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Bangui

Capital of Central African RepublicBangui sits on the north bank of the Ubangi River, close to the southern border of the Central African Republic, with green hills behind it. The Congolese town of Zongo lies just across the river.

Why it's the capital

The French founded an outpost here in 1889, beside rapids that stopped boats coming up the river from Brazzaville. Because river traffic had to stop here, the settlement grew, and in 1906 it was chosen as the headquarters of the French administration. It stayed the capital after independence in 1960.

Fun facts

  1. The city is named after the Ubangi River, whose name comes from a Bobangi word for the "rapids" beside the settlement.
  2. In the 1970s Bangui was nicknamed La Coquette, meaning "the beautiful city".
  3. In 1932 the French radio transmitter in Bangui was described as "the most remote radio station in Africa".

Finding it on the globe

Follow the Central African Republic's southern border, which runs along the Ubangi River. Bangui is where the river turns sharply south toward the Congo River, in the southwest of the country.

Sources: Wikipedia: Bangui