author3=A. Tessema|url=http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/metsoc99/pdf/5087.pdf|title=The Bangui Magnetic Anomaly Revisited|journal=Proceedings 62nd Annual Meteoritical Society Meeting|volume=34|pages=A9|access-date=23 June 2014|bibcode=1999M&PSA..34Q...9A|year=1999|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140110090250/http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/metsoc99/pdf/5087.pdf|archive-date=10 January 2014|url-status=live}}]
=== Climate ===
{{main|Climate of the Central African Republic}}
[[File:Koppen-Geiger Map CAF present.svg|thumb|upright=1.2|[[Köppen climate classification]] map of the Central African Republic]]
The climate is generally [[Tropics|tropical]], with a [[wet season]] that lasts from June to September in the north, and from May to October in the south. During the wet season, rainstorms are an almost daily occurrence, and early morning fog is commonplace. Maximum annual precipitation is approximately {{convert|71|in|mm|order=flip}} in the upper Ubangi region.[''Central African Republic: Country Study Guide volume 1'', p. 24.]
The northern areas are hot and humid from February to May,[{{Cite book
|editor=Ward, Inna
|title=Whitaker's Almanack
|edition=139th
|page=[https://archive.org/details/whitakersconcise00inna/page/796 796]
|publisher=A & C Black
|location=London
|year=2007
|isbn=978-0-7136-7660-0
|url-access=registration
|url=https://archive.org/details/whitakersconcise00inna/page/796
}}
] but can be subject to the hot, dry, and dusty [[trade wind]] known as the [[Harmattan]]. The southern regions have a more equatorial climate, but they are subject to [[desertification]], while the extreme northeast regions are [[steppe]].[{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SmmUAgAAQBAJ&q=extreme+northeast+regions+of+the+country+are+already+desert.+central+african+republic&pg=PA115|title=African Folklore: An Encyclopedia|last1=Peek|first1=Philip M.|last2=Yankah|first2=Kwesi|date=March 2004|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781135948733|access-date=9 November 2020|archive-date=14 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414134541/https://books.google.com/books?id=SmmUAgAAQBAJ&q=extreme+northeast+regions+of+the+country+are+already+desert.+central+african+republic&pg=PA115|url-status=live}}]
=== Biodiversity ===
{{main|Wildlife of the Central African Republic}}
[[File:Dzanga.jpg|right|thumb|[[Dzanga-Sangha Reserve]]]]
In the southwest, the [[Dzanga-Sangha Special Reserve|Dzanga-Sangha National Park]] is located in a rainforest area. The country is noted for its population of [[African forest elephant|forest elephants]] and [[western lowland gorilla]]s. In the north, the [[Manovo-Gounda St. Floris National Park]] and [[Bamingui-Bangoran National Park]] contain [[African leopard|leopards]], [[Central African lion|lions]], [[Sudan cheetah|cheetahs]] and [[Rhinoceros|rhinos]]. The parks have been seriously affected by the activities of poachers, particularly those from Sudan, over the past two decades.[{{Cite web|url=https://phys.org/news/2017-06-wildlife-northern-central-african-republic.html|title=Wildlife of northern Central African Republic in danger|website=phys.org|access-date=10 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180919205622/https://phys.org/news/2017-06-wildlife-northern-central-african-republic.html|archive-date=19 September 2018|url-status=live}}]
[[Forest cover]] is around 36% of the land area, equivalent to 22,303,000 hectares (ha) of forest in 2020, down from 23,203,000 hectares (ha) in 1990. In 2020, naturally regenerating forest covered 22,301,000 hectares (ha) and planted forest covered 2,000 hectares (ha). Of the naturally regenerating forest, 9% was reported to be [[Old-growth forest|primary forest]] (consisting of native tree species with no clearly visible indications of human activity). In 2015, 91% of the forest area was reported to be under public ownership and 9% private ownership.[{{Cite book |url=https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/a6e225da-4a31-4e06-818d-ca3aeadfd635/content |title=Terms and Definitions FRA 2025 Forest Resources Assessment, Working Paper 194 |publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations |year=2023}}][{{Cite web |title=Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020, Central African Republic |url=https://fra-data.fao.org/assessments/fra/2020/CAF/home/overview |website=Food Agriculture Organization of the United Nations}}] In 2021, the rate of [[deforestation]] increased by 71%.[{{cite news |title=Deforestation Surges in World's No. 2 Tropical Forest |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-11-10/deforestation-surges-in-world-s-no-2-tropical-forest-congo-basin?leadSource=uverify%20wall |work=Bloomberg |date=10 November 2022}}]
{{Clear}}
==Government and politics==
{{Update|section|reason=Recent developments and Russian influence|date=December 2022}}
{{main|List of political parties in the Central African Republic|Elections in the Central African Republic|Central African Republic Council of Ministers}}{{multiple image
| total_width = 300
| caption_align = center
| image1 = Visit of Faustin-Archange Touadéra, President of the Central African Republic, to the European Commission (P067074-430913, cropped).jpg
| caption1 = [[Faustin-Archange Touadéra]]
[[President of the Central African Republic|President]]
| image2 = Felix Moloua.png
| caption2 = [[Félix Moloua]]
[[Prime Minister of the Central African Republic|Prime Minister]]
| align = right
}}
[[File:Faustin-Archange Touadéra, Joe Biden, Jill Biden.jpg|thumb|Central African Republic President [[Faustin Touadera|Faustin-Archange Touadéra]] with US President [[Joe Biden]], and [[Jill Biden]], 14 December 2022]]
