Central African Republic History, Geography, Economy and Important Events

The history of the Central African Republic is broadly composed of four different periods. The earliest phase of settlement began around 10,000 years ago when nomadic people first settled in the region, farming and fishing. The next period began around 1,000 to 3,000 years ago when many non-indigenous groups began migrating from other parts of the continent to the region. The third period included the colonial conquest and rule of the country by France and Germany that spanned from the late 1800s to the 1960s when the Central African Republic became an independent state. The last period has been the era during which the Central African Republic has been an independent state.

The Central African Republic is the interior of the African continent. It borders Cameroon, Chad, Sudan, South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo and Republic of Congo. The savannah is a flat or rolling plateau at about 1,640 ft (500 m) above sea level in most of the country. There are fertile hills in the northeast, and scattered hills in the southwestern part of the country. To the northwest is the Karre Mountains (also known as Yade Massif), a granite plateau with a height of 3,750 feet (1,143 meters).

The economy of the Central African Republic is one of the least developed in the world, with an estimated annual per capita income of just $ 805 as measured by purchasing power parity in 2019. Due to the considerable population and landslides, the nation is highly agricultural-dominated. The vast majority of the population engages in subsistence farming and 55% of the country's GDP comes from agriculture. Assisted agriculture, along with forestry, remains the backbone of the Central African Republic (CAR) economy, with more than 70% of the population living in outlying areas. The main food crops include cassava, groundnut, sorbet, millet, maize, sesame and plants. The major cash crops for export include cotton, coffee and tobacco. Timber accounts for about 16% of export earnings and about 54% of the diamond industry.

The two official languages of the Central African Republic are French and Sango (also spelled Sango), a Creole developed as an inter-ethnic lingua franca based on the local Nagabandi language. CAR is one of the few African countries where the African language is their official language.

Cameroon [L] , Chad [L] , Democratic Republic of the Congo [L] , Republic of the Congo [L] , South Sudan [L] , Sudan [L] ,
Definition of international border: L = Land Border | M = Maritime Border