Geography of Central African Republic

The Central African Republic lies mainly on the plateau of the north equatorial threshold, which has an average height of 600 meters above sea level. In the north of the country there are 216,000 km² in the Chad Basin. The Bongo massif on the border with Sudan rises to a height of 1330 m, in the Yadé massif (easternmost area of ​​the Adamawa highlands) along the border with Cameroon is the Ngaoui, at 1420 m the highest mountain in the country.

Climate of Central African Republic

The climate of the Central African Republic largely corresponds to that of the alternately humid tropics and, in the south, the ever-humid tropics. That means there is a wet and a dry season. In the north, on the border with the dry savannah, the rainy season is around four months long, while in the south it stretches for eight to ten months. In the north it is extremely hot, especially in the dry season, sometimes up to 40° C. At night, however, it sometimes cools down to below 10° C. In the capital, the seasonal temperature differences are small due to the proximity to the tropical rainforest.

Rivers and water of Central African Republic

Virtually all of the precipitation in the country drains either via the Shari into the Chad Basin or via the Sangha and Ubangi into the Congo. Only in the far west of the Central African Republic are small areas of the catchment area of ​​the border river Lom, which drains over the Sanaga into the Gulf of Guinea. The border with South Sudan is, apart from small blurring, almost congruent with the catchment area borders of the Ubangi and the Nile. This is also where Africa’s main watershed point is located.

Flora and fauna of Central African Republic

The dense tropical rainforest in the south is one of the last places of refuge for lowland gorillas and forest elephants in Central Africa. This is also where the Dzanga Sangha Sanctuary is located, where both species are protected. The largest part of the Central African Republic consists of tree savannah (wet savannah) and light forest, which gradually merge into the dry savannah with fewer trees in the north. The animal population includes elephants, monkeys, antelopes, buffalo, rare birds as well as monitor lizards and hippos in the waters.

Demographics in Central African Republic

With an average of 4.6 children per woman (2019), the Central African Republic has a high fertility rate, although it has been falling since the 1990s. One of the reasons for this high rate is that only 29% of married women have access to modern contraceptives – and the trend is rising. 43.9% of the population are under 15 years old, less than 3% of the population are older than 65. The median age was estimated at 17.6 years in 2020. Life expectancy was just 53.3 years in 2019. Life expectancy in the Central African Republic was thus the lowest in the world. 

While the rainforest areas and the dry savannah are almost deserted, which also leads to a low population density of 8.8 inhabitants per km², most of the population settles along the most important waterways in the country.

Ethnic Groups of the Central African Republic

The original population group, the pygmies, has few members today and only lives in the south-western rainforests. The Bantu peoples of the Ngala group, who live as inhabitants of the southern river landscapes, also form a minority: Of these, the Yakoma are the largest people with 4% of the population, there are also the Mbaka with 4%, Lissongo, Bamda and Banziri. 

In addition, there are Sahelo-Sudanese peoples in the north – mostly savanna inhabitants, of which the Baya make up the largest ethnic group in the country with 33% of the population, along with the Banda with 27%. Furthermore, the Manschia with 13%, the Sara with 10%, the Mboum with 7% and the Ngbandi are more strongly represented among the Sahelos Sudanese peoples. 

There are also Nilots – especially Runga – and Azande peoples in the east. Several thousand Europeans, mostly French, live in the cities. In 2017, 1.9% of the population were born abroad.

Languages of The Central African Republic

The official languages of the Central African Republic ​​are Sango (since 1991) and French (since independence). In addition, numerous other indigenous languages ​​are spoken, especially Ubangi languages, which also includes Sango. Sango also has the status of a national language. A total of 72 different languages ​​and idioms are spoken.

Religions in The Central African Republic

According to the 2003 census, only around 9.6% of the population are officially followers of the indigenous faiths. Christians make up about 80% of the population. Sunni Islam is practiced by around 10% of the population (with an increasing tendency) and is particularly widespread in the north-east to the north, and to a lesser extent in the north-west, and through internal displacement in other regions of the country. Another 10% are animists. 

Many missionary groups have been operating in the country since the colonial days, mainly Lutherans and Catholics, but also Baptists, Grace Brethren and Jehovah’s Witnesses. While these missionaries initially came predominantly from France, the United States, Italy, and Spain, many missionaries are now also from Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and other sub-Saharan countries. Many Western missionaries left the country in 2002/2003 due to fighting between rebels and government forces.

