Country data

Location: Central Africa

Time zone: CET (during summer time: CET – 1)

Total area: 622,984 km²

Land area: 622,984 km²

Water area: 0 km²

Length of the state border: 5,920 km

Bordering countries:
Cameroon: 901 km
Congo: 487 km
Congo, Democratic Rep.: 1,747 km
Sudan: 174 km
South Sudan: 1,055 km
Chad: 1,556 km

Coastline: 0 km

Capital: Bangui

Prefectures: 17
Bamingui-Bangoran, Bangui, Basse-Kotto, Gribingui, Haute-Kotto, Haute-Sangha, Haut-Mbomou, Kemo-Gribingui, Lobaye, Mbomou, Nana-Mambere, Ombella-Mpoko, Ouaka, Ouham, Ouham-Pende, Sangha, Vakaga

Telephone code: 00 236 (Source: Allcitycodes)

Highest point: Mont Ngaoui 1,420 m

Population

Population: approx. 5.3 million residents (Countryaah, 2021)

Population growth: 2.1% per year

Population density (residents per km²): 8.5

Life expectancy: 50 (male), 53 (female)

Official language: French, Sango

Religions:

• 35% Protestants
• 25% Roman Catholic
• 15% Muslim
• 25% other

Climate

In the tropical climate zone that stretches across the country, it is hot all year round. The temperatures are between 24 ° C and 35 ° C.

The dry season (December – April) is particularly pronounced in the north and the center of the country. The rainy season continues in the remaining months.

Due to the sometimes very high humidity, life can be very stressful for people who are only used to European climates.

Currency / finance

Currency unit: CFA franc (XAF)

ATMs: not available

International credit cards: Not accepted.

Regulations: There is no limit to the amount of national currency that can be imported and up to an amount of 75,000 XAF.

There is no limit to the amount of foreign currencies that can be imported. The export is permitted in the amount of the declared import. There is an obligation to declare from an equivalent value of 25,000 XAF.

The central bank has stopped exchanging the local currency and is not possible.

Customs regulations

The following may be carried duty-free:

• 1,000 cigarettes or 250 cigars or 2,000 g tobacco (women are only allowed to import cigarettes)
• small amounts of alcoholic beverages
• small amounts of perfume

(Information applies to people aged 18 and over)

Tourists and people in transit can bring items of personal use with them duty-free.

All technical devices and objects of value must be declared upon entry to ensure that they are exported again.

Travel advice

Because of the constantly flaring up fighting, the very poor security situation and the high level of violent crime, people are warned against traveling to the Central African Republic.

For security reasons, Bangui Airport may be closed to air traffic from time to time.

There are repeated failures in the electricity and water supply and severe restrictions in the supply of the population.

The German embassy in the capital Bangui is closed.

Behavioral advice

It is forbidden to photograph or film any public building, airport, military facility or unclothed person.

You should also be very careful when recording what is known as African life.

Economy

The largest employer in the country is agriculture. Products (cotton, millet, coffee, rubber, corn, cassava, yams) are produced here that go beyond the company’s own needs.

Other export goods are tropical woods, gold and diamonds.

Industries: diamond mining, wood processing, textiles

Natural resources: diamonds, gold, petroleum, wood, uranium, hydropower

Land use:

• Usable land: 3%
• Grain cultivation: 0%
• Pasture area:%
• Forests: 75%
• other: 17%

Plants

Due to the tropical humid climate in the south of the country, the rainforest is at home here.

In the middle of the country there are large regions of wet savannah, which merges to the north into a dry savannah region, consisting of thorn bushes and small areas of grass.