[[Politics of the Central African Republic]] formally take place in a framework of a [[presidential system|presidential]] [[republic]]. In this system, the president is the [[List of heads of state of the Central African Republic|head of state]], with a prime minister as head of government. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and parliament.[{{Cite web|title=FIW Score|url=http://www.freedomhouse.org/sites/default/files/FIW%20All%20Scores%2C%20Countries%2C%201973-2012%20%28FINAL%29.xls|work=Freedom House|access-date=26 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120424223549/http://www.freedomhouse.org/sites/default/files/FIW%20All%20Scores%2C%20Countries%2C%201973-2012%20%28FINAL%29.xls|archive-date=24 April 2012|url-status=live}}] [[V-Dem Democracy Indices]] described Central African Republic as [[Democratic backsliding|autocratizing]] in 2024.[{{cite web | title=Democracy Report 2025, 25 Years of Autocratization – Democracy Trumped? | url=https://v-dem.net/documents/54/v-dem_dr_2025_lowres_v1.pdf | access-date=14 March 2025}}]
The president is elected by popular vote for a six-year term, and the prime minister is appointed by the president. The president also appoints and presides over the [[Central African Republic Council of Ministers|Council of Ministers]], which initiates laws and oversees government operations. However, as of 2018, the official government is not in control of large parts of the country, which are governed by rebel groups.[{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/rebels-in-the-central-african-republic-are-filling-the-void-of-an-absent-government/2018/03/25/3e11d960-2328-11e8-946c-9420060cb7bd_story.html|title=Rebels in the Central African Republic are filling the void of an absent government|last=Losh|first=Jack|date=26 March 2018|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|language=en|access-date=27 February 2020}}] Acting president since April 2016 is Faustin-Archange Touadéra who followed the interim government under Catherine Samba-Panza and interim Prime Minister [[André Nzapayeké]].[{{Cite news|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2100.html|title=Legal System|date=22 June 2014|work=The World Factbook|access-date=23 January 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140518174611/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2100.html|archive-date=18 May 2014|publisher=Central Intelligence Agency}}] The Supreme Court, or ''Cour Suprême'', is made up of judges appointed by the president. There is also a Constitutional Court, and its judges are also appointed by the president.[{{cite web |title=Centrafrique : que comprendre de la nomination des gouverneurs et préfets et leurs missions |url=https://www.radiondekeluka.org/69002-centrafrique-que-comprendre-de-la-nomination-des-gouverneurs-et-prefets-et-leurs-missions |publisher=Radio Ndeke Luka |access-date=30 July 2026 |date=4 June 2024}}][{{cite web |title=LOI N°21.001 Du 21 Janvier 2021 Relative Aux Circonscriptions Administratives l |url=https://itierca.com/download/?t=document&id=30 |access-date=30 July 2026}}]
===Foreign relations===
{{Main|Foreign relations of the Central African Republic}}
{{See also|Central African Armed Forces}}
[[File:Vladimir Putin and Faustin Touadera, 23 may 2018 (1).jpg|thumb|President [[Faustin Touadera|Faustin-Archange Touadéra]] with Russian President [[Vladimir Putin]], 23 May 2018]]
The Central African Republic is heavily dependent on foreign aid, and numerous [[Non-governmental organization|NGOs]] provide services that the government does not provide.[{{Cite web|url=https://odihpn.org/magazine/stuck-in-the-%c2%91recovery-gap%c2%92-the-role-of-humanitarian-aid-in-the-central-african-republic/|title=Stuck in the 'recovery gap': the role of humanitarian aid in the Central African Republic|last=Jauer|first=Kersten|date=July 2009|website=Humanitarian Practice Network|language=en-GB|access-date=27 February 2020|archive-date=24 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200724182251/https://odihpn.org/magazine/stuck-in-the-%c2%91recovery-gap%c2%92-the-role-of-humanitarian-aid-in-the-central-african-republic/|url-status=dead}}] In 2019, over US$100 million in foreign aid was spent in the country, mostly on humanitarian assistance.[{{Cite web|url=https://www.foreignassistance.gov/explore/country/Central-African-Republic|title=Central African Republic {{!}} ForeignAssistance.gov|website=www.foreignassistance.gov|access-date=27 February 2020|archive-date=31 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031041743/https://www.foreignassistance.gov/explore/country/Central-African-Republic|url-status=dead}}]
In 2006, due to ongoing violence, over 50,000 people in the country's northwest were at risk of starvation,[[http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=58581 CAR: Food shortages increase as fighting intensifies in the northwest] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929104529/http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=58581 |date=29 September 2007 }}. irinnews.org, 29 March 2006] but this was averted due to assistance from the [[United Nations]].[{{Cite web | url=https://cerf.un.org/sites/default/files/resources/Central_African_Republic_110907_New%20Format.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://cerf.un.org/sites/default/files/resources/Central_African_Republic_110907_New%20Format.pdf |archive-date=9 October 2022 |url-status=live | title=Central African Republic Executive Summary 2006}}] On 8 January 2008, the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon declared that the Central African Republic was eligible to receive assistance from the Peacebuilding Fund.[{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20140201224658/http://www.unpbf.org/countries/central-african-republic/ Central African Republic Peacebuilding Fund – Overview]}}. United Nations.] Three priority areas were identified: first, the reform of the security sector; second, the promotion of good governance and the rule of law; and third, the revitalization of communities affected by conflicts. On 12 June 2008, the Central African Republic requested assistance from the [[UN Peacebuilding Commission]],[{{Cite web |url=https://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2008/pbc39.doc.htm |title=Peacebuilding Commission Places Central African Republic on Agenda; Ambassador Tells Body 'CAR Will Always Walk Side By Side With You, Welcome Your Advice' |publisher=United Nations |date=2 July 2008 |access-date=27 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110503183856/http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2008/pbc39.doc.htm |archive-date=3 May 2011 |url-status=live}}] which was set up in 2005 to help countries emerging from conflict avoid devolving back into war or chaos.[{{Cite web|url=https://www.un.org/peacebuilding/commission/mandate|title=Mandate {{!}} United Nations Peacebuilding |website=www.un.org|publisher=[[United Nations]]|access-date=27 February 2020|archive-date=28 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200228145902/https://www.un.org/peacebuilding/commission/mandate|url-status=live}}]
