Central African Republic

The Central African Republic (CAR) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It borders Chad, Sudan, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Congo and Cameroon.

Since most of the territory is located in the Ubangi and Shari river basins, France called the colony it carved out in this region Ubangi-Chari and controlled this area for about six decades. It became a semi-autonomous territory of the French Community in 1958 and then an independent nation on 13 August 1960. For over three decades after independence, the CAR was ruled by presidents who either were not freely elected or took power by force. Local discontent with this system was eventually reinforced by international pressure, following the end of the Cold War.

Despite its significant mineral resources and its arable land, the Central African Republic remains one of the poorest countries in the world.