Central African Republic Emigration and Immigration

Online Sources

 * 1891-1918France National Overseas Archives, Oubangui-Chari'''

Finding the Town of Origin in Central African Republic
If you are using emigration/immigration records to find the name of your ancestors' town in Central African Republic, see Central African Republic Finding Town of Origin for additional research strategies.

Central African Republic Emigration and Immigration
"Emigration" means moving out of a country. "Immigration" means moving into a country. Emigration and immigration sources list the names of people leaving (emigrating) or arriving (immigrating) in the country. These sources may be passenger lists, permissions to emigrate, or records of passports issued. The information in these records may include the emigrants’ names, ages, occupations, destinations, and places of origin or birthplaces. Sometimes they also show family groups.

Immigration into Central African Republic

 * During the 16th and 17th centuries slave traders began to raid the region as part of the expansion of the Saharan and Nile River slave routes. Their captives were enslaved and shipped to the Mediterranean coast, Europe, Arabia, the Western Hemisphere, or to the slave ports and factories along the West and North Africa or South along the Ubanqui and Congo rivers.
 * In the mid 19th century, the Bobangi people became major slave traders and sold their captives to the Americas using the Ubangi river to reach the coast.
 * The European invasion of Central African territory began in the late 19th century during the "Scramble for Africa". Europeans, primarily the French, Germans, and Belgians, arrived in the area in 1885.
 * Between 1890, a year after the French first arrived, and 1940, the population declined by half due to diseases, famine and exploitation by private companies.
 * There are many missionary groups operating in the country. While these missionaries are predominantly from the United States, France, Italy, and Spain, many are also from Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and other African countries. Large numbers of missionaries left the country when fighting broke out between rebel and government forces in 2002–3, but many of them have now returned to continue their work.

Emigration From Central African Republic

 * Stock of emigrants:728,216
 * Stock of emigrants as pct of population:16 percent
 * Top destination countries: Cameroon, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, France, Sudan, South Sudan, Kenya, United States, Mali