Global InformationCentral African Republic information
Central African Republic
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 Flag
 Coat of arms
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Motto:
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Anthem:
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| Capital and largest city | Bangui 4°22′N 18°35′E / 4.367°N 18.583°E |
| Official languages |
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| Ethnic groups |
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| Religion (2020)[1] |
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| Demonym(s) | Central African |
| Government | Unitary presidential republic |
• President | Faustin-Archange Touadéra |
• Prime Minister | Félix Moloua |
• President of the National Assembly | Simplice Sarandji |
| Legislature | National Assembly |
| Independence | |
• Republic established | 1 December 1958 |
• from France | 13 August 1960 |
• Central African Empire established | 4 December 1976 |
• Coronation of Bokassa I | 4 December 1977 |
• Bokassa I's overthrow and republic restored | 21 September 1979 |
| Area | |
• Total | 622,984 km2 (240,535 sq mi) (44th) |
• Water (%) | 0 |
| Population | |
• 2023 estimate | 5,552,228[2] (119th) |
• Density | 7.1/km2 (18.4/sq mi) (221st) |
| GDP (PPP) | 2023 estimate |
• Total |  $5.678 billion[3] (170th) |
• Per capita | $1,109[3] (190th) |
| GDP (nominal) | 2023 estimate |
• Total | $2.760 billion[3] (182nd) |
• Per capita | $539[3] (191st) |
| Gini (2008) | 56.3[4] high |
| HDI (2022) |  0.387[5]low (191st) |
| Currency |
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| Time zone | UTC+1 (WAT) |
| Date format | dd/mm/yyyy |
| Driving side | right[6] |
| Calling code | +236 |
| ISO 3166 code | CF |
| Internet TLD | .cf |
The Central African Republic (CAR),[a] formerly known as Ubangi-Shari,[b] is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to the north, Sudan to the northeast, South Sudan to the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the south, the Republic of the Congo to the southwest, and Cameroon to the west. Bangui is the country's capital and largest city, at the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Central African Republic covers a land area of about 620,000 square kilometres (240,000 sq mi). As of 2021[update], it had an estimated population of around 5.5 million. As of 2024[update], the Central African Republic is the scene of a civil war, which has been ongoing since 2012.[8]
Most of the Central African Republic consists of Sudano-Guinean savannas, but the country also includes a Sahelo-Sudanian zone in the north and an equatorial forest zone in the south. Two-thirds of the country is within the Ubangi River basin (which flows into the Congo), while the remaining third lies in the basin of the Chari, which flows into Lake Chad.
What is today the Central African Republic has been inhabited since at least 8,000 BCE. The country's borders were established by France, which ruled the country as a colony starting in the late 19th century. After gaining independence from France in 1960, the Central African Republic was ruled by a series of autocratic leaders, including an abortive attempt at a monarchy under the regime of Jean-Bedel Bokassa.[9]
By the 1990s, calls for democracy led to the first multi-party democratic elections in 1993. Ange-Félix Patassé became president, but was later removed by General François Bozizé in a 2003 coup. The Central African Republic Bush War began in 2004 and, despite a peace treaty in 2007 and another in 2011, civil war resumed in 2012. The civil war perpetuated the country's poor human rights record: it was characterized by widespread and increasing abuses by various participating armed groups, such as arbitrary imprisonment, torture, and restrictions on freedom of the press and freedom of movement.
Despite its significant mineral deposits and other resources, such as uranium reserves, crude oil, gold, diamonds, cobalt, lumber, and hydropower,[10] as well as significant quantities of arable land, the Central African Republic is among the ten poorest countries in the world, with the lowest GDP per capita at purchasing power parity in the world as of 2017.[11] As of 2021[update], according to the Human Development Index (HDI), the country had the fourth-lowest level of human development, ranking 188 out of 191 countries. The country had the lowest inequality-adjusted Human Development Index (IHDI), ranking 156th out of 156 countries.[12] The Central African Republic is also estimated to be the unhealthiest country[13] as well as the worst country in which to be young.[14]
The Central African Republic is a member of the United Nations, the African Union, the Economic Community of Central African States, the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie and the Non-Aligned Movement.
- ^ "National Profiles". www.thearda.com.
- ^ "Central African Republic". The World Factbook (2024 ed.). Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
- ^ a b c d "World Economic Outlook Database, October 2023 Edition. (CF)". IMF.org. International Monetary Fund. 10 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
- ^ "Gini Index". World Bank. Archived from the original on 9 February 2015. Retrieved 2 March 2011.
- ^ "Human Development Report 2023/24" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. 13 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
- ^ Which side of the road do they drive on? Archived 14 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine Brian Lucas. August 2005. Retrieved 28 January 2009.
- ^ "Central African Republic – CAR – Country Profile – Nations Online Project". www.nationsonline.org.
- ^ Mudge, Lewis (11 December 2018). "Central African Republic: Events of 2018". World Report 2019: Rights Trends in Central African Republic. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
{{cite book}}:|website=ignored (help) - ^ 'Cannibal' dictator Bokassa given posthumous pardon Archived 1 March 2017 at the Wayback Machine. The Guardian. 3 December 2010
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
CIAwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ World Economic Outlook Database, January 2018 Archived 3 May 2018 at the Wayback Machine, International Monetary Fund Archived 14 February 2006 at Archive-It. Database updated on 12 April 2017. Accessed on 21 April 2017.
- ^ "Human Development Index and its components" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 September 2018. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
- ^ "These are the world's unhealthiest countries – The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. 25 September 2016. Archived from the original on 1 August 2017. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
- ^ Foundation, Thomson Reuters. "Central African Republic worst country in the world for young people – study". Archived from the original on 5 August 2017. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
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