| Prefectures and the commune of the Central African Republic Préfectures et la commune de la République centrafricaine (French) | |
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| Category | Unitary state |
| Location | Central African Republic |
| Number | 20 Prefectures |
| Populations | (Prefectures only): 43,229 (Bamingui-Bangoran) – 430,506 (Ouham-Pendé) |
| Areas | (Prefectures only): 17,210 km2 (6,643 sq mi) (Kémo) – 86,700 km2 (33,460 sq mi) (Haute-Kotto) |
| Government |
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| Subdivisions | |
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 Central African Republic portal |
Since 10 December 2020, The Central African Republic is administratively divided into 20 prefectures (French: préfectures, Sango: kodoro kômanda-kôta) and the capital city of Bangui, which is an autonomous commune (French: commune autonome, Sango: kôta-gbata).[1]
Each prefecture is governed by a local assembly called General Council (Conseil Général), presided by a Prefect (Préfet). The prefectures are further subdivided into 71 sub-prefectures.
Prefectures are all named after major rivers passing through their areas:
- Ubangi, Nana, Mambéré, Kadeï, Lobaye, M'Poko, Ombella, Sangha, Kémo, Ouaka, Kotto, and Mbomou all flow into the Congo River.
- Pendé, Ouham, Gribingui, Bamingui, Bangoran, and Vakaga all flow into the Chari River, and then into Lake Chad.
(Basse ("Lower") means downstream, and Haut or Haute ("Upper") means upstream.)
| No. | Prefecture | ISO code | Capital | Population (2021 estimate) [2] |
Area (km2) |
Density (km2in 2021) | Zone | Sub-prefectures | Communes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Bangui | CF-BGF | Bangui | 1,425,276 | 3,260 | 437 | South | 10 | 10 |
| 2. | Mbomou | CF-MB | Bangassou | 257,803 | 61,150 | 4.3 | South-East | 5 | 10 |
| 3. | Basse-Kotto | CF-BK | Mobaye | 380,172 | 17,604 | 22.5 | East | 6 | 15 |
| 4. | Kémo | CF-KG | Sibut | 183,742 | 17,204 | 11.1 | Centre | 4 | 8 |
| 5. | Nana-Mambéré | CF-NM | Bouar | 341,796 | 26,600 | 12.6 | West | 4 | 16 |
| 6. | Ouham | CF-AC | Bossangoa | 297,904 | 50,250 | 14.7 | Centre | 7 | 20 |
| 7. | Sangha-Mbaéré | CF-SE | Nola | 138,770 | 19,412 | 7.5 | West | 3 | 5 |
| 8. | Lobaye | CF-LB | Mbaïki | 345,108 | 19,235 | 18.6 | South | 5 | 12 |
| 9. | Ombella-M'Poko | CF-MP | Boali | 269,809 | 31,835 | 9.4 | South | 6 | 8 |
| 10. | Ouham-Pendé | CF-OP | Bozoum | 243,315 | 32,100 | 13.1 | West | 6 | 23 |
| 11. | Haut-Mbomou | CF-HM | Obo | 52,314 | 55,530 | 0.9 | South-East | 4 | 5 |
| 12. | Ouaka | CF-UK | Bambari | 446,354 | 49,900 | 9.0 | East | 5 | 16 |
| 13. | Haute-Kotto | CF-HK | Bria | 128,342 | 86,650 | 1.5 | East | 3 | 6 |
| 14. | Bamingui-Bangoran | CF-BB | Ndélé | 82,108 | 58,200 | 1.4 | Centre | 2 | 3 |
| 15. | Vakaga | CF-VK | Birao | 83,188 | 46,500 | 1.8 | East | 2 | 3 |
| 16. | Nana-Grébizi | CF-KB | Kaga Bandoro | 208,821 | 19,996 | 10.6 | Centre | 2 | 6 |
| 17. | Mambéré-Kadéï | CF-HS | Berbérati | 273,166 | 30,203 | 19.9 | West | 7 | 12 |
| 18. | Mambéré | n/a | Carnot | 265,479 | 15,740 | 16.9 | West | 4 | 5 |
| 19. | Lim-Pendé | n/a | Paoua | 442,151 | 13,210 | 33.5 | West | 5 | 14 |
| 20. | Ouham-Fafa | n/a | Batangafo | 225,479 | 32,530 | 6.9 | North | 4 | 11 |
- ^ Oubangui Médias, Oubangui Médias (11 December 2020). "La Centrafrique dispose désormais de 20 préfectures et de 84 sous-préfectures". oubanguimedias.com. Oubangi Medias. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
- ^ "Central African Republic: Administrative Division (Prefectures and Sub-Prefectures - Population Statistics, Charts and Map". citypopulation.de. Retrieved 3 November 2023.