In response to concerns of a potential genocide, a peacekeeping force—the International Support Mission to the Central African Republic (MISCA)—was authorized in December 2013. This African Union force of 6,000 personnel was accompanied by the French Operation Sangaris.[{{Cite web |url=https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=XXVI-9&chapter=26&clang=_en |title=Chapter XXVI: Disarmament – No. 9 Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons |publisher=United Nations Treaty Collection |date=7 July 2017 |access-date=19 August 2019 |archive-date=6 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190806220546/https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=XXVI-9&chapter=26&clang=_en |url-status=live }}]
In August 2025, Russia demanded that the Central African Republic pay its [[Africa Corps (Russia)|Africa Corps]] for armed protection rather than use the private mercenaries [[Wagner Group]].[{{Cite web |date=6 August 2025 |title=Russia asks Central African Republic to replace Wagner with state-run Africa Corps and pay for it |url=https://apnews.com/article/central-african-republic-russia-wagner-africa-corps-b9e4078548ceda4bbe8b70eb821d5a87 |access-date=25 August 2025 |website=AP News |language=en}}]
=== Human rights ===
{{main|Human rights in the Central African Republic}}
{{further|LGBTQ rights in the Central African Republic|Polygamy in the Central African Republic}}
The 2009 Human Rights Report by the [[United States Department of State]] notes that human rights in the Central African Republic were poor and expressed concerns over numerous government abuses.[[https://web.archive.org/web/20100324180829/http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2009/af/135944.htm 2009 Human Rights Report: Central African Republic] . U.S. Department of State, 11 March 2010.] The [[United States State Department|U.S. State Department]] alleged that major human rights abuses such as [[Extrajudicial punishment|extrajudicial executions]] by security forces, torture, beatings, and rape of suspects and prisoners occurred with impunity. It also alleged harsh and life-threatening conditions in prison and detention centers, arbitrary arrest, prolonged pretrial detention and denial of a fair trial, restrictions on freedom of movement, official corruption, and restrictions on workers' rights.[[http://www.dol.gov/ilab/reports/child-labor/central_african_republic.htm "Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor – Central African Republic"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150303052134/http://www.dol.gov/ilab/reports/child-labor/central_african_republic.htm |date=3 March 2015 }}. dol.gov.] Freedom of movement is limited in the northern part of the country "because of actions by state security forces, armed bandits, and other non-state armed entities", and due to fighting between government and anti-government forces, many people have been internally displaced.[{{Cite web|title=2010 Human Rights Report: Central African Republic|url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/2010/af/154337.htm|work=US Department of State|access-date=26 January 2013|archive-date=5 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191005234122/https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/2010/af/154337.htm|url-status=live}}] Violence against children and women in relation to accusations of [[witchcraft]] has also been cited as a serious problem in the country.[{{Cite web|url=http://www.unicef.org/wcaro/english/4501_5144.html|title=UNICEF WCARO – Media Centre – Central African Republic: Children, not witches|access-date=16 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141020083359/http://www.unicef.org/wcaro/english/4501_5144.html|archive-date=20 October 2014|url-status=live}}][{{Cite web|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/africa/07/19/africa.witchcraft.accusations/|title=Report: Accusations of child witchcraft on the rise in Africa|access-date=16 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140827104940/http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/africa/07/19/africa.witchcraft.accusations/|archive-date=27 August 2014|url-status=live}}][[http://www.ohchr.org/en/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=9832&LangID=E UN human rights chief says impunity major challenge in run-up to elections in Central African Republic] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140827134314/http://www.ohchr.org/en/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=9832&LangID=E |date=27 August 2014 }}. ohchr.org. 19 February 2010] Witchcraft is a criminal offense under the penal code.[{{Cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/03/08/child-brides-sold/1972905/ |title=Child brides around the world sold off like cattle |work=[[USA Today]] |date=8 March 2013 |access-date=25 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010184412/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/03/08/child-brides-sold/1972905/ |archive-date=10 October 2017 |url-status=live}}] and the United Nations's [[Human Development Index]] ranked the country 188th out of 188 countries surveyed.[{{Cite web|url=http://hdr.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/CAF|title=Central African Republic|work=International Human Development Indicators|access-date=3 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202121410/http://hdr.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/CAF|archive-date=2 February 2017|url-status=live}}] The [[Bureau of International Labor Affairs]] has also mentioned it in its last edition of the ''[[List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor]]''.
