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Theme
Region

Central Africa

Also Known As Middle Africa
Africa

Central Africa, called Middle Africa in the United Nations geoscheme, is the subregion of the African continent comprising Angola, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, the Republic of the Congo and Sao Tome and Principe. The Congo River and its basin, and the rainforest it drains, have shaped the region's settlement and economy since long before the modern states existed; farming, herding and fishing remain the main livelihoods across much of it. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Facts
Disputed
Area (sq km)
6,611,667 1
Compiled by summing the nine UN geoscheme Central Africa member countries' individual areas listed in the source's own country table (Angola, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and six more); narrower Central African definitions exclude some of these members.
Population
189,268,366 1
Compiled the same way from the source's own 2021 per-country population table for the nine UN geoscheme members.
Classification
Region Type
Cultural Region 1
Region Type
Cultural Region 1
Connections

Associated With

Cameroon, Countries
Chad, Countries

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is one of the nine states the UN Middle Africa definition names.

Source Central Africa (Wikipedia)
Gabon, Countries
Source United Nations M49 Standard Country or Area Codes for Statistical Use (Geoscheme)

The Congo Basin and its rainforest are the region's defining ecological feature.

Source Central Africa (Wikipedia)

The Congo River is the region's central watercourse and historic transport artery.

Source Central Africa (Wikipedia)
Sources
1. Central Africa (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundation
  • Definition and geography section
    The Congo River basin has historically been ecologically significant to the populations of Central Africa.
  • Definition section, alias (UN geoscheme name)
    The United Nations geoscheme identifies it as Middle Africa.
  • Definition section, on-continent edge
    Central Africa is a subregion of the African continent comprising various countries according to different definitions.
  • Demographics section, country table
    Due to common historical processes and widespread demographic movements between the countries of Central Africa before the Bantu Migration into much of southern Central Africa, the cultures of the region evidence many similarities and interrelationships.
  • Introduction
    Central Africa (French: Afrique centrale; Spanish: África central; Portuguese: África Central) is a subregion of the African continent comprising various countries according to different definitions.
View the Source
United Nations M49 Standard Country or Area Codes for Statistical Use (Geoscheme)
United Nations Statistics DivisionAssociated With: Sub-Saharan Africa, Africa regional structure
Quote, Associated With: Sub-Saharan Africa, Africa regional structure
Sub-Saharan Africa (202): Eastern Africa (014), Middle Africa (017), Southern Africa (018), Western Africa (011)
View the Source
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