Portal:Africa/Countries/Selected country/9

Flag of the Central African Republic	Coat of Arms of the Central African Republic

The Central African Republic (CAR, French: République Centrafricaine IPA: /ʀepyblik sɑ̃tʀafʀikɛn/ or Centrafrique /sɑ̃tʀafʀik/) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It borders Chad in the north, Sudan in the east, the Republic of the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the south, and Cameroon in the west. Most of the CAR consists of Sudano-Guinean savannas but it also includes a Sahelo-Sudanese zone in the north and an equatorial forest zone in the south.

Since most of the territory is located in the Ubangi and Shari river basins, the French called the colony it carved out in this region Ubangi-Shari, or Oubangui-Chari in French. The colony became a semi-autonomous territory of the French Community in 1958 and then an independent nation on 13 August 1960. The first fair democratic elections, held in 1993, brought Ange-Félix Patassé to power. Patassé was overthrown by French-backed General François Bozizé in 2003, who won a democratic election in May 2005 and remains in power today. (Read more...)