View source for Ubangi-Shari

{{coord|7|3=N|4=20|6=E|display=title}}
{{Short description|1903–1960 French colony in Central Africa}}
{{Infobox former country
| conventional_long_name = Ubangi-Shari
| native_name            = {{native name|fr|Oubangui-Chari}}
| common_name            = Ubangi-Shari
| empire                 = France
| status                 = Colony of France
| life_span              = 1903–1960
| image_flag             = Flag of France.svg
| national_anthem        = "[[La Marseillaise]]"<br>{{center|[[File:La Marseillaise (1907).oga]]}}
| image_map              = ubangi-shari map.png
| image_map_caption      = <div style="padding:0 5em; text-align:left;">
                          {{ubl|{{legend|#30632a|Before 1916}}
  |{{legend|#539c4f|After 1916}}
  |{{legend|#cdfc71|[[French Equatorial Africa]]}}
  |{{legend|#666666|[[French colonial empire|French possessions]]}}
  |{{legend|#303030|[[French Third Republic|French Republic]]}}}}</div>
| capital                = {{ubl|{{nowr|[[Abiras]] (1903–1906)}}
  |{{nowr|[[Fort de Possel|Possel]] (1906)}}
  |{{nowr|[[Bangui]] (1906–1958)}}}}
| languages_type         = {{nowr|Official language}}
| languages              = [[French language|French]]
| languages2_sub         = yes
| languages2_type        = {{nowr|Commonly spoken}}
| languages2             = [[Sango language|Sango]]
| established_event1     = {{nowr|Established}}
| established_event2     = {{nowr|[[French Equatorial Africa]]}}
| established_event3     = {{nowr|[[French colonial empire|French colony]]}}
| established_event4     = {{nowr|[[French Equatorial Africa]]}}
| established_event5     = {{nowr|[[Overseas territory (France)|Overseas territory]]}}
| established_event6     = {{nowr|[[Territorial autonomy|Autonomy]] as [[Central African Republic|CAR]]}}
| established_event7     = {{nowr|[[Central African Republic|Independence]]}}
| established_date1      = 29 December 1903
| established_date2      = 15 January 1910
| established_date3      = 12 April 1916
| established_date4      = 30 June 1934
| established_date5      = 31 December 1937
| established_date6      = 1 December 1958
| established_date7      = 13 August 1960
| currency               = {{ubl|{{nowr|[[French Equatorial African franc|FEA franc]]}}
  |{{nowr|[[Central African CFA franc|CFA franc]]}}}}
| today                  = [[Central African Republic|CAR]]
| demonym                = Ubangi-Sharian
| title_leader           = [[List of governors-general of French Equatorial Africa|Commissioner General]]
| leader1                = {{ill|Charles Noufflard|fr}}
| leader2                = [[Yvon Bourges]]
| year_leader1           = 1903
| year_leader2           = 1958–1960
| title_representative   = [[List of heads of government of the Central African Republic|Prime Minister]]
| representative1        = [[Barthélemy Boganda]]
| year_representative1   = 1958–1959
| representative2        = [[Abel Goumba]]
| year_representative2   = 1959
| representative3        = [[David Dacko]]
| year_representative3   = 1959–1960
| area_km2               = 
| area_rank              = 
| GDP_PPP                = 
| GDP_PPP_year           = 
| HDI                    = 
| HDI_year               = 
| p1                     = French Congo
| s1                     = Central African Republic
| image_coat             = Coat of arms of the Central African Republic (1958-1963).svg
| symbol_type            = Coat of arms<br> (1958–1960)
| alt_coat               = Coat of arms<br> (1958–1960)
}}

'''Ubangi-Shari''' ({{langx|fr|Oubangui-Chari}}) was a [[French colonial empire|French colony]] in central Africa, a part of [[French Equatorial Africa]]. It was named after the [[Ubangi River|Ubangi]] and [[Chari River|Chari]] [[Rivers of the Central African Republic|rivers]] along which it was colonised.

