Bangui (; or Bangî in Sango, formerly written Bangi in English) is the capital and largest city of the Central African Republic. It was established as a French outpost in 1889 and named after its location on the northern bank of the Ubangi River (); the Ubangi itself was named from the Bobangi word for the "rapids" located beside the settlement, which marked the end of navigable water north from Brazzaville. The majority of the population of the Central African Republic lives in the western parts of the country, in Bangui and the surrounding area.
The city has been part of Bangui Prefecture since December 2020. it had an estimated population of 889,231.
The city consists of eight urban districts (arrondissements), 16 groups (groupements) and 205 neighbourhoods (quartiers). As the capital of the Central African Republic, Bangui acts as an administrative, trade, and commercial centre. The National Assembly, government buildings, banks, foreign enterprises and embassies, hospitals, hotels, main markets and the Ngaragba Central Prison are all located here. Bangui manufactures textiles, food products, beer, shoes and soap. Its Notre-Dame Cathedral is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bangui. The city is also home to the University of Bangui, inaugurated in 1970. It is served by the Bangui M'Poko International Airport.
History
Archaeological studies in and around Bangui have yielded at least 26 ancient Iron Age sites that contain many metallurgical tools and objects, illuminating the pre-European history of the city and surrounding area. The archaeological sites were added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List on 11 April 2006 in the Cultural category.
thumb|A local woman together with [[Free France|Free French soldiers near Bangui in 1940]]
thumb|Bangui in 1960
The colony of Ubangi-Shari received its autonomy in 1958 as the Central African Republic and became independent from France in 1960. In 1970, President Jean-Bédel Bokassa inaugurated the University of Bangui. He established the national airline Air Centrafrique the following year and ordered the construction of two new luxury hotels in Bangui. With tensions mounting between Bangui and Paris as a result of Bokassa's uncontrollable expenditures, western banks refused to lend him any more money. Relations with the French worsened still further in April 1974, when the body of Brigette Miroux was discovered in a hotel room in Bangui. Miroux was a native of northern France who in 1973 came to the Central African Republic to become a "hostess" in Bokassa's Caravelle aircraft. It was reported in the French media that she had been Bokassa's mistress and that he was responsible for her murder. As a result, Bokassa banned import of French newspapers and assumed control of the Agence France-Presse office in Bangui. By 1975, Bangui had a population of 300,723.
In March 1981, widespread violence took place in Bangui following elections, after Operation Caban led the French to drop Bokassa (who had begun to call himself Emperor Bokassa I) and to replace him with David Dacko. Opponents of the President met in Bangui and were forced to flee the country. After returning voluntarily to Bangui in the autumn of 1986, Bokassa went on trial. Initially faced with the death penalty, in February 1988 he was instead sentenced to life imprisonment. His successor was General André Kolingba, army chief of staff of Dacko's army, who took over control from the local French military on 1 September 1981 under the pretext that the country was heading towards civil war. Although he attempted to combat corruption and control the national economy, he was unable to achieve his reforms. By the middle of the 1980s the country's economic situation had deteriorated as 80% of the revenue went towards meeting the salaries of the staff.
Under pressure from a donor group called GIBAFOR (France, USA, Japan, Germany, EU, World Bank and the UN) Kolingba made moves to restore a degree of democracy in the country in 1991 with a multiparty government. Elections were held in 1993 and 1994. The first round was sabotaged by the government when it was clear they would lose. Under continued donor pressure elections were held again in 1994 as before with help from the UN Electoral Assistance Division. During these elections, Ange-Félix Patassé was elected to the post of president. Since he was from northern CAR, the southern group of Kolingba started a rebellion during 1996.
In May 1996, about 200 soldiers of the Central African Republic mutinied in Bangui, demanding salary increases and the abdication of Ange-Félix Patassé. In the aftermath, the renegades plundered and killed more than 50 people. Bozizé refused to accept an arrest warrant and "defected with about a hundred troops, engaged in street battles in the northern neighborhoods of Bangui (traditionally supporting Patassé)" and went north. Bozizé went into exile in Chad but his troops returned to Bangui and fighting continued. Peace-keeping forces were ineffective, leaving Patassé isolated, and with support from Chad, Bozizé's troops were successful in removing Patassé's government. Patassé, who was returning from Niger after attending a conference, was not permitted to land in Bangui and he took asylum in Togo, and Bozizé seized power and suspended the constitution. An all-party National Transitional Government was set up which functioned as an interim legislative body. However, the "climate of distrust continued".
