25 Central Africa Facts That You'll Definitely Love!

Central Africa is a landlocked country filled with cultures, customs, and beautiful landscapes and buildings that only a lucky few get to witness.

Unfortunately, after being ravaged by war the last few decades, the country in the Central African region has had its land, in some countries, reduced to a shell of what it used to be. The Central African Republic used to be a part of French Equatorial Africa and finally got its independence in the year 1960.

The Central African Republic has a landscape and culture that cannot be rivaled by the best fiction author, and yet, civil unrest flows throughout the country. A place inhabited for millennia, it had its borders defined by France, who had ruled the place since the 19th century.

After gaining independence from France in 1960, there have been a series of leaders and one failed attempt at monarchy; however, as mentioned, civil war has not let the country see peace.

The Central African Republic, located in the central part of Africa, possesses a horrible human rights record which was only accentuated by wars happening all across the area. Central African Republic has the lowest GDP and purchasing power per capita, as of 2017.

Read on to know more about various countries surrounding the Central African Republic.

The Central African Republic

The earliest evidence of humans in the place exists around 10,000 years ago when due to desertification, hunters and gatherers were forced to move to the area and eventually shifted to farming. Today, there are travel bans all across the world to the Central African Republic, citing civil unrest and violence. So, what went wrong?

Slave trading has been an unfortunate part of African history, a bloody and human rights violating part that cannot be ignored. All over the continent, there are stories of death and despair.

The captives in the slave trade, from the Central African Republic, were shipped off to parts of the Mediterranean, Europe, Arabia, and to slave ports and factories on the coast of West and North Africa.

During the Scramble for Africa, or the Partition of Africa, where the seven European powers divided Africa in their control, the Central African Republic came under the French. The French started with colonizing the Ubangi-Shari territory, a territory originally named after the two rivers that flowed through it.

After the Treaty of Fes, a treaty between Morocco and France, a lot of the Sangha and Lobaye basins were given to the German Empire, which offered a smaller area to the country. World War I did not see freedom for the Central African Republic, as France annexed the territory again.

To put the next couple of decades concisely, mandatory cotton cultivation, threats of kidnapping and torture if quotas were not met, and constant stripping of natural resources that the Central African Republic possessed had occurred more times than we can count. The country was left to itself, however not before completely ruining what its land had to offer.

The Kongo Wara rebellion was carefully hushed and put down, not shown to the French public, as it was a clear fight against the French colonization. However, after the Second World War ended, pro-Gaullist forces helped form the Free French forces, and General LeLarc was appointed.

After World War II in 1946, Barthelemy Boganda became the first representative in the French government of the Central African Republic, and eventually became prime minister of the country in 1957. David Dacko, the cousin of the first prime minister, took over his role in 1959, after Boganda's death in a plane crash.

The Central African Republic shares its borders with Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Chad. Rain forest coverage (tropical forest) in the Central African Republic spans to 33% of the country.

Endemic species that thrive in the country are the African lion, African elephant, and African buffalo. The most prominent rivers in the northern part of the country are the Ubangi River, Mbomou River, and Logone River.

Bangui is the capital city of the Central African Republic and is also the largest city in the country. It is the country least affected by light pollution. The country has experienced conflicts between Muslim and Christian militias in the past.

Conflict And Unrest In Central Africa

After the monarchy was established in a ceremony, Bokassa held power until his overthrow in 1979 by the French.

A protest by students over the fact that he had established rules regarding where they can buy their school uniforms had turned into mass murder, with more than 100 children dying, speculation suggesting that the emperor was himself involved in some of the murders.

After France overthrowing, Dacko was re-established, and subsequently overthrown again in 1981 by General Kolingba in the Central African Republic.

The conflict and unrest that we are so familiar with today starts during the Patasse reign, after the coalition was established due to the high pressure of countries all over the world to conduct a democratic and free election.

An ironic title, calling them the world champion of peacekeeping, was earned by the Central African Republic due to their repeated establishment of peaceful forces. Finally, Patasse was overthrown by General Bozize, who named a new cabinet containing most opposition parties.

The Central African Bush War begins around this time, and there is a constant war between the government and the rebels, with the United Nations being of little help.

The Seleka, a group of rebel forces, took over the northern and central parts of the country. A peace agreement was signed, but it broke down, and they seized the capital, which led to Bozize fleeing the country.

Warnings of genocide have become everyday things at this point. Several attacks on civilians from Christian and Muslim militias have occurred, with many mosques being destroyed.

The Other Side Of Life In The Central African Republic

Lake Chad, a body of water responsible for hydrating almost 5 countries, such as Chad itself and South Sudan, has had much fighting happen over which country gets what share.

The arid climate of the Central African Republic has had worrying consequences, apart from global warming, as there is an estimation that the lake might dry out by the end of the 21st CE. But if the civil unrest and hate flowing through the region of the Central African Republic are highlighted, so should the beautiful parts of it.

Football is a widely popular sport, alongside wrestling and archery.

Cultural traditions are popular throughout the Central African Republic, with the country still celebrating its festivals and said traditions. The cuisine of the country proves to be excellent, with it differing from region to region.

Parks such as the Floris National Park and other national parks have been placed in several regions across the country.

The African rhino, African leopard, African elephant, African buffalo, and other animals inhabit the country in these national parks. The official language has been French since the inquisitions occurred.

As it is situated in the middle of Africa, the country has a hot and dry climate, with the countries surrounding it like South Sudan, Cameroon, and Chad having the same climate.

The capital of the independent state is Bangui, and the Congo Basin rainforest is a beautiful area and envied beauty. The population growth rate is steady, however, the fear and poverty brought on by the corrupt individuals are inevitable.

The Role Of Women

In the male-dominated country of the Central African Republic, women’s development is a source of concern still, as child marriages and abuse are common.

The sex ratio in jobs is highly unequal, with men getting most of them while educating women in some parts of the country is still seen as a sin.

One of the worst cases of human rights violation occurs in the Central African Republic, and their socio-economic status barely improves due to traditionalist views.

Polygamy is also widespread, with almost 40% of women in polyamorous relationships.

Interstate marriage is pretty accepted in urban areas, and the legal code of the country technically allows for universal adult franchises and equal opportunities.

Central African Republic Vs South Africa

South Africa, although not by much, is in a better state than the Central African Republic and its urban areas are more developed.

The demographics and backgrounds of both countries are wildly different, with constant power struggles regarding separate discriminatory practices in both countries.

South Africa dealt with apartheid for a long time, and the Central African unrest is still underway.

The humanitarian crisis in the latter country seems to not be stopping anytime soon, and even though South Africa still struggles with cases of racism and corruption, the biggest crisis over there right now is the population decline due to women shifting away from more traditional homemaking jobs to a more liberal setting, and the birth rate has declined due to this.

Almost 80% of Central African territory is impacted by terrorist groups, and South Africa has become more urban by the minute.