Established on 29 December 1903 from the Upper Ubangi (''{{lang|fr|Haut-Oubangui}}'') and Upper Shari (''{{lang|fr|Haut-Chari}}'') territories of the [[French Congo]], it was renamed the [[Central African Republic]] (CAR) on 1 December 1958, and gained independence on 13 August 1960.<ref name=WSM>''World Statesmen''. "[http://www.worldstatesmen.org/Central_African_Republic.html Central African Republic] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200513190426/http://www.worldstatesmen.org/Central_African_Republic.html |date=2020-05-13 }}." Accessed 29&nbsp;Mar 2014.</ref>

==History==
{{History of the Central African Republic|expanded=colonial}}
[[Third French Republic|French]] activity in the area began in 1889 with the establishment of the outpost [[Bangui|Bangi]] at the head of navigation on the [[Ubangi River|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 [[4 degrees North|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 (''{{lang|fr|Oubangui-Bomou}}''). The Upper Ubangi was a separate colony from 13 July 1894<nowiki/> 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.<ref name=WSM/> That same year the [[Company of the Upper Ubangi Sultanates]] took over 140,000&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> of Upper Ubangi as a [[Concession (contract)|concession]].<ref name=HDCAR>Richard Bradshaw and Juan Fandos-Rius, ''Historical Dictionary of the Central African Republic'' (Scarecrow Press, 2016), p. 176.</ref>

The [[territories]] were united as the separate colony of Ubangi-Shari on 29 December 1903,<ref name=WSM/> following the French defeat of [[Abbas II of Egypt]], who had claimed the area.{{citation needed|date=February 2010}} On 11 February 1906, this colony merged with the French settlements around [[Lake Chad]] and became the Ubangi-Shari territory of '''Ubangi-Shari-Chad''' (''{{lang|fr|Oubangui-Chari-Tchad}}'').<ref name=WSM/> In [[1909]], it received the administration over the [[sultanates]] of [[Zemio]] and [[Rafai]] from the [[Belgian Congo]].<ref>''World History at KMLA''. "[http://www.zum.de/whkmla/region/centrafrica/xcar.html Central African Republic] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200203151012/http://www.zum.de/whkmla/region/centrafrica/xcar.html |date=2020-02-03 }}". Accessed 29&nbsp;Mar 2014.</ref> 

On 15 January 1910, this administration was merged with [[French 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 [[French overseas territory|overseas territory]] on 31 December 1937.<ref name=WSM/>

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.<ref name=WSM/>

=== Concession systems and atrocities ===
Ubangi-Shari had a similar concession system as the Congo Free State and similar atrocities were also committed there. French author and Nobel laureate [[André Gide]] travelled to Ubangi-Shari and was told by inhabitants about atrocities including [[Mutilation|mutilations]], [[Dismemberment|dismemberments]], [[executions]], the burning of children, and villagers being forcibly bound to large beams and made to walk until dropping from exhaustion and thirst.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Nossiter |first=Adam |date=2014-01-10 |title=Colonial Ghosts Continue to Haunt France |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/08/world/africa/colonial-ghosts-continue-to-haunt-france.html |access-date=2023-01-31 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=2023-02-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230214074432/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/08/world/africa/colonial-ghosts-continue-to-haunt-france.html |url-status=live }}</ref> 

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.<ref> Voyage au Congo suivi du Retour du Tchad Archived 16 March 2007 at the Wayback Machine, in Lire, July–August 1995 (in French)</ref> The number of victims under the French concession system in Ubangi-Shari and other parts of French Equatorial Africa remains unknown.

==See also==
[[File:Oubangui-Chari. Portions navigables des cours d'eau - btv1b84589943.jpg|thumb|left|Rivers and [[navigable waterways]] of Ubangi-Shari, 1931]]
[[File:Soldiers of the Forces Françaises Libres near Bangui.jpg|thumb|left|Soldiers of the [[Forces Françaises Libres]] near Bangui, 1940]]
* [[Postage stamps and postal history of Ubangi-Shari]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.schudak.de/timelines/ubangi-shari1870-1960.html 1870&ndash;1960 timeline]
* [http://www.worldstatesmen.org/Central_African_Republic.html 1891&ndash;1960 timeline] at ''World Statesmen''

{{Central African Republic topics}}
{{Former French colonies in Africa and the Indian Ocean |collapsed}}
{{French Resistance}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Ubangi-Shari| ]]
[[Category:1903 establishments in French Equatorial Africa]]
[[Category:1958 disestablishments in French Equatorial Africa]]
[[Category:Chari River]]
[[Category:Central African Republic–France relations]]
[[Category:Former colonies in Africa]]
[[Category:Former French colonies]]
[[Category:French colonisation in Africa]]
[[Category:French Equatorial Africa]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 1903]]
[[Category:States and territories disestablished in 1958]]