The majority of the population of the Central African Republic lives in the western parts of the country, in Bangui and the surrounding area.

The National Assembly, government buildings, banks, foreign enterprises and embassies, hospitals, hotels, main markets and the Ngaragba Central Prison are all located here.

Archaeological studies in and around Bangui have yielded at least 26 ancient Iron Age sites that contain many metallurgical tools and objects, illuminating the pre-European history of the city and surrounding area.

[4] The archaeological sites were added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List on 11 April 2006 in the Cultural category.

[4] The site closest to Bangui is Pendere-Sengue, 800 metres (2,600 ft) from Independence Avenue, where archaeologists and conservation agencies have carried out studies.

[6] The initial capitals of these areas were at les Abiras and Fort de Possel further upstream, but the rapids at Bangui blocked them from direct communication along the river and caused the settlement there to grow in importance until, in 1906, it was chosen as the new headquarters for the French administration.

[8] He established the national airline Air Centrafrique the following year and ordered the construction of two new luxury hotels in Bangui.

With tensions mounting between Bangui and Paris as a result of Bokassa's uncontrollable expenditures, western banks refused to lend him any more money.

[8] Relations with the French worsened still further in April 1974, when the body of Brigette Miroux was discovered in a hotel room in Bangui.

[8] As a result, Bokassa banned import of French newspapers and assumed control of the Agence France-Presse office in Bangui.

[12] Under pressure from a donor group called GIBAFOR (France, USA, Japan, Germany, EU, World Bank and the UN) Kolingba made moves to restore a degree of democracy in the country in 1991 with a multiparty government.

[12] In May 1996, about 200 soldiers of the Central African Republic mutinied in Bangui, demanding salary increases and the abdication of Ange-Félix Patassé.

The Patassé government, the opposition parties, and religious groups signed the Bangui Agreements in January 1997 which were a series of measures designed to reconcile competing political factions, reform and strengthen the economy.

[15] On 25 October 2002, several towns in the country and later Bangui itself were attacked by the forces of General François Bozizé, backed with international support.

[16] Bozizé refused to accept an arrest warrant and "defected with about a hundred troops, engaged in street battles in the northern neighborhoods of Bangui (traditionally supporting Patassé)" and went north.

Patassé, who was returning from Niger after attending a conference, was not permitted to land in Bangui and he took asylum in Togo, and Bozizé seized power and suspended the constitution.

France and the US refused to support the president and neighbouring countries reinforced the Central African Multinational Force (Fomac).

[23] Bangui, close to the country's southern border, lies on the northern banks of the Ubangi River just below a series of rapids that limit major commercial shipping upriver.

[25] Close to the river, the city centre features a large arch dedicated to Bokassa as well as the presidential palace and the central market.

[37] After the war, the employment of local people in mainstream administration led to the development of the country's infrastructure, which increased trade while slowing the national movement for independence.

[38] This occurred when the monopoly of the French concessionary companies was ended with a law allowing local citizens to dig for diamonds.

But by the end of his five-year tenure, rampant corruption and financial indiscipline had resulted in workers being left unpaid and civil unrest ensued.

[38] Concurrently, Bangui also became the key centre for social and cultural activity in the region, when new institutions were established in the city.

However, political turmoil in the country, rampant corruption, and the dictatorial rule of President Bokassa centred in the city, brought in economic recession in the 1970s exacerbated by a fall in international prices for its major exports.

[46] The cuisine of CAR is referred to as Centrafrican and the staple diet in Bangui includes cassava, rice, squash, pumpkins and plantains served with a sauce and grilled meat.

Handicrafts include woven mats and baskets, wooden utensils of simple design, carved stools, pottery, musical instruments, tanned skins, and wood products.

Innovative designs include butterfly wings stuck with gum on paper, and ebony and hardwood carvings of wood from the tropical region.

[42] Bokassa, during his tenure as president, established a music recording studio in Bangui and employed musicians to sing his praise with songs extolling his qualities as an emperor and to develop his cult image among his people.

Bangui hosted the FIBA Africa Championship 1974, where the Central African Republic's national basketball team won one of its two continental titles.

Modern healthcare facilities exist in Bangui (unlike the rest of the country) but are poor, providing only minimal care.