Our journey brings us to the Central African Republic (CAR), a landlocked nation located—as its name suggests—right in the middle of the African continent. There are around 6 million people living here, and the capital is Bangui, which sits along the banks of the wide Ubangi River. The official languages are French and Sango, a language spoken by almost everyone in the country.
The Central African Republic covers about 622,984 square kilometers, or 240,535 square miles. To imagine its size, the country is roughly the same size as the state of Texas in the U.S. or it is approximately the same size as France. The landscape is mostly flat or rolling plateaus, covered in vast savannas and thick, humid rainforests in the south.
The most popular sport is Football, and you will find people playing “street ball” in almost every neighborhood. Their national animal is the Elephant, specifically the African Forest Elephant, which is smaller than its savanna cousin but has straighter, downward-pointing tusks to help it move through the dense jungle trees.
The flag features four horizontal stripes of blue, white, green, and yellow, with a red vertical stripe crossing through the middle and a yellow star in the top left, where the colors represent the connection between France and Africa and the hope for a unified future.
The food is based on local staples that are filling and nutritious. The most common meal is Gozzo, a thick paste made from cassava flour, often served with Kanda, which are meatballs made from beef, fish, or shrimp mixed with pounded pumpkin seeds. They also enjoy Chikwangue, a type of cassava bread that is wrapped in leaves and steamed.
The Central African Republic is one of the best places on Earth to see Wild Gorillas and Forest Elephants in their natural habitat, especially in the Dzanga-Sangha National Park. The country is also home to the Boali Falls, a massive and powerful waterfall that looks like a wall of white water crashing into the jungle below. Because there is very little “light pollution” from big cities, the CAR is officially one of the darkest places on Earth at night, which makes it one of the most incredible spots for stargazing and seeing the Milky Way. It is also famous for its Butterfly population; in the rainy season, thousands of brightly colored butterflies fill the air, making the forests look like they are shimmering.
From the deep, green heart of the jungle to the red-earth roads of the savanna, the Central African Republic is a land of untouched wilderness and ancient rhythms. Merci! That means “Thank you!”