CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

The former French colony of Ubangi-Shari became the Central African Republic (CAR) upon independence in 1960. But since independence the country has seen political instability, enduring several coups and a notorious period under a self-declared emperor, Jean-Bedel Bokassa. Though endowed with considerable agricultural, water and mineral resources, decades of instability have undermined the economy. Economic development has also been negatively impacted by the country’s poor infrastructure, limited transportation, and a largely unskilled workforce. Not surprisingly, CAR remains one of the world’s poorest and least developed countries.