Education in The Central African Republic

Despite compulsory schooling, the illiteracy rate is still almost 75%. Schooling is free, but still only accessible to a small minority. Bangui University has existed since 1969. The international Euclid University was added in 2008.

Healthcare in The Central African Republic

Healthcare is no match for sleeping sickness, malaria, leprosy, AIDS and other diseases. A large proportion of the population is infected with HIV. Depending on the source, a prevalence of 6.3% to 13.5%  is assumed. There is hardly any social provision.

Only 54% of births can receive medical care. Infant mortality is 79 per 1,000 births and infant mortality is 117 per 1,000 births.

Economy in The Central African Republic

The inland location, inadequate transport infrastructure and a lack of qualified workers made the country’s economic development difficult even during the colonial era. With independence, there was also corruption and political instability.

60% of the population still live in the countryside, so agriculture is the most important branch of the economy. Although only a good three percent of the national territory is used for agriculture, the agricultural sector contributes to more than half of the gross domestic product (GDP). Subsistence farming is widespread. Yams, cassava, millet and maize are grown for personal use and cotton, coffee and tobacco for export. Wood and diamonds are the most important export goods, which together make up two thirds of exports. The Central African Republic is dependent on food imports.

The country’s industry is poorly developed and accounts for around 15% of GDP. In addition to the processing of wood and diamonds, simple consumer goods and everyday objects such as textiles, shoes and bicycles are manufactured. Energy sources, machines, vehicles and chemical products have to be imported, as a result of which the country has a high trade deficit, which is only insufficiently offset by international aid. Tourism is insignificant, around 12,000 tourists visited the country in 2005, which earned the equivalent of around four million US dollars, there is no information available for after that year. There are significant uranium deposits, 90% of which are owned by Uramin, a subsidiary of the French nuclear technology group Areva. 

The unemployment rate is given as 6.9%, but almost all employment is informal and underemployment is widespread.

Traffic and Road Network of The Central African Republic

The transport infrastructure in the Central African Republic is inadequate in both size and condition. There is a road network with a length of approx. 24,000 km, of which only about three percent are paved, so that a considerable part of it is not passable during the rainy season (July – October). A section of Trans-African Highway 8 runs through the country.

Rail transport ceased to exist in 1962. The only route was only a few kilometers. It was used to bypass rapids in the Ubangi and was thus integrated into the shipping traffic. There are proposals to connect the country to the rail network of Cameroon and Sudan. Before independence, a route to Chad was planned.

In the rainy season, shipping is possible over a length of 2800 kilometers on the Ubangi and Sangha rivers and on the Congo. Inland ports are located in Bangui and Salo.

The only international airport in Central African Republic is Bangui M’Poko International Airport, with 37 smaller airports in operation

Music in The Central African Republic

Music is an important part of Central African life and, in addition to celebrations and church services, accompanies many ceremonies and gatherings for birth, marriage and death. Many churches have several choirs that perform pieces and “animate” the congregation. Village church group meetings of many kinds (e.g. prayer groups) begin and end with singing and drum accompaniment. A lead singer gives the next line of text for the whole group or congregation in a powerful voice or introduces the next part in a medley. The singing usually takes place outside and is often accompanied by small dance steps and choreographies. There are many occasions when the drumming person stands in the middle and is circled by the singers dancing. This can have the character of a performance as well as serve internal group purposes. In mixed groups, it is more the men who determine the beat and rhythm by drumming, but in all-women groups there is always someone who has also mastered this art. After the official funeral has been completed, the celebrations in the event of death continue for several days and nights – one can hardly avoid them, as the drumming can be heard from afar.

The instruments are mostly built in-house. Wood and animal hide are used for the traditional large tam-tams. Amplified guitars require power and spare parts, which are often difficult to find, but they are still very popular. To make a western drum set yourself, objects are recycled and misused, e.g. B. gasoline drums, X-rays and similar material. In this way, stylish instruments can be used despite great poverty.

The Central African pygmies are known for their drumming and ritual dances. In the meantime, however, many traditions from the forests of the Central African Republic are no longer present.

The music of the Aka-Pygmies is characterized by a polyphonic singing, which is rhythmically accompanied by the Hindewhu single-tone flutes, bow harps or clapping hands. The instruments are mostly made of wood. The one-sided harp of the Aka pygmies can also be played with the mouth. In general, the music of the pygmies in the Central African Republic is comparable to twelve-tone music: the initially supposedly independent chants find each other again after every twelfth tone.