== Economy ==
{{main|Economy of the Central African Republic}}
[[File:Central African Republic GDP Per Capita 1960-2022.png|thumb|GDP per capita (2022 USD)]]
[[File:Bangui Shopping District.jpg|thumb|[[Bangui]] shopping district]]
The [[per capita income]] of the Republic is often listed as being approximately $400 per year, [[List of countries by GNI (PPP) per capita|one of the lowest in the world]], but this figure is based mostly on reported sales of exports and largely ignores the unregistered sale of foods, locally produced [[alcoholic beverage]]s, [[diamond]]s, [[ivory]], [[bushmeat]], and [[traditional medicine]].[{{Cite journal|date=19 June 2019|title=Central African Republic – Systematic Country Diagnostic : Priorities for Ending Poverty and Boosting Shared Prosperity|url=http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/459721563221464687/Central-African-Republic-Systematic-Country-Diagnostic-Priorities-for-Ending-Poverty-and-Boosting-Shared-Prosperity|journal=[[The World Bank]]|language=en|location=Washington, D.C.|pages=1–96|via=documents.worldbank.org/|access-date=27 February 2020|archive-date=27 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200227210354/http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/459721563221464687/Central-African-Republic-Systematic-Country-Diagnostic-Priorities-for-Ending-Poverty-and-Boosting-Shared-Prosperity|url-status=live}}] The annual [[Economic growth|growth rate]] of real GDP is slightly above 3%. The primary import partner is France (17.1%). Other imports come from the United States (12.3%), India (11.5%), and China (8.2%). Its largest export partner is France (31.2%), followed by [[Burundi]] (16.2%), China (12.5%), [[Cameroon]] (9.6%), and Austria (7.8%).[{{Cite journal|last1=Gouteux|first1=J. P.|last2=Blanc|first2=F.|last3=Pounekrozou|first3=E.|last4=Cuisance|first4=D.|last5=Mainguet|first5=M.|last6=D'Amico|first6=F.|last7=Le Gall|first7=F.|date=1994|title=Tsetse and livestock in Central African Republic: retreat of Glossina morsitans submorsitans (Diptera, Glossinidae)|journal=Bulletin de la Société de Pathologie Exotique|volume=87|issue=1|pages=52–56|issn=0037-9085|pmid=8003908}}]
The Central African Republic is a member of the Organization for the Harmonization of Business Law in Africa ([[OHADA]]). In the 2009 [[World Bank Group]]'s report ''Doing Business'', it was ranked 183rd out of 183 as regards 'ease of doing business', a [[Composite (finance)|composite index]] which takes into account regulations that enhance business activity and those that restrict it.[{{Cite book|title=Doing Business 2010. Central African Republic|publisher=International Bank for Reconstruction and Development; The World Bank|year= 2009|isbn=978-0-8213-7961-5|doi=10.1596/978-0-8213-7961-5 }}]
== Infrastructure ==
=== Transportation ===
{{Main|Transportation in the Central African Republic}}
[[File:Central African Republic - Trucks in Bangui.jpg|thumb|Trucks in [[Bangui]]]]
Two trans-African automobile routes pass through the Central African Republic: the [[Tripoli-Cape Town Highway]] and the [[Lagos-Mombasa Highway]]. Bangui is the transport hub. As of 1999, eight roads connected the city to other main towns in the country, Cameroon, Chad, and South Sudan; of these, only the toll roads are paved. During the rainy season from July to October, some roads are impassable.[[[#Eur|Eur]], pp. 200–202][{{Cite book|author1=Graham Booth|author2=G. R McDuell|author3=John Sears|title=World of Science: 2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IEfzrFNicNkC&pg=PA57|date=1999|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-914698-7|page=57|access-date=20 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905084424/https://books.google.com/books?id=IEfzrFNicNkC&pg=PA57|archive-date=5 September 2015|url-status=live}}]
River ferries sail from the river port at Bangui to [[Brazzaville]] and [[Zongo, Sud-Ubangi (DR Congo)|Zongo]]. The river can be navigated most of the year between Bangui and Brazzaville. From Brazzaville, goods are transported by rail to [[Pointe-Noire]], Congo's Atlantic port.[{{Cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/102152/Central-African-Republic/40691/Finance-and-trade|title=Central African Republic: Finance and trade|access-date=31 March 2013|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130414234742/https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/102152/Central-African-Republic/40691/Finance-and-trade|archive-date=14 April 2013|url-status=live}}] The river port handles the overwhelming majority of the country's international trade and has a cargo handling capacity of 350,000 tons; it has {{convert|350|m}} length of [[wharfs]] and {{convert|24000|m2}} of warehousing space.[
[[Bangui M'Poko International Airport]] is the only international airport. Since at least 2002, there have been plans to connect Bangui by rail to the [[Transcameroon Railway]].][[[#Eur|Eur]], p. 185]
=== Energy ===
{{See also|List of power stations in the Central African Republic}}
The Central African Republic primarily uses [[hydroelectricity]] as there are few other low-cost resources for generating electricity.[{{Cite web|url=https://www.andritz.com/hydro-en/hydronews/hydropower-africa/central-africa|title=Hydropower in Central Africa – Hydro News Africa – ANDRITZ HYDRO|website=www.andritz.com|access-date=27 February 2020|archive-date=27 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200227210353/https://www.andritz.com/hydro-en/hydronews/hydropower-africa/central-africa|url-status=live}}] Access to electricity is very limited with 15.6% of the population having electrification, 34.6% in urban areas and 1.5% in rural areas.[{{cite web |title=Central African Republic Energy |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/central-african-republic/#energy |website=CIA World Factbook |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |access-date=16 September 2023 |archive-date=24 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181224211128/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ct.html#energy |url-status=dead }}]