2013 rebellion
thumb|A family shelters from the sun under tarpaulins from a refugee camp with bricks to rebuild their homes around them in the PK5 neighbourhood.
In late 2012, the Séléka coalition rebelled against the autocratic rule of François Bozizé and entered the city. After capturing Bria, Sibut, and other important towns, they were on the verge of capturing Damara, the last strategic town before Bangui. France and the US refused to support the president and neighbouring countries reinforced the Central African Multinational Force (Fomac).
In January 2013, the rebels terminated their operations, hoping for a negotiated settlement. The agreement was not honoured and the rebels captured Bangui on 23 March 2013, forcing Bozizé to flee the capital.
As of early January 2014, "around 500,000 have fled their homes" in Bangui, "almost half the city's population."
On 13 January 2021 around 200 rebels attacked Bangui, killing one peacekeeper before being repelled.
Geography and climate
thumb|Satellite view of Bangui.
thumb|[[Ubangi River|Ubangi (Oubangui) River at the outskirts of Bangui.]]
Bangui, close to the country's southern border, lies on the northern banks of the Ubangi River just below a series of rapids that limit major commercial shipping upriver. The only major city located on the river, it covers an area of . The navigable Ubangi River, with the backdrop of lush green hills, turns sharply south below Bangui and connects to the Congo River just south of the equator near Brazzaville as its chief northern tributary. The Ubangi river marks the border between the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Congolese town of Zongo is situated across the river from Bangui. The river flows to the east of downtown Bangui. During the rainy season the discharge in the river is three times higher than during the rest of the year. The city was also known as La Coquette (the beautiful city) in the 1970s.
thumb|left|Map of Arrondissements and Quartiers in the area of Bangui
Close to the river, the city centre features a large arch dedicated to Bokassa as well as the presidential palace and the central market. Lying further north, the heart of the residential area has the largest market and most of the nightlife. Many of those in the suburbs live in houses known as Kodros, built of mud bricks with a thatched roof.
The Bangui Magnetic Anomaly, one of the earth's largest crustal anomalies and the largest in Africa, has its centre in Bangui." It takes the form of a huge ellipse of x , with its central point at 6 degrees north and 18 degrees east. It consists of three parts or segments, which comprise the northern, the southern and the central anomalies. The magnetic equator passes through the feature's centre. Although it is well documented, the feature's origins are not fully understood.
The Central African Republic is situated just north of the Equator with daily temperatures normally reaching at least 30 °C. Bangui, close to the Equator in the south of the country, it is slightly hotter and wetter than the northern regions. It has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen: Aw) with dry winters. While the warm season is from 23 January to 18 March, the cold season lasts from 20 June to 27 August, when rainfall is frequently accompanied by thunderstorms. The city is bordered by thick tropical rainforests along the river banks. Several of its neighbourhoods are in low-lying areas prone to recurrent flooding with severe rains in June and July 2009 leaving 11,000 people homeless.
Administration
Bangui is an autonomous commune (commune autonome) of the Central African Republic. With an area of , it is by far the country's smallest high-level administrative division in area but the highest in population . The city of Bangui consists of eight urban districts (arrondissements), 16 groups (groupements) and 205 neighbourhoods (quartiers).<!-- unacessible on Dec. 30, 2013:
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The International Criminal Court opened a field office in Bangui in October 2007. The National Assembly of CAR, a multiparty republic, with its headquarters in Bangui, is a unitary legislative body with 105 members. and to 652,000 in 2001. Apart from the ethnic people of the country, the city is also home for a minority group of Greek, Portuguese and Yemeni traders, and also has a small community of French people. The Bangui resident community includes diamond traders from western Africa and Chad, traders from many African countries, and refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Nigeria. Bangui manufactures include textiles, food products, beer, shoes, and soap. The main exports are cotton, rubber, timber, coffee, and sisal. Because of the ongoing strife, unemployment hovered near 23% in the city . Ngaragba Central Prison, the national prison for men, is located in Bangui. , it had 476 inmates; prison conditions are reported to be poor.
