
Location of Bouar in the Central African Republic
'Bouar' is a
market town in the western
Central African Republic, lying on the main road from
Bangui (437km) to the frontier with
Cameroon (210km). The city has a population of 40,353, while the whole sous-préfecture has a population of 96,595 (
2003 census) and is the capital of
Nana-Mambéré prefecture. Bouar lies on a
plateau almost 1000m above
sea level and is known as the site of the
Camp Leclerc French military base. Bouar was ceded by France to
Germany under the terms of the 1911
Morocco-Congo Treaty, becoming part of the German colony of
Neukamerun until it was reconquered by the French during
World War I. About seventy groups of
megaliths lie in the area of the town and to its north and east.