B@nguinet's news pages show the decree of 2004-10-01, defining electoral districts. It includes the names of all the sub-prefectures, with their populations according to the 2003 census. Comparing it to my previous list, I see that one new sub-prefecture, Bossemptélé, has been created in Ouham-Pendé prefecture. Judging by the map, it must have been split from Bozoum.

Name	HASC	Population
Abba	CF.NM.AB	17,974
Alindao	CF.BK.AL	52,527
Amada-Gaza	CF.HS.AG	13,664
Baboua	CF.NM.BB	41,861
Bakala	CF.UK.BK	6,901
Bakouma	CF.MB.BK	17,599
Bambari	CF.UK.BM	94,454
Bambio	CF.SE.BA	10,736
Bambouti	CF.HM.MB	436
Bamingui	CF.BB.BA	6,230
Bangassou	CF.MB.BN	51,882
Bangui	CF.BG.BG	531,763
Baoro	CF.NM.BR	28,164
Batangafo	CF.AC.BA	48,197
Bayanga	CF.SE.BY	9,183
Berbérati	CF.HS.BE	108,562
Bimbo	CF.MP.BI	182,926
Birao	CF.VK.BI	34,756
Boali	CF.MP.BL	22,165
Bocaranga	CF.OP.BC	61,190
Boda	CF.LB.BO	39,667
Boganangone	CF.LB.BG	24,322
Boganda	CF.LB.BD	11,697
Bogangolo	CF.MP.BG	6,675
Bossangoa	CF.AC.BS	95,360
Bossembélé	CF.MP.BS	28,848
Bossemptélé	CF.OP.BT	13,606
Bouar	CF.NM.BO	96,595
Bouca	CF.AC.BC	42,562
Bozoum	CF.OP.BU	40,931
Bria	CF.HK.BR	54,685
Carnot	CF.HS.CA	72,212
Damara	CF.MP.DA	25,074
Dédé-Mokouba	CF.HS.DM	15,809
Dékoa	CF.KG.DE	28,866
Djémah	CF.HM.DJ	1,671
Gadzi	CF.HS.GZ	44,394
Gambo	CF.MB.GA	16,503
Gamboula	CF.HS.GA	23,375
Grimari	CF.UK.GR	30,938
Ippy	CF.UK.IP	33,846
Kabo	CF.AC.KA	30,212
Kaga-Bandoro	CF.KB.KB	71,888
Kembé	CF.BK.KE	30,085
Kouango	CF.UK.KO	57,937
Koui	CF.OP.KI	21,947
Mala	CF.KG.MA	12,088
Markounda	CF.AC.MA	13,488
M'Baïki	CF.LB.MB	119,602
Mbrès	CF.KB.MB	15,453
Mingala	CF.BK.MI	22,686
Mobaye	CF.BK.MO	48,175
Mongoumba	CF.LB.MO	18,849
Nana-Bakassa	CF.AC.NK	34,208
Nanga-Boguila	CF.AC.NG	16,745
Ndélé	CF.BB.ND	32,207
Ndjoukou	CF.KG.ND	24,955
Ngaoundaye	CF.OP.NG	67,303
Nola	CF.SE.NO	69,952
Obo	CF.HM.OB	21,350
Ouadda	CF.HK.OU	11,068
Ouanda Djallé	CF.VK.OU	2,839
Ouango	CF.MB.OU	35,043
Paoua	CF.OP.PA	120,590
Rafaï	CF.MB.RA	11,713
Satema	CF.BK.SA	19,359
Sibut	CF.KG.SI	32,972
Sosso-Nakombo	CF.HS.SN	11,672
Yalinga	CF.HK.YA	3,761
Yaloké	CF.MP.YA	38,336
Zangba	CF.BK.ZA	31,060
Zémio	CF.HM.ZE	14,727
HASC: Hierarchical administrative subdivision codes. The middle two letters identify the prefecture. For key, see Prefectures of CAR page. Population: 2003-12-08 census

 

Note: The populations of the subprefectures in two prefectures don't add up to the correct totals. The six sub-prefectures of Basse-Kotto add up to 203,892, but the total population of Basse-Kotto is 203,887. The six sub-prefectures of Ombella-M'Poko add up to 304,024, but the total population of Ombella-M'Poko is 304,025.