Landmarks
thumb|right|Oubangui Hotel
The old town of Bangui has retained its colonial town planning, with wide boulevards leading towards a central market square. Attractions in Bangui include Boganda Museum, Bangui Zoo, and the Presidential Palace, formerly the Bokassa Palace. Notre-Dame Cathedral is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bangui. Boganda Museum (Musée de Boganda) has displays of traditional musical instruments, weapons, rural architectural features, ancient hunting tools, pottery, and also many religious antiques. It has a collection of bark cloth, the material used to cover Bokassa's bed.
There are several hotels up to international standards. The Ledger Plaza Bangui on the outskirts has an outdoor swimming pool, tennis court, and comfortable amenities. The National Hotel was established in 1970 with 30 rooms. Also of note are the Golf Palace Hotel, the Hotel du Centre with 72 rooms, JM Residence, the Oubangui Hotel, established in 1985, and Hotel Somba with 23 rooms.
Culture
Customs
Polygamy is an accepted practice among men.
When someone dies in Bangui a representative from his or her village attends the funeral. "This person is charged with indicating to the deceased the way back home so that the deceased may avenge himself and herself and demonstrate the power of the family". The representative who attends the funeral also carries a little dust from the grave to the village, and gives it to the village's medicine man so that he can ascertain the reasons for his death.
Most of the holidays in Bangui are festivals related to the Christian and Muslim faiths and are the same as those observed in other parts of the world. National holidays include Independence Day and the birthdays of Boganda and several other national heroes.
Cuisine
thumb|A French boulangerie in Bangui.
The cuisine of CAR is referred to as Centrafrican and the staple diet in Bangui includes cassava, rice, squash, pumpkins and plantains served with a sauce and grilled meat. Okra or gombo is a popular vegetable. Peanuts and peanut butter are widely used. Game is popular, as are the fish-based dishes maboké and soussou. Manioc flour is used for preparing fufu.
Alcoholic beverages served are locally brewed beer, palm wine and banana wine. Non-alcoholic beverages include ginger beer.
Art
Bangui's artisans' market has traditional wares representing the art products from different regions of the country. Handicrafts include woven mats and baskets, wooden utensils of simple design, carved stools, pottery, musical instruments, tanned skins, and wood products.
Bangui is home to the University of Bangui, founded in 1969 by President Jean-Bédel Bokassa who named it after himself; it started operating in 1970. A public institution, the university provides non-agricultural education in the Central African Republic. Since 1981, the University Library has been in a separate building that houses its science, literature, and law collections. The medical school of the university has its own library.
The other educational institutions are the National School of Arts and the Central School of Agriculture, in addition to many religious and technical schools. There are also Muslim mosques.
Transport
Bangui is the transport hub of the Central African Republic. As of 1999, eight roads connected the city to other main towns in the country, Cameroon, Chad and South Sudan; of these, only the toll roads are paved. During the rainy season from March to November, some roads are impassable. The road network in the city emanates from the Palace de la Republique.
River ferries sail from the river port at Bangui to Brazzaville and Zongo. The river can be navigated most of the year between Bangui and Brazzaville. From Brazzaville, goods are transported by rail to Pointe-Noire, Congo's Atlantic port. The river port handles the overwhelming majority of the country's international trade and has a cargo handling capacity of 350,000 tons; it has length of wharfs and of warehousing space.
The first airstrip in Bangui was built between 1920 and 1925. Bangui M'Poko International Airport is located on of deforested land off the Avenue of Martyrs to the north of the old town, between the Koudoukou Avenue and the University of Bangui.
Healthcare
A general hospital is located in the eastern side of the city. Modern healthcare facilities exist in Bangui (unlike the rest of the country) but are poor, providing only minimal care. Wealthier citizens make use of private clinics. The risk of catching malaria in Bangui and pygmy camps is also much higher than in the rest of the country.
A conference of public health officials including representatives of the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization was held in Bangui in October 1985. The conference evolved a diagnostic definition of AIDS which came to be known as the Bangui definition for AIDS.
- Eloge Enza Yamissi, football player
- Manassé Enza-Yamissi, football player
- André Kolingba, president
- Anicet Lavodrama, basketball player
- Joachim N'Dayen, archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bangui
- Nathalie Tauziat, French tennis player
- Romain Sato, basketball player
Twin towns/Sister cities
Bangui is twinned with:
- Dodoma, Tanzania
- Linz, Austria
See also
- Jojo (chimpanzee)