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Bocaranga

Bocaranga
Bocaranga is located in Central African Republic
Bocaranga
Bocaranga
Coordinates: 6°59′3.95″N 15°38′26.99″E / 6.9844306°N 15.6408306°E / 6.9844306; 15.6408306
CountryCentral African Republic
PrefectureOuham-Pendé
Government
 • Sub-PrefectCrépin Bonaventure Kassamou Kongovoulou[1]
 • MayorAimé Césaire Kodomon[2]
Elevation
1,072 m (3,517 ft)
Population
 (2003)
 • Total
61,190

Bocaranga is a sub-prefecture in the prefecture of Ouham-Pendé in the Central African Republic. The city must not be confused with Bocaranga I, Bocaranga II, Bocaranga III and Bocaranga IV. These are smaller villages along the road from Bocaranga to Bouar.

History

Anti-balalaka fighters occupying school in Bocaranga, May 2017

The village of Bocaranga was ceded to German Kamerun on 4 November 1911. It went back to French Oubangi-Chari rule in 1914. In 1946 it became a district and on January 23, 1961 it became a sous-préfecture within the newly independent Central African Republic.[3]

Civil war

On 23 September 2017 Bocaranga was captured by 3R rebels from Anti-balaka.[4] It was recaptured by government forces on 7 January 2019.[5]

Geography and climate

The city is located in the highlands of the northwest part of the country. It is surrounded by granite hills and rocks. Northwest of the city is Mount Bocaranga (1309 m), which is one of the highest points in the country.

Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as tropical wet and dry (Aw).[6]

Climate data for Bocaranga
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 30.4
(86.7)
32.2
(90.0)
32
(90)
30.3
(86.5)
28.9
(84.0)
27.2
(81.0)
26
(79)
25.9
(78.6)
26.5
(79.7)
28
(82)
30.2
(86.4)
30.8
(87.4)
29.0
(84.3)
Daily mean °C (°F) 22.4
(72.3)
24.2
(75.6)
25.3
(77.5)
24.6
(76.3)
23.7
(74.7)
22.4
(72.3)
21.7
(71.1)
21.6
(70.9)
21.7
(71.1)
22.4
(72.3)
22.8
(73.0)
22.5
(72.5)
22.9
(73.3)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 14.4
(57.9)
16.2
(61.2)
18.6
(65.5)
19
(66)
18.5
(65.3)
17.7
(63.9)
17.5
(63.5)
17.3
(63.1)
17
(63)
16.9
(62.4)
15.5
(59.9)
14.2
(57.6)
16.9
(62.4)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 1
(0.0)
5
(0.2)
32
(1.3)
85
(3.3)
134
(5.3)
172
(6.8)
257
(10.1)
295
(11.6)
246
(9.7)
139
(5.5)
14
(0.6)
1
(0.0)
1,381
(54.4)
Source: Climate-Data.org, altitude: 1067m[6]

Transport

There is an airstrip outside town, Bocaranga Airport. The roads leading to Bocaranga are unpaved.

Notes and references