Ubangi-Shari

Ubangi-Shari (French: Oubangui-Chari) was a French colony in central Africa, named after the Ubangi and Chari rivers along which it was colonised. It was established on December 29, 1903, from the Upper Ubangi (Haut-Oubangui) and Upper Shari (Haut-Chari) territories of the French Congo; renamed the Central African Republic (CAR) on December 1, 1958; and received independence on August 13, 1960.

History

French activity in the area began in 1889 with the establishment of the outpost Bangi (now Bangui) at the head of navigation on the Ubangi.

The Upper Ubangi was established as part of the French Congo on December 9, 1891. Despite a Franco-Belgian convention establishing a border around the 4th parallel, the area was contested from 1892 to 1895 with the Belgian Congo, which claimed the region as its territory of Ubangi-Bomu (Oubangui-Bomou). The Upper Ubangi was a separate colony from July 13, 1894, until December 10, 1899, at which time it was folded back into the French Congo. The Upper Shari region was established as part of the French Congo on September 5, 1900.