=== Communications ===
{{Main|Communications in the Central African Republic}}
Presently, the Central African Republic has active television services, radio stations, internet service providers, and mobile phone carriers; [[Socatel]] is the leading provider for both internet and mobile phone access throughout the country. The primary governmental regulating bodies of telecommunications are the Ministère des Postes and Télécommunications et des Nouvelles Technologies. In addition, the Central African Republic receives international support on telecommunication-related operations from ITU Telecommunication Development Sector ([[ITU-D]]) within the [[International Telecommunication Union]] to improve infrastructure.[{{Cite web|url=https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Regulatory-Market/Pages/RA_Portal/RA_AFR.aspx|title=Regional Regulatory Associations in Africa|website=www.itu.int|access-date=27 February 2020|archive-date=27 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200227210353/https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Regulatory-Market/Pages/RA_Portal/RA_AFR.aspx|url-status=live}}]
==Demographics==
{{Main|Demographics of the Central African Republic}}
[[File:Group of Peul women in Paoua.jpg|thumb|Fula women in [[Paoua]]]]
The population has almost quadrupled since independence. In 1960, the population was 1,232,000; as of a {{UN_Population|Year}} UN estimate, it is approximately {{UN_Population|Central African Republic}}.{{UN_Population|ref}} The nation comprises over 80 ethnic groups, each having its own language. The largest ethnic groups are the [[Baggara|Baggara Arabs]], [[Baka people (Cameroon and Gabon)|Baka]], [[Banda people|Banda]], [[Aka people|Bayaka]], [[Fula people|Fula]], [[Gbaya people|Gbaya]], [[Kara people|Kara]], [[Kresh people|Kresh]], [[Mbaka people|Mbaka]], [[Mandja people|Mandja]], [[Ngbandi people|Ngbandi]], [[Sara people|Sara]], [[Vidiri people|Vidiri]], [[Wodaabe]], [[Yakoma people|Yakoma]], [[Yulu people|Yulu]], and [[Zande people|Zande]], with [[Demographics of the Central African Republic#Ethnic groups|others]] including Europeans of mostly [[French people|French descent]].[{{Citation |title=Central African Republic |date=1 February 2024 |work=The World Factbook |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/central-african-republic/ |access-date=10 February 2024 |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |language=en |archive-date=24 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181224211128/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ct.html |url-status=dead }}] The most common ethnic groups are Gbaya (Baya) (28.8%) and Banda (22.9%), comprising together slightly over half of the country's population in 2003.[{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/central-african-republic/#people-and-society |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110054329/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/central-african-republic#people-and-society |url-status=dead |archive-date=10 January 2021 |title=Central African Republic: People and Society |work=The World Factbook |access-date=23 January 2025}}]
{{Largest cities
| country = Central African Republic
| stat_ref = According to the 2003 Census[{{Cite web|url=http://citypopulation.de/Centralafrica.html|title=Central African Republic|work=City Population|access-date=9 December 2021|archive-date=21 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220521070346/http://citypopulation.de/Centralafrica.html|url-status=live}}]
| div_name = Prefecture
|city_1 = Bangui
| div_1 = Bangui
| pop_1 = 622,771
|city_2 = Bimbo, Central African Republic{{!}}Bimbo
| div_2 = Bangui
| pop_2 = 124,176
|city_3 = Berbérati
| div_3 = Mambéré-Kadéï
| pop_3 = 76,918
|city_4 = Carnot, Central African Republic{{!}}Carnot
| div_4 = Mambéré-Kadéï
| pop_4 = 45,421
|city_5 = Bambari
| div_5 = Ouaka
| pop_5 = 41,356
|city_6 = Bouar
| div_6 = Nana-Mambéré
| pop_6 = 40,353
|city_7 = Bossangoa
| div_7 = Ouham
| pop_7 = 36,478
|city_8 = Bria, Central African Republic{{!}}Bria
| div_8 = Haute-Kotto
| pop_8 = 35,204
|city_9 = Bangassou
| div_9 = Mbomou
| pop_9 = 31,553
|city_10 = Nola, Central African Republic{{!}}Nola
| div_10 = Sangha-Mbaéré
| pop_10 = 29,181
|city_11 = Kaga-Bandoro
| div_11 = Nana-Grébizi
| pop_11 = 24,661
|city_12 = Sibut
| div_12 = Kémo
| pop_12 = 22,419
|city_13 = Mbaïki
| div_13 = Lobaye
| pop_13 = 22,166
|city_14 = Bozoum
| div_14 = Ouham-Pendé
| pop_14 = 20,665
|city_15 = Paoua
| div_15 = Ouham-Pendé
| pop_15 = 17,370
|city_16 = Batangafo
| div_16 = Ouham
| pop_16 = 16,420
|city_17 = Kabo
| div_17 = Ouham
| pop_17 = 16,279
|city_18 = Bocaranga
| div_18 = Ouham-Pendé
| pop_18 = 15,744
|city_19 = Ippy
| div_19 = Ouaka
| pop_19 = 15,196
|city_20 = Alindao
| div_20 = Basse-Kotto
| pop_20 = 14,401
}}
=== Languages ===
{{main|Languages of the Central African Republic}}
Official languages are [[French language|French]] and [[Sango language|Sango]],[{{Cite web |title=Central African Republic 2016 Constitution |url=https://constituteproject.org/constitution/Central_African_Republic_2016?lang=en |website=Constitute |access-date=20 May 2021 |archive-date=20 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210520234829/https://constituteproject.org/constitution/Central_African_Republic_2016?lang=en |url-status=live }}] a [[Creole language|creole]] developed as an inter-ethnic [[lingua franca]] based on the local [[Ngbandi language]].
