Central African Republic–Republic of the Congo border
An unmarked line through the rainforest between the Sangha and Ubangi rivers, mostly along the watershed between the Lobaye and Ibenga. It began as a boundary between districts of the same French colony and was moved into place piece by piece between 1926 and the late 1940s.
Written from cited sourcesLast checked 30 September 2026Suggest a correction
See it on the globe:Central African Republic →Republic of the Congo →
Districts of Middle Congo
Both countries were part of French Equatorial Africa, formed in 1910 from Gabon, Middle Congo and Ubangi-Shari-Chad. In 1926 an arrêté moved the subdistricts of Ngoto and Mbaïki within Middle Congo, and the new district line followed the watershed between the Lobaye and Ibenga rivers, much as the border does today.[1]
In 1929 the district of Lobaye was carved out of Haute-Sangha, and in 1932 it was moved from Middle Congo to Ubangi-Shari, turning the district line into a colonial boundary. Letters between the Lobaye and Likouala administrations in 1941 and 1942 confirmed the watershed line. After the Second World War Haute-Sangha was also transferred to Ubangi-Shari, completing the present alignment.[1]
Watershed and forest
From the Cameroon tripoint on the Sangha the line runs about 48 miles north-east in a straight line, then follows the divide between the Sangha and Ubangi basins north, and the Ibenga–Lobaye divide east for about 175 miles. It ends along the Gouga river to the Ubangi. The Central African Republic became independent on 13 August 1960, and the Republic of the Congo two days later.[1]
Near the western end, the Dzanga-Ndoki park in the Central African Republic and Nouabalé-Ndoki in the Congo, together with Lobéké in Cameroon, make up the Sangha Trinational World Heritage site, about 750,000 hectares of largely untouched forest.[2]
Timeline
More borders
Central African Republic
Sources
- [1]International Boundary Study No. 145: Central African Republic – Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville) Boundary · US Department of State, Office of the Geographer · 17 July 1974
- [2]Sangha Trinational · UNESCO World Heritage Centre
Map geometry from Natural Earth via world-atlas. See credits.