Oubangui-Chari, or Ubangi-Shari, was a French territory in central Africa which later became the independent Central African Republic

Central African Republic

The Central African Republic , is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It borders Chad in the north, Sudan in the north east, South Sudan in the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo in the south, and Cameroon in the west. The CAR covers a land area of about ,...

 (CAR). French activity in the area began in 1889 with the establishment of an outpost at Bangui

Bangui

-Law and government:Bangui is an autonomous commune of the Central African Republic. With an area of 67 km², it is by far the smallest high-level administrative division of the CAR in area but the highest in population...

, now the capital of CAR. The territory was named in 1894.

In 1903, French troops defeated the forces of Abbas II of Egypt

Abbas II of Egypt

HH Abbas II Hilmi Bey was the last Khedive of Egypt and Sudan .-Early life:...

, who had claimed the area. Following that victory, the French established a colonial administration.

The Oubangui-Chari territory was merged with the Chad

Chad

Chad , officially known as the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest, and Niger to the west...

 colony in 1906. In 1910, it became one of four territories of the Federation of French Equatorial Africa (with Chad, Middle Congo, and Gabon

Gabon

Gabon , officially the Gabonese Republic is a state in west central Africa sharing borders with Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, and with the Republic of the Congo curving around the east and south. The Gulf of Guinea, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean is to the west...

), initially with Chad as "Oubangi-Chari-Tchad", and made into an autonomous civilian colony in 1915. Chad was separated in 1920.

The territory became independent as the Central African Republic on August 13, 1960.

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

See also

• Postage stamps and postal history of Ubangi-Shari
  Postage stamps and postal history of Ubangi-Shari
  Ubangi-Shari, or Oubangui-Chari, was a French territory in central Africa which later became the independent country of the Central African Republic on August 13, 1960...
  
  
• Ubangi River
  Ubangi River
  The Ubangi River , also spelled Oubangui, is the largest right-bank tributary of the Congo River of Central Africa. It begins at the confluence of the Mbomou and Uele Rivers and flows west, then bends to the southwest and passes through Bangui, after which it flows south to the Congo at Liranga....
  
  
• Chari River
  Chari River
  The Chari or Shari River is a 949-kilometer-long river of central Africa. It flows from the Central African Republic through Chad into Lake Chad, following the Cameroon border from N'Djamena, where it joins the Logone River waters....
  
  
• List of French possessions and colonies
• French Equatorial Africa
  French Equatorial Africa
  French Equatorial Africa or the AEF was the federation of French colonial possessions in Middle Africa, extending northwards from the Congo River to the Sahara Desert.-History:...