Central African Republic Overview

Animals and Plants

What is growing here?

Most of the Central African Republic to take savannas one. In the north this savannah is a dry savannah, in the northernmost tip it even becomes a desert. Grasses and a few trees grow in the dry savannah.

The amount of rain increases towards the south. That’s why there is moist savannah here. A light forest grows here. There is gallery forest along the rivers. There is tropical rainforest in the southwest of the country. It occupies 8 percent of the country’s area.

What animals live in the Central African Republic?

209 species of mammals, 663 species of birds, 187 reptiles and 29 amphibians have so far been counted in the Central African Republic. However, many animal species are threatened by hunting or the destruction of their habitat.

The tropical rainforest of the southwest is particularly rich in species. It is a retreat for lowland gorillas and forest elephants. The Dzanga Sangha sanctuary was established here for them and other threatened animal species. Brush-eared pigs, chimpanzees, pangolins, hippos, forest buffalo and many species of antelope such as bongos, sitatungas, blue ducks and batesboks also live here.

Other animals are at home in the savannah. Predators such as lions, leopards, cheetahs and African wild dogs can be found here. Giraffes also live here.

Central African Republic Animals

Economy

One of the poorest countries in the world

The Central African Republic is one of the poorest countries in the world. 66 percent of the population live below the international poverty line and have less than 1.90 dollars a day to spend. The country is rich in raw materials. Oil, uranium and diamonds are mainly stored in the northeast of the country. For export, i.e. the route to other countries, diamonds and wood bring in most of the money. But only a few rich people benefit from it. Corruption is a big problem.

The country’s location with no access to the sea and therefore to ports is another problem. In addition, the traffic routes are poorly developed. Most of the roads are unpaved and in the rainy season they become impassable. The electricity and water supplies often collapse. Many people don’t have a good education because they didn’t go to school. They cannot read or write, nor have they been able to receive any further training.

Agriculture

The economy is largely based on agriculture. 43 percent are generated by them, only 16 percent by industry. 41 percent stay in the services. Cotton, coffee, tobacco, cassava, yams, millet, corn and bananas are grown.

Most farmers, however, practice subsistence farming. This means that they mainly grow for their own needs and sell small surpluses on the market. Only cotton, coffee and tobacco are grown on plantations for export.

Children and School

Do the children go to school?

Not all children in the Central African Republic go to school. 23 out of 100 boys and 40 out of 100 girls do not even start school! The numbers have even gotten worse in recent years. By law there is compulsory schooling for ages between six and 14, but many do not adhere to it. Sometimes parents prefer to send their children to work or they think that schooling is unnecessary, after all they cannot read and write themselves. Sometimes teachers or entire schools are missing. Existing schools were destroyed as a result of the long and repeated civil war.

How are the children in the Central African Republic?

What happens to a child born in the Central African Republic? In all likelihood they will be poor, often hungry and sick. They may not have safe drinking water and may develop diarrhea. Or they don’t sleep under a mosquito net and get malaria, a mosquito-borne disease.

Or maybe it won’t even be a year old. After all, eight out of 100 children die before they celebrate their first birthday. In addition to poverty, hunger and disease, the country’s children are also affected by the civil war. Many families have to leave their homes and flee. Sometimes children are abducted and forced to pick up weapons. They are trained to be child soldiers.

A child from Central Africa usually has many siblings. On average there are four children in each family. The selection of playmates is therefore large outside of the family. But not all children get to play at all. Every third child between the ages of 5 and 14 works (30 percent).

Boys and girls who do child labor toil in fields, mines and on fishing boats. Others beg or live on the street.

Child soldiers in the Central African Republic

The Central African Republic is one of the countries where there are child soldiers. The rebel groups kidnap the children and force them to fight for them. Some children are also used as servants or spies. 10,000 children are said to be child soldiers in the Central African Republic. For more articles on Central African Republic and Africa, please visit softwareleverage.

Fortunately, many children were set free in 2015 and 2016. But they are not really doing well with that. They saw bad things and had to shoot people themselves. Many have nightmares and cannot simply go back to school. That is why these former child soldiers need a lot of attention and care.

Eating in Central African Republic

What to eat

Unfortunately, there is often far too little to eat in the Central African Republic. Because people are very poor. The most important staple food is cassava. Its roots can be boiled or made into flour. That can be stomped on to Fufu. The green leaves can also be cooked.

Other important foods are rice, millet, yams, peanuts and plantains. Vegetables are okra, onions, spinach, sweet potatoes and tomatoes.

Fish and meat

Fish is caught in the country’s rivers. Maboké and Soussou are dishes in which it is processed. Meat is expensive and is therefore not often on the table. Insects such as grasshoppers, cicadas or termites are sometimes used as substitutes. Goats and chickens are most commonly eaten, but game meat is also on the menu. However, hunting for this bushmeat also threatens animals with extinction. But you probably like Kanda too – these are meatballs in tomato sauce. Cook them up – you can find the recipe in the tip !

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