=== Religion ===
{{main|Religion in the Central African Republic}}
[[File:Une foule devant la Cathédrale de Bangui, le 7 mai 2018.jpg|thumb|Worshippers at the [[Cathédrale Notre-Dame (Bangui)|Bangui Cathedral]]. [[Christianity]] is the main religion in the Central African Republic.]]
According to the 2003 national census, 80.3% of the population was [[Christianity|Christian]] (51.4% [[Protestantism|Protestant]] and 28.9% [[Roman Catholicism|Roman Catholic]]), 10% was [[Islam|Muslim]], and 4.5 percent was other religious groups, with 5.5 percent having no religious beliefs.[{{Cite web|title=International Religious Freedom Report 2010|url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/religiousfreedom/index.htm?year=2016&dlid=268630|work=U.S. Department of State|access-date=23 April 2018|archive-date=1 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230801161938/https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/religiousfreedom/index.htm?year=2016&dlid=268630|url-status=live}}] In 2010 the Pew Research Center estimated that Christians constituted 89.8% of the population (60.7% Protestant and 28.5% Catholic) while Muslims made up 8.9%.[{{Cite web|url=http://www.pewforum.org/2011/12/19/table-christian-population-as-percentages-of-total-population-by-country/|title=Table: Christian Population as Percentages of Total Population by Country|publisher=Pew Research Center|access-date=16 April 2018|date=19 December 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170511124911/http://www.pewforum.org/2011/12/19/table-christian-population-as-percentages-of-total-population-by-country/|archive-date=11 May 2017|url-status=live}}][{{Cite web|url=http://www.pewforum.org/2011/01/27/table-muslim-population-by-country/|title=Table: Muslim Population by Country|publisher=Pew Research Center|access-date=16 April 2018|date=27 January 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180406100706/http://www.pewforum.org/2011/01/27/table-muslim-population-by-country/|archive-date=6 April 2018|url-status=live}}] The Catholic Church claims over 1.5 million adherents, approximately one-third of the population.[{{Cite web|url=http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/country/sccf1.html|title=Central African Republic, Statistics by Diocese|publisher=Catholic-Hierarchy.org|access-date=16 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180518074018/http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/country/sccf1.html|archive-date=18 May 2018|url-status=live}}] Indigenous belief ([[animism]]) is also practiced, and many indigenous beliefs are [[Religious syncretism|incorporated into]] Christian and Islamic practice.[{{Cite web|url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/2010/148671.htm|title=Central African Republic|work=U.S. Department of State|access-date=16 October 2014|archive-date=20 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200220222715/https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/2010/148671.htm|url-status=live}}] A UN director described religious tensions between Muslims and Christians as being high.[{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-24802898|title=Central African Republic: Religious tinderbox|publisher=BBC News|date=4 November 2013|access-date=21 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180710010623/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-24802898|archive-date=10 July 2018|url-status=live}}]
Many missionary groups are operating in the country, including [[Lutheran]]s, [[Baptists]], [[Catholic]]s, [[Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches|Grace Brethren]], and [[Jehovah's Witnesses]]. While these missionaries are predominantly from the United States, France, Italy, and Spain, many are also from [[Nigeria]], the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]], and other African countries. Large numbers of missionaries left the country when fighting broke out between rebel and government forces in 2002, but many of them have returned to continue their work.[{{Cite web|url=https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2006/71292.htm|title=Central African Republic. International Religious Freedom Report 2006|work=U.S. Department of State|access-date=24 June 2017|archive-date=27 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727185933/https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2006/71292.htm|url-status=live}}] According to Overseas Development Institute research, during the crisis ongoing since 2012, religious leaders have mediated between communities and armed groups; they also provided refuge for people seeking shelter.[Veronique Barbelet (2015) [http://www.odi.org/publications/10103-protection-car-africa-conflict-seleka-anti-balaka-peacekeepers Central African Republic: addressing the protection crisis] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222100429/http://www.odi.org/publications/10103-protection-car-africa-conflict-seleka-anti-balaka-peacekeepers |date=22 December 2015}} London: Overseas Development Institute]
=== Education ===
{{main|Education in the Central African Republic}}
[[File:CAR classroom.jpg|thumb|Classroom in [[Sam Ouandja]]]]
Public education is free and is compulsory from ages 6 to 14.[[https://web.archive.org/web/20110417022856/http://www.dol.gov/ILAB/media/reports/iclp/tda2001/central-african-republic.htm "Central African Republic"]. ''Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor (2001)''. [[Bureau of International Labor Affairs]], [[United States Department of Labor|U.S. Department of Labor]] (2002). ''This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the [[public domain]].''] However, approximately half of the adult population is illiterate.[{{Cite web |url=http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/car_statistics.html |title=Central African Republic – Statistics |work=UNICEF |access-date=27 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100623150127/http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/car_statistics.html |archive-date=23 June 2010 |url-status=live}}] The two institutions of higher education are the [[University of Bangui]], a public university located in Bangui, which includes a [[medical school]]; and [[Euclid University]], an international university.[{{Cite web|url=https://www.univ-bangui.org/|title=Accueil – Université de Bangui|date=18 August 2022|website=www.univ-bangui.org|access-date=26 December 2022|archive-date=26 December 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221226093154/https://www.univ-bangui.org/|url-status=live}}][{{Cite web|url=https://www.euclid.int/|title=EUCLID (Euclid University) | Official Site|first=EUCLID|last=University|website=www.euclid.int|access-date=3 February 2020|archive-date=3 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200203204738/https://www.euclid.int/|url-status=live}}]
