Interesting facts about the Central African Republic (CAR)

 1. The Central African Republic (CAR) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. A landlocked country is completely enclosed by land with no access to the open sea.

2. The Central African Republic has been settled for at least 8,000 years. Polished flint and quartz tools have been found that are at least 8,000 years old.

3. The world’s second-largest rainforest, the Congolese Rainforest, is part-located in the Central African Republic.

4. The Central African Republic has a unique flag with horizontal stripes of blue, white, green and yellow, all overlapped by a central red vertical stripe. There is also a yellow star is in the upper left corner.

5. The Central African Republic has the world’s fifth-lowest CO2 emissions when measured by CO2 per capita.

6. The Central African Republic is home to the ethnic group of Pygmy people, known for their short stature – typically under five feet tall.

7. The Central African Republic holds vast natural resources, including diamonds, gold, oil, timber and immense amounts of arable land and hydropower.

8. The Central African Republic has one UNESCO World Heritage Site entirely within its borders, the Manovo-Gounda St Floris National Park. It is known for its wide variety of species including rhinos, elephants, cheetahs, leopards, wild dogs, gazelles and buffalo.

9. The Central African Republic is also home to 597 identified species of butterflies.

10. The Central African Republic is exceptionally rich in biodiversity, with many rare and endemic species including gorillas, elephants, hippos, lions, cheetahs, leopards, rhinos and crocodiles.

11. As of 2002, there were at least 209 mammal species, 168 bird species and over 3,600 plant species in the Central African Republic.

The country is very rich in resources, but one of the poorest nations in the world at the same time.