Central African Republic

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A landlocked country in central Africa that became independent from France in 1960

proper noun

: República Centroafricana

The capital city of the Central African Republic is Bangui.

Examples

Although Kony certainly spread chaos throughout Uganda in past years, he has since left and is thought to be hiding in the Central African Republic.

Blog text (26)
The Central African Republic became independent from France in 1960.
Tourists can explore the stunning wildlife of the Central African Republic.

Surface Forms

Central African Republic main

Morphology

central + African + republic

The name is fully compositional: 'central' (in the middle) + 'African' (of Africa) + 'republic' (a state governed by representatives) yields 'a republic located in central Africa.' This follows common geographic naming conventions found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words can infer the meaning.

Etymology

Central African Republic is a literal name: Central means in the middle of Africa, African shows the continent, and Republic means a 'country' with elected leaders. So the name simply tells you it is the 'country' in central Africa that governs itself.