Central African Republic Geography - 2022

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Location

Central Africa, north of Democratic Republic of the Congo

Geographic coordinates

7 00 N, 21 00 E

Map references

Africa

Area

total: 622,984 sq km

land: 622,984 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Texas; about four times the size of Georgia

Area comparison map

Land boundaries

total: 5,920 km

border countries (5): 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)

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Climate

tropical; hot, dry winters; mild to hot, wet summers

Terrain

vast, flat to rolling plateau; scattered hills in northeast and southwest

Elevation

highest point: Mont Ngaoui 1,410 m

lowest point: Oubangui River 335 m

mean elevation: 635 m

Natural resources

diamonds, uranium, timber, gold, oil, hydropower

Land use

agricultural land: 8.1% (2018 est.)

arable land: 2.9% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 0.1% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 5.1% (2018 est.)

forest: 36.2% (2018 est.)

other: 55.7% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land

10 sq km (2012)

Major rivers (by length in km)

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 watersheds (area sq km)

Atlantic Ocean drainage: Congo (3,730,881 sq km), (Mediterranean Sea) Nile (3,254,853 sq km)
Internal (endorheic basin) drainage: Lake Chad (2,497,738 sq km)

Major aquifers

Congo Basin, Lake Chad Basin

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

Natural hazards

hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds affect northern areas; floods are common

Geography - note

landlocked; almost the precise center of Africa

NOTE: The information regarding Central African Republic on this page is re-published from the 2022 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Central African Republic 2022 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Central African Republic 2022 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.