=== Health ===
{{main|Health in the Central African Republic}}
[[File:Caf babies.jpg|thumb|Mothers with babies aged between 0 and 5 years are lining up in a Health Post at Begoua, a district of [[Bangui]], waiting for the two drops of the oral [[polio vaccine]].]]
The largest hospitals are in the Bangui district. As a member of the [[World Health Organization]], the Central African Republic receives vaccination assistance, such as a 2014 intervention for the prevention of a measles epidemic.[{{Cite web|url=https://www.who.int/hac/crises/caf/en/|title=WHO – Health in Central African Republic|access-date=16 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141013121133/http://www.who.int/hac/crises/caf/en/|archive-date=13 October 2014|url-status=dead}}] In 2007, female [[life expectancy at birth]] was 48.2 years, and male life expectancy at birth was 45.1 years.[{{Cite web|url=http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/data_sheets/cty_ds_CAF.html |title=Human Development Report 2009 – Central African Republic |publisher=Hdrstats.undp.org |access-date=27 June 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100905183727/http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/data_sheets/cty_ds_CAF.html |archive-date=5 September 2010 }}] {{As of|2010}}, the country had the fourth highest [[maternal mortality]] rate in the world.[{{Cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2223rank.html|title=Country Comparison :: Maternal mortality rate|work=The World Factbook|access-date=16 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150418113820/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2223rank.html|archive-date=18 April 2015|url-status=dead}}] The [[total fertility rate]] in 2014 was estimated at 4.46 children born/woman.[{{Cite web|url=https://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/topics/fgm/prevalence/en/|title=WHO – Female genital mutilation and other harmful practices|access-date=16 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141012192739/http://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/topics/fgm/prevalence/en/|archive-date=12 October 2014|url-status=dead}}] Many births in the country are guided by traditional [[birth attendant]]s, who often have little or no formal training.[{{Cite web|url=http://www.internationalmedicalcorps.org.uk/where-we-work/africa/central-african-republic/mother-and-child-health-in-central-african-republic/|title=Mother and child health in Central African Republic|access-date=16 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141020000642/http://www.internationalmedicalcorps.org.uk/where-we-work/africa/central-african-republic/mother-and-child-health-in-central-african-republic/|archive-date=20 October 2014|url-status=live}}]
[[Malaria]] is endemic and one of the leading causes of death.[{{Cite web |url=http://www.msfaccess.org/content/malaria-%E2%80%93-one-leading-causes-death-central-african-republic |title=Malaria – one of the leading causes of death in the Central African Republic |access-date=16 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141104172444/http://www.msfaccess.org/content/malaria-%E2%80%93-one-leading-causes-death-central-african-republic |archive-date=4 November 2014 |url-status=live}}] According to 2009 estimates, the HIV/AIDS prevalence rate is about 4.7% of the adult population (ages 15–49);[{{Cite web |url=http://www.unaids.org/en/regionscountries/countries/centralafricanrepublic/ |title=Central African Republic |publisher=Unaids.org |date=29 July 2008 |access-date=27 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110830105442/http://www.unaids.org/en/regionscountries/countries/centralafricanrepublic/ |archive-date=30 August 2011 |url-status=live }}][[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2155rank.html CIA World Factbook: HIV/AIDS – adult prevalence rate] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141221190412/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2155rank.html |date=21 December 2014}}. Cia.gov. Retrieved 6 April 2013.] 3% has [[Management of HIV/AIDS|antiretroviral therapy]] available, compared to 17% coverage in the neighboring countries of Chad and the Republic of the Congo.[[http://data.unaids.org/pub/GlobalReport/2006/2006_GR_ANN3_en.pdf ANNEX 3: Country progress indicators] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070809020627/http://data.unaids.org/pub/GlobalReport/2006/2006_GR_ANN3_en.pdf |date=9 August 2007 }}. 2006 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic. unaids.org]{{update inline|date=July 2025}} Government expenditure on health was US$20 (PPP) per person in 2006[{{Cite web |url=http://www.indexmundi.com/facts/central-african-republic/physicians |title=WHO Country Offices in the WHO African Region – WHO | Regional Office for Africa |publisher=Afro.who.int |access-date=27 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201231102/http://www.indexmundi.com/facts/central-african-republic/physicians |archive-date=1 February 2014 |url-status=live}}]
With a score of 31.5 in the 2024 Global Hunger Index,[{{Cite web |title=Global Hunger Index Scores by 2024 GHI Rank |url=https://www.globalhungerindex.org/ranking.html |access-date=13 December 2024 |website=Global Hunger Index (GHI) – peer-reviewed annual publication designed to comprehensively measure and track hunger at the global, regional, and country levels}}] the Central African Republic ranks 119th out of the 127 countries with sufficient data to calculate 2024 GHI scores.
