7°N 20°E / 7°N 20°E / 7; 20 Ubangi-Shari (French: Oubangui-Chari) was a French colony in central Africa, a part of French Equatorial Africa.

Colony of Ubangi-Shari Oubangui-Chari (French)
1903–1960
Flag Coat of arms (1958–1960)
Anthem: "La Marseillaise"
Before 1916   After 1916   French Equatorial Africa   French possessions   French Republic
Status	Colony of France
Capital	Abiras (1903–1906) Possel (1906) Bangui (1906–1958)
Official language	French
Commonly spoken	Sango
Demonym(s)	Ubangi-Sharian
Commissioner General
• 1903	Charles Noufflard [fr]
• 1958–1960	Yvon Bourges
Prime Minister
• 1958–1959	Barthélemy Boganda
• 1959	Abel Goumba
• 1959–1960	David Dacko
Establishment
• Established	29 December 1903
• French Equatorial Africa	15 January 1910
• French colony	12 April 1916
• French Equatorial Africa	30 June 1934
• Overseas territory	31 December 1937
• Autonomy as CAR	1 December 1958
• Independence	13 August 1960
Currency	FEA franc CFA franc
Preceded by Succeeded by French Congo Central African Republic
Today part of	CAR

Part of a series on the
History of the Central African Republic
Early history Kanem Empire c. 700–1380 Trans-Saharan slave trade c. 1500–1600 Sultanate of Bagirmi 1522–1897 Wadai Empire 1635–1909
Colonial period French Equatorial Africa    French Congo 1882–1910    French Chad 1900–1960    Ubangi-Shari 1903–1958    French Cameroon 1918–1960 Decolonization    Kongo-Wara rebellion 1928–1931    Brazzaville Conference 1944–0000    African Democratic Rally 1946–1958
Independence Bokassa period 1966–1979    Bokassa coup d'état 1966–0000    Central African Empire 1976–1979       Coronation of Bokassa I 1977–0000          Emperor of Central Africa Operation Caban 1979–0000    Operation Barracuda 1979–1981 Kolingba coup d'état 1981–0000 Patassé coup attempt 1982–0000
Current period General election 1993–0000 Heightened tensions 1993–1998    Bangui Peace Accords 1997–0000    United Nations Mission 1998–0000 Bush War 2004–2007    Kolingba coup attempt 2001–0000    Bozizé coup d'état 2003–0000 Civil War 2012–0000    Conflict under Djotodia 2013–2014       Fall of Bangui 2013–0000
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It was named after the Ubangi and Chari rivers along which it was colonised. It was established on 29 December 1903, from the Upper Ubangi (Haut-Oubangui) and Upper Shari (Haut-Chari) territories of the French Congo; renamed the Central African Republic (CAR) on 1 December 1958; and received independence on 13 August 1960.^[1]

History

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

The Upper Ubangi was established as part of the French Congo on 9 December 1891. Despite a France-Congo Free State convention establishing a border around the 4th parallel, the area was contested from 1892 to 1895 with the Congo Free State, which claimed the region as its territory of Ubangi-Bomu (Oubangui-Bomou). The Upper Ubangi was a separate colony from 13 July 1894 until 10 December 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 5 September 1900.^[1] That same year the Company of the Upper Ubangi Sultanates took over 140,000 km² of Upper Ubangi as a concession.^[2]

The territories were united as the separate colony of Ubangi-Shari on 29 December 1903,^[1] following the French defeat of Abbas II of Egypt, who had claimed the area.^{[citation needed]} On 11 February 1906, this colony merged with the French settlements around Lake Chad and became the Ubangi-Shari territory of Ubangi-Shari-Chad (Oubangui-Chari-Tchad).^[1] In 1909, it received the administration over the sultanates of Zemio and Rafai from the Belgian Congo.^[3]

On 15 January 1910, this administration was merged with the French Middle Congo and Gabon as the Ubangi-Shari area of French Equatorial Africa (FEA). On 12 April 1916, it again became the separate colony of Ubangi-Shari, but in 1920 lost the territory around Lake Chad, and on 30 June 1934, was again folded into FEA. As a part of FEA, it was declared an overseas territory on 31 December 1937.^[1]

Between 1915 and 1931, stamps were overprinted for use in Ubangi-Shari, and later specially printed for the colony.

During World War II, it remained loyal to Vichy France from 16 June to 29 August 1940, before being taken by the Free French. It was granted autonomy as the Central African Republic on 1 December 1958, and independence under the same name on 13 August 1960.^[1]

Concession systems and atrocities

Ubangi-Shari had a similar concession system as the Congo Free State and similar atrocities were also committed there. Writer André Gide travelled to Ubangi-Shari and was told by inhabitants about atrocities including mutilations, dismemberments, executions, the burning of children, and villagers being forcefully bound to large beams and made to walk until dropping from exhaustion and thirst.^[4]

The book "Travels to Congo" by Gide, published in 1927 describes the horrors of the concession companies in French Equatorial Africa. The book had an important impact on the anti-colonialist movement in France.^[5] The number of victims under the French concession system in Ubangi-Shari and other parts of French Equatorial Africa remains unknown.