Geography |
The Central African Republic, located in the middle of the continent as its name indicates, is bordered on the west by Cameroon, on the north-west by Chad, on the north-east by Sudan, and on the south by the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo. It covers an area of 622 984 km2, lying between latitudes 2° 20´ and 11° N and longitudes 14° 30´ and 27° 30 ´E. Its relief is fairly uniform, consisting of a vast undulating peneplain separating the Congo and Chad basins with an altitude varying between 500 and 850 m, although there are two mountain massifs rising to 1 400 m (1). The drainage network is divided between the Chad and Congo systems, hence the ancient name of the country (Oubangui-Chari).
Aubréville distinguishes four types of tropical climate, moving from south to north:
- An Oubanguian Guinean forest climate with an average annual rainfall of 1 700 mm and a dry season of 3 to 3.5 months;
- An Oubanguian Sudano-Guinean climate, with an average annual rainfall of 1 650 mm and a dry season of 3.5 to 5 months;
- A typical Sudano-Guinean climate, with an average annual rainfall of 1 350 mm and a dry season of 5 to 5.5 months;
- A Sahelo-Sudanian climate, which is confined to a small portion of the country in the far north, with an average annual rainfall lower than that of the Sudano-Guinean climate but generally over 900 mm, and a dry season of 6 months.
The gentle gradation in climatic conditions together with the relative uniformity of the country's relief account in part for the uniformity of the vegetation, which is a vast savannah woodland except for the forests found in the south-west (Lobaye, Sangha-Economique and Haute-Sangha prefectures) and in the Bangassou region in the east (Basse-Kotto and Mbomou prefectures).
The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.