Bangui
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| Bangui |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Autonomous commune | Bangui |
| Mayor | Jean-Barkes Gombe-Kette |
| Area | |
| - City | 67 km² (26 sq mi) |
| Population | |
| - City (2003) | 531,763 |
Bangui is the capital of, and the largest city in the Central African Republic. The majority of the population of the Central African Republic lives in the western parts of the country, near Bangui.
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[edit] History
The city was founded in 1889 in what was then the French colony Haut-Oubangui ('Upper Ubangi'), later renamed Oubangui-Chari and made part of French Equatorial Africa. Named for local rapids, the city grew around the French military post on the Ubangi river.[1] Bangui served as an administration center in the colonial era and continues to be the administrative center of the CAR.
Widespread violence in Bangui followed the March 1981 elections, which took place following a French operation to depose Jean-Bedel Bokassa. Opponents of unpopular vote-rigging dictator David Dacko laid siege to Bangui and compelled his flight to exile. Andre Kolingba then formed the Comité Militaire pour le Redressement National (See History of the Central African Republic).
In October 1985, a conference of public health officials including representatives of the Centers for Disease Control and World Health Organisation met in Bangui and defined AIDS in Africa as, "prolonged fevers for a month or more, weight loss of over 10% and prolonged diarrhoea". About half the AIDS cases in Africa based on the Bangui definition are HIV positive.
A French Jaguar aircraft crashed in Bangui in March 1986, killing 35 and leading to a resurgence in anti-French sentiment. Andre Kolingba, however, continued to allow the French to maintain military bases in the Central African Republic.
Some 200 Central African Republic soldiers mutinied in Bangui in May 1996, demanding back pay and the abdication of dictator Patassé. French troops stationed in the country quelled the mutiny and reestablished dictatorial power. The renegades, however, heavily looted Bangui and killed more than 50 people.
After elected president Ange-Félix Patassé announced a national unity government in early 1997, mutinous troops refused to relinquish a military base in Bangui. New fighting erupted in June.
Mercer Human Resources Consulting named Bangui as the 214th worst city out of 215 in a 2003 survey. Brazzaville was the only city to be ranked lower than Bangui. Bangui was named the most dangerous city in a related survey, partially due to the frequency of coup attempts and rebel attacks.[2]
[edit] Geography and Climate
Bangui lies on the northern banks of the Ubangi River just below a series of rapids that limit major commercial shipping farther upriver, on the southern border. The navigable Ubangi River turns sharply south below Bangui and connects to the Congo River just south of the Equator near Brazzaville as its chief northern tributary. The river marks the border between the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The Congolese town of Zongo sits opposite the river from Bangui.
The city centre lies near the river and houses a large triumphal arch dedicated to Bokassa, the Presidential Palace and the central market. km 5, lying 5 km further north, the heart of the residential area, hosts the largest market and most nightlife. Further north still lie rolling hills.
The Central African Republic lies just north of the Equator and consequently the daily high temperatures rarely fall below the high 80s Fahrenheit.[3] The rainy season lasts from May until October. Bangui, being in the south of the country and thus closest to the Equator, is slightly hotter and wetter than the northern parts of the country. [4]
[edit] Law and Government
Bangui is an autonomous commune (commune autonome) of the Central African Republic. With an area of 67km², it is by the smallest high-level administrative division of the CAR in area but the highest in population as of 2003.[5]
Bangui is home to a police force.
[edit] Economy
Bangui serves as an administrative, trade, and commercial center. Bangui manufactures include textiles, food products, beer, shoes, and soap. The main exports are cotton, timber, coffee, and sisal. Because of the ongoing strife, unemployment hovered near 23% in the city as of 2001.
[edit] Transport
Bangui hosts a river port and an international airport (IATA airport code BGF); the former handles the overwhelming majority of the country's international trade. River ferries sail to Brazzaville and Zongo. Roads connect the city to Cameroon, Chad, and Sudan.
[edit] Telecommunications
Two GSM-900 mobile telecommunications companies, Telecel CAR and Nationlink Telecom RCA, operate out of Bangui. State-owned Socatel is the principal telecom in CAR and Bangui, and is responsible for the operation and maintenance of the communications infrastructure.
[edit] Culture
Several periodicals and three daily newspapers publish in Bangui. Other attractions in Bangui include Boganda Museum and Bokassa Palace.
[edit] Education
Bangui is home to the University of Bangui, founded in 1970.[6] A public institution, the University of Bangui monopolizes non-agricultural college education in the Central African Republic.
[edit] External links
[edit] Notes and references
| Administrative Divisions of the Central African Republic |  |
|---|---|
| Prefectures | |
| Bamingui-Bangoran | Basse-Kotto | Haute-Kotto | Haut-Mbomou | Kémo | Lobaye | Mambéré-Kadéï | Mbomou | Nana-Mambéré | Ombella-M'Poko | Ouaka | Ouham | Ouham-Pendé | Vakaga | |
| Economic Prefectures | |
| Nana-Grébizi | Sangha-Mbaéré | |
| Autonomous commune | |
| Bangui | |
