Central African Republic Population, Main Cities and Geography

By | January 27, 2023

Central African Republic: population, cities

Population

Population

According to Countryaah website, the Central African Republic is home to around 4.8 million people who have settled in the country’s most important waterways, while the dry savannas and rainforest areas are almost depopulated.

The birth rate for the Central African Republic is an average of five children that a woman there gives birth in the course of her life.

Negative factors are the low life expectancy of people (women at 44 and men at 43 years of age), the high illiteracy rate of more than 60%, the high infant mortality rate (around 10%) and the high proportion of people infected with HIV. According to the Human Development Index, the Central African Republic is one of the ten poorest countries in Africa.

Ethnic groups

The Pygmies were the original population group in the country. However, these are rarely found (e.g. in the jungle region). The largest ethnic groups in the republic are now the Ngala-Bantu (mainly Ngbandi, but also Banziri, Gbakka, Lissongo and Yakoma), the Sahelo-Sudanese tribes of the north (mainly Banda, Baya, Mbandja and Sara), the Nilotide (mainly Runga) and the Azande peoples in the east.

There are also a few thousand Europeans (mainly French) who have settled mainly in the cities.

Religions

Around 79% of the population are Christians, around 10% are Muslims and around 10 % are followers of indigenous religions.

While the Christians mostly live in the border area with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the mostly Sunni Muslims have settled in the north, east and north-west of the republic in particular.

Languages

Since the Central African Republic gained independence, French has been the country’s official language.

Sango became the second official language in 1991. Numerous dialects are

also spoken. Tribal languages are also spoken, which are primarily among the Ubangi languages. This also includes the already mentioned Sango, which has almost the status of a Central African national language.

Capital and other cities

Bangui

About 795,000 people live in Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic. The city, located on the Ubangi River in the southwest of the country, is the cultural, political and economic center of the republic. According to Abbreviation Finder, CAF stands for Central African Republic in English. Click to see other meanings of this 3-letter acronym.

It was founded in 1889 as the administrative center of the French colonial territory of Ubangi-Chari and has served as the capital since the Central African Republic gained independence and was founded in 1960.

In Bangui, where Jean-Bédel Bokassa was born, the later President and Emperor of the country, wide streets such as Avenue Boganda, Place de la Republique, the triumphal arch of the former Emperor Bokassa and the market are a veritable delight for everyone who wants to get to know the real African life.

Berbérati

With around 80,000 residents, Berbérati is the third largest city in the Central African Republic.

It acts as the capital of the prefecture of Mambéré-Kadéï and extends in the country west near the border with Cameroon. The city is of great tourist interest for most travelers as a starting point for the Dzanga Sangha Reserve.

Bimbo

The capital of the prefecture Ombella-Mpoko spreads about 10 kilometers southwest of Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic. About 150,000 people live in Bimbo, the birthplace of the famous basketball player Romain Sato (born 1981).

Kaga-Bandoro

In the north of the Central African Republic is Kaga-Bandoro, a market town with around 60,000 residents. It acts as the capital of the economic prefecture of Nana-Grébizi and as the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Kaga-Bandoro.

Central African Republic: Geography

The Central African Republic (Central Africa) is located in the middle of Africa and covers an area of 622,984 km². Check topmbadirectory for politics, flags, famous people, animals and plants of Central African Republic. Thereof:

  • ForestAround 57% of the country are forest and scrubland.
  • Meadow/pasture landAround 5% of the land is used as meadow or pasture land.
  • Fields and fieldsAround 3% of the land is used as arable land, especially for growing coffee, cotton, rubber, peanuts, palm trees and tobacco as well as rice, millet and cassava.

The Central African Republic shares a border with the following five countries:

  • Cameroon with a length of 797 km
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo with a length of 1,577 km
  • Republic of the Congo with a length of 467 km
  • Sudan with a length of 1,165 km
  • Chad with a length of 1,197 km.

Longitude and latitude

The Central African Republic extends over the following geographical latitude (abbreviation Δφ) and geographical longitude (abbreviation Δλ):

Δφ = from around 02 ° to 11 ° north latitude Δλ = from around 014 ° 30 ‘to 027 ° 30’ east longitude

You can find detailed information on this subject under Longitude and Latitude.

Legal time

For Central Africa the following value applies to Central European Time (CET), i.e. the time without summer time.

Δ t (CET) = 0 h

The country has the same time as Central Europe in winter time. Further and detailed explanations of the time can be found under Time zones, time.

Highest point of the sun in Bangui

Bangui lies at a north latitude of around φ = 04.5 ° = 4 ° 30` and thus in the middle of the tropics, provided that the declination δ of the sun has the value 04 ° 30 ‘north and the image point of the sun is above the City, the sun is perpendicular there. This happens exactly twice a year, roughly 17 days after March 21st and then again 17 days before September 21st.

Attention

If the image point of the sun and thus the declination δ is north of the latitude of Bangui, the sun is not in the south at noon, as in our latitudes, but in the north. In this case, the sun moves from east to north to west, where, like us, it sets.

Mountains

Monte Ngaoui/Mont Kayagangiri

The highest mountain in the country is Monte Ngaoui/Mont Kayagangiri with a height of 1,420 m.

Bongo Mountains

Other high mountains are the Bongo Mountains with a height of 1,400 m, they are also on the north equatorial threshold.

Rivers

Ubangi

The longest river in the country is the Ubangi with a length of 2,280 km.

Mbomou, Kotto, Shanga

Other major rivers in the country are the Mbomou, Kotto and Shanga.

Lakes

There are no major lakes in the country.

Central African Republic Population