Ange-Felix Patassé
President

(pronounced "AN-je FEE-liks pa-TASS-a")

"Today I am president of all Central African men and women without exception… Let us…reconstruct the Central African Republic, our dear and beautiful country which is in an unprecedented state of ruin."

The Central African Republic (CAR), which was known as the Central African Empire between 1976 and 1979, is a landlocked nation located in the geographic center of the African continent. It shares a northern border with Chad and a southern border with both the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Its western and eastern frontiers are shared with Cameroon and Sudan respectively. The total area of the CAR is 622,984 sq km (240,534 sq mi). The south-central and western portions of the country contain the bulk of the population while the east-central and northeast portions...