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HISTORY At the end of the 19th century, the French administered the area under the name of Ubangi-Shari. During the Second World War, the colony joined the Allied Forces. The country became the Central African Republic on the 1 December 1958 with the proclamation of Barthélemy Boganda who is considered to be the father of the Nation and was the first Prime Minister. Independence was declared on 13 August 1960. Since then, the country has kept French as official and administrative language, while the local language Sango acts like the cement of the country, allowing everybody to be understood, even low-educated people. GEOGRAPHY Central African Republic is a landlocked country. Mount Ngaoui (4,658 feet) is its highest point. The underground resources consist of diamonds, uranium and gold. Oil and hydroelectric power are also other important resources. The climate is generally tropical with a wet season from May to October and a dry season from November to April. In the south which borders with the two Congos, the climate is of equatotrial type, intertropical from Carnot to Berberati in the west, sahelo-sudanese towards Birao in the north with a dry season lasting 8 to 9 months and intertropical but fresh and stormy on the hills. Central African Republic possesses two large separate basins. One flows towards the north into the Lake Chad with rivers like the Logone, the Ouham, the Shari. The other one is composed of the tributaries of the Ubangui River which flow south into the Congo River. Most of the country consists of a plateau, the western and eastern borders of the plateau being the highest. The northwestern Yade Massif is a granite plateau with an altitude ranging from 3,280 feet to 4,590 feet (except for Mount Ngaoui with 4,658 feet). There are three small granite chains in the north-east - the Délembé-Sergobo, the Ouanda Djallé-Mount Koumou and Kotto-Bahr forming the massifs of Dar Challa and Bongo, culminating with Mount Toussoro (4,363 feet). |
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