Central African Republic - Geography

Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Central African Republic. Landlocked; almost the precise center of Africa. Mother's mean age at first birth is (), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 835 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Geographical data of Central African Republic
Location Central Africa, north of Democratic Republic of the Congo
Geographic coordinates 7 00 N, 21 00 E
Map references Africa
Tarrain vast, flat to rolling plateau; scattered hills in northeast and southwest
Natural Resources diamonds, uranium, timber, gold, oil, hydropower
Natural Hazards hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds affect northern areas; floods are common
Irrigated Land 10 sq km (2012)
Major rivers (by length in km) Oubangui (Ubangi) river [s] (shared with Democratic Republic of Congo and Republic of Congo [m]) - 2,270 km
note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth
Major aquifers Congo Basin, Lake Chad Basin
Land Boundaries 5,920 km
Border Countries Cameroon 901 km; Chad 1556 km; Democratic Republic of the Congo 1,747 km, Republic of the Congo 487 km; South Sudan 1055 km; Sudan 174 km
Coastline 0 km (landlocked)
Climate tropical; hot, dry winters; mild to hot, wet summers
Area
Total Area
Land Area 622,984 sq km
Water Area 0 sq km
comparative Area slightly smaller than Texas; about four times the size of Georgia
Maritime Claims
Elevations
Highest point Mont Ngaoui 1,410 m
Lowest point Oubangui River 335 m
Mean elevation 635 m
Land Use
Agricultural land 9% (2022 est.)
Agricultural land: arable land arable land: 2.9% (2022 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent crops permanent crops: 1.3% (2022 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent pasture permanent pasture: 4.8% (2022 est.)
Forest 35.7% (2022 est.)
Other 55.3% (2022 est.)
Population Distribution

Majority of residents live in the western and central areas of the country, especially in and around the capital of Bangui as shown in this population distribution map

People and Society

In Central African Republic, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: Baya 28.8%, Banda 22.9%, Mandjia 9.9%, Sara 7.9%, M'Baka-Bantu 7.9%, Arab-Fulani (Peuhl) 6%, Mbum 6%, Ngbanki 5.5%, Zande-Nzakara 3%, other Central African Republic ethnic groups 2%, non-Central African Republic ethnic groups .1% (2003 est.)

Population
Pop growth rate 1.76% (2024 est.)
Birth rate 31.9 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Death rate 11.3 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Health expenditure 9.1% of GDP (2021)
Physicians Density
Hospital bed Density 1 beds/1,000 population (2011)
Total fertility rate 3.94 children born/woman (2024 est.)
Gross reproduction rate 1.94 (2024 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate 17.8% (2019)
Est married women (ages 15-49) 64.7% (2023 est.)
Literacy age 15 and over can read and write
Education expenditures 2.2% of GDP (2020 est.)
Net Migration rate -3.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Nationality Central African | Central African(s)
Languages French (official), Sangho (lingua franca and national language), tribal languages
Religions Roman Catholic 34.6%, Protestant 15.7%, other Christian 22.9%, Muslim 13.8%, ethnic religionist 12%, Baha'i 0.2%, agnostic/atheist 0.7% (2020 est.)
Age Structure
0-14 years 38.5% (male 1,113,795/female 1,063,971)
15-64 years 58% (male 1,613,770/female 1,662,522)
65 years and over 3.5% (2024 est.) (male 86,932/female 109,967)
Dependency Ratios
Total dependency ratio 102.8
Youth dependency ratio 97.7
Elderly dependency ratio 5.1
Potential support ratio 19.7 (2021 est.)
Median Age
Total 20.4 years (2024 est.)
Male 19.7 years
Female 21.2 years
Urbanization
Urban population 43.6% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization 3.32% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas (Pop) 958,000 BANGUI (capital) (2023).
Sex Ratio
At birth 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over 0.79 male(s)/female
Total population 0.99 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Infant Motality
Total 80.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male 86.4 deaths/1,000 live births
Female 74.5 deaths/1,000 live births
Life Expectancy at birth
Total population 56.4 years (2024 est.)
Male 55.1 years
Female 57.7 years
Drinking Water Sources
Improved: urban urban: 83.9% of population
Improved: rural rural: 47.5% of population
Improved: total total: 62.9% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 16.1% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 52.5% of population
Unimproved: total total: 37.1% of population (2020 est.)
Sanitation facility acess
Improved: urban urban: 53.8% of population
Improved: rural rural: 12.4% of population
Improved: total total: 29.9% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 46.2% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 87.6% of population
Unimproved: total total: 70.1% of population (2020 est.)
Alcohol consumption per capita
Total 0.94 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Beer 0.55 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Wine 0.04 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Spirits 0.02 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Other alcohols 0.33 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Child marriage
Women married by age 15 25.8%
Women married by age 18 61%
Men married by age 18 17.1% (2019 est.)
Demographic profile
All Important Facts about Central African Republic

Want to know more about Central African Republic? Check all different factbooks for Central African Republic below.

Central African Republic is found in Middle Africa