== Culture ==
[[File:BaAka woman dancing.jpg|thumb|A Central African woman]]
{{See also|List of African writers by country#Central African Republic|Music of the Central African Republic}}
=== Sports ===
{{See also|Central African Republic at the Olympics}}
Football is the country's most popular sport. The [[Central African Republic national football team|national football team]] is governed by the [[Central African Football Federation]] and stages matches at the [[Barthélemy Boganda Stadium]].[{{Cite web|url=https://www.thesportsdb.com/team/136497-Central-African-Republic|title=Central African Republic |website=www.thesportsdb.com|access-date=4 December 2019|archive-date=13 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220813062713/https://www.thesportsdb.com/team/136497-Central-African-Republic|url-status=live}}] Basketball is also popular[[http://www.indoafrican.org/centralafricanrepublic.htm Country Profile – Central African Republic-Sports and Activities] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307100258/http://www.indoafrican.org/centralafricanrepublic.htm |date=7 March 2016 }}, ''Indo-African Chamber of Commerce and Industry'' Retrieved 24 September 2015.][[http://www.iexplore.com/travel-guides/africa/central-african-republic/things-to-do Central African Republic – Things to Do] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925092338/http://www.iexplore.com/travel-guides/africa/central-african-republic/things-to-do |date=25 September 2015 }}, ''iExplore'' Retrieved 24 September 2015.] and its [[Central African Republic national basketball team|national team]] won the [[AfroBasket|African Championship]] twice and was the first Sub-Saharan African team to qualify for the [[Basketball World Cup]], in [[1974 FIBA World Championship|1974]].
==See also==
{{Portal|Central African Republic|Countries|Africa
}}
* [[Outline of the Central African Republic]]
* [[List of Central African Republic–related topics]]
{{Clear}}
== Notes ==
{{notelist}}
== References ==
{{reflist}}
=== Sources ===
* {{Cite book|author=Eur|title=Africa South of the Sahara 2003|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1KBP7QbalX0C&pg=PA185|date=31 October 2002|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-1-85743-131-5|ref=Eur}}
* {{Cite book|ref=Kalck|author=Kalck, Pierre|title=Historical Dictionary of the Central African Republic|year=2004}}
* {{Cite book|ref=McKenna|author=McKenna, Amy|year=2011|title=The History of Central and Eastern Africa|publisher=The Rosen Publishing Group|isbn=978-1615303229|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/historyofcentral0000unse_p8v3}}
* Balogh, Besenyo, Miletics, Vogel: [https://www.academia.edu/24965665/La_R%C3%A9publique_Centrafricaine La République Centrafricaine]
== Further reading ==
{{Refbegin}}
* Doeden, Matt, ''Central African Republic in Pictures'' (Twentyfirst Century Books, 2009).
* Petringa, Maria, ''Brazza, A Life for Africa'' (2006). {{ISBN|978-1-4259-1198-0}}.
* Titley, Brian, ''Dark Age: The Political Odyssey of Emperor Bokassa'', 2002.
* Woodfrok, Jacqueline, ''Culture and Customs of the Central African Republic '' (Greenwood Press, 2006).
{{Refend}}
== External links ==
{{Prone to spam|date=June 2020}}
{{Sister project links|voy=Central African Republic|Central African Republic}}
===Overviews===
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/country_profiles/1067518.stm Country Profile] from [[BBC News]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20260119003618/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/central-african-republic/ Central African Republic]. ''[[The World Factbook]]''. [[Central Intelligence Agency]].
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080727023147/http://ucblibraries.colorado.edu/govpubs/for/car.htm Central African Republic] from ''UCB Libraries GovPubs''
* {{Wikiatlas|the Central African Republic}}
* [http://www.ifs.du.edu/ifs/frm_CountryProfile.aspx?Country=CF Key Development Forecasts for the Central African Republic] from [[International Futures]]
===News===
* [http://allafrica.com/centralafricanrepublic/ Central African Republic news headline links] from [[AllAfrica.com]]
===Other===
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090122192217/http://hdptcar.net/ Central African Republic] at ''Humanitarian and Development Partnership Team (HDPT)''
* Johann Hari in Birao, Central African Republic. [https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/inside-frances-secret-war-396062.html "Inside France's Secret War"] from ''[[The Independent]]'', 5 October 2007
* [https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/central-african-republic-population/#:~:text=the%20Central%20African%20Republic%202024,5%2C330%2C690%20people%20at%20mid%20year. - Central African Republic Population-Worldometer]
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