Central African Republic

n. landlocked country in central Africa

The Central African Republic (CAR,  IPA: or Centrafrique ) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It borders Chad in the north, Sudan in the east, the Republic of the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the south, and Cameroon in the west.Most of the CAR consists of Sudano-Guinean savannas but it also includes a Sahelo-Sudanese zone in the north and an equatorial forest zone in the south. Two thirds of the country lie in the basins of the Ubangi River, which flows south into the Congo River, while the remaining third lies in the basin of the Chari River, which flows north into Lake Chad.
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Noun
1. a landlocked country in central Africa; formerly under French control; became independent in 1960
(synonym) Central Africa
(hypernym) African country, African nation
(part-holonym) Africa
(part-meronym) Bangui, capital of Central Africa

Flag of Central African Republic
Background The former French colony of Ubangi-Shari became the Central African Republic upon independence in 1960. After three tumultuous decades of misrule - mostly by military governments - civilian rule was established in 1993 and lasted for one decade. President Ange-Felix PATASSE's civilian government was plagued by unrest, and in March 2003 he was deposed in a military coup led by General Francois BOZIZE, who has since established a transitional government. Though the government has the tacit support of civil society groups and the main parties, a wide field of affiliated and independent candidates will contest the municipal, legislative, and presidential elections scheduled for February 2005. The government still does not fully control the countryside, where pockets of lawlessness persist. Map of Central African Republic More about Central African Republic: Geography People Government Economy Communications Transportation Military Transnational Issues

Chief of state: President Francois BOZIZE (since 15 March 2003 coup)

Head of government: Prime Minister Faustin-Archange TOUADERA (since 22 January 2008)

Cabinet: Council of Ministers

Elections: under the new constitution, the president elected to a five-year term (eligible for a second term); elections last held 13 March and 8 May 2005 (next to be held in 2010); prime minister appointed by the political party with a parliamentary majority

Election results: Francois BOZIZE elected president; percent of second round balloting - Francois BOZIZE (KNK) 64.6%, Martin ZIGUELE (MLPC) 35.4%