Bangui is the capital and largest city of the landlocked nation of the Central African Republic. The city had a population of 750,000 people in 2012 which is about 16% of the nation’s 4.6 million people. Bangui spans an area covering 67 square km, or 41.6 miles, and is named after the rapids in the Ubangi River on whose bank the city is situated. Across the river are the Democratic Republic of Congo and the town of Zongo. Due to Bangui being located near the equator the climate is hot and humid throughout much of the year and heavy rains that lead to flooding are common.
The history of Bangui began on June 25th, 1889 when the town was founded during the height of European colonial expansion following the Partition of Africa in 1885. The French explorer Michael Dolisie established it close to the juncture of the Ubangi and Mpoko Rivers. Hard times followed the founding of Bangui. Maurice Musy and Paul Comte, two colonial commanders, were both killed during combat with the indigenous populations in 1890. In 1891 the town was moved up river and became the base for French infiltration north toward the country of Chad and east toward the Nile River.
During its colonization Bangui served as the French administrative center for the region called Ubangi-Shari. On December 11th, 1906 Bangui was detached from the Middle Congo and became the capital of the Ubangi-Shari region created in 1903.
In 1960 when the Central African Republic gained its independence from the French, Pan-Africanist leader Kwame Nkrumah, then president of newly independent Ghana, suggested that Bangui become the headquarters for the Organization of African Unity. The headquarters was eventually located at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia but since independence, the city has hosted numerous inter-African meetings.
Bangui has many landmarks within its boundaries that reflect its rich history and culture. The city’s most distinctive landmarks date back to the 1970s when President—and later self-declared Emperor—Jean-Bédel Bokassa built an elaborate royal