Change history:

According to Morris Fisher's Provinces and Provincial Capitals of the World, 1967 edition, there were 36 sub-prefectures in the Central African Republic. However, I suspect that Mr. Fisher's list omits some sub-prefectures. It doesn't contain any sub-prefectures that might plausibly be in Birao or N'Dele prefectures (the equivalent of Birao, Ouanda-Djallé, Bamingui, and Ndele sub-prefectures on the list above), and it would make sense for Buar-Baboua prefecture to have at least two sub-prefectures named Buar and Baboua (Buar would correspond to Bouar above). Here is Mr. Fisher's list of sub-prefectures, with the prefectures to which they probably belong, using the form of their names given in his book. All sub-prefectures have the same names as their capitals.

Sub-pref.	Prefecture
Alindao	Basse-Kotto
Baboua	Buar-Baboua
Bakala	Ouaka
Bakouma	M'Bomou
Bambari	Ouaka
Bangassou	M'Bomou
Bassangoa	Ouham
Batangafo	Ouham
Berlarati	Haute-Sangha
Bimbo	Ombella-M'Poko
Bocaranga	Ouham-Pendé
Boda	Lobaye
Bossembélé	Ombella-M'Poko
Bouca	Ouham
Bozoum	Ouham-Pendé
Bria	Haute-Kotto
Carnot	Haute-Sangha
Damara	Ombella-M'Poko
Dekoa	Kémo-Gribingui
Fort-Crampel	Kémo-Gribingui
Fort-Sibut	Kémo-Gribingui
Grimari	Ouaka
Ippy	Ouaka
Kembé	Basse-Kotto
Kouango	Ouaka
M'Baiki	Lobaye
Mobaye	Basse-Kotto
Mongoumba	Lobaye
Nola	Haute-Sangha
Obo	Obo-Zemio
Ouadda	Haute-Kotto
Ouango	M'Bomou
Paoua	Ouham-Pendé
Rafai	M'Bomou
Yalinga	Haute-Kotto
Zemio	Obo-Zemio

 

The table below shows the 51 sub-prefectures of Central African Republic listed in Atlas de la République Centrafricaine, by Pierre Vennetier et al., Les Éditions Jeune Afrique, Paris, published in 1984. In addition, I have made the conjecture that since Bangui is now an autonomous commune, not part of any prefecture, it can be considered a sub-prefecture of its own. The third column shows the values of the official geographic code of the Central African Republic, as of 1972-09-29. Kabo and Mbrès sub-prefectures were created after that date; also, the name of Crampel sub-prefecture was changed to Kaga-Bandoro.

Name	HASC	CG
Alindao	CF.BK.AL	611
Baboua	CF.NM.BB	321
Bakala	CF.UK.BK	521
Bakouma	CF.MB.BK	631
Bambari	CF.UK.BM	522
Bambio	CF.SE.BA	211
Bamingui	CF.BB.BA	411
Bangassou	CF.MB.BN	632
Bangui	CF.BG.BG	111
Baoro	CF.NM.BR	322
Batangafo	CF.AC.BA	431
Berbérati	CF.HS.BE	311
Bimbo	CF.MP.BI	221
Birao	CF.VK.BI	531
Boali	CF.MP.BL	222
Bocaranga	CF.OP.BC	331
Boda	CF.LB.BO	212
Bossangoa	CF.AC.BS	433
Bossembélé	CF.MP.BS	223
Bouar	CF.NM.BO	323
Bouca	CF.AC.BC	432
Bozoum	CF.OP.BZ	332
Bria	CF.HK.BR	511
Carnot	CF.HS.CA	312
Damara	CF.MP.DA	224
Dékoa	CF.KG.DE	422
Djémah	CF.HM.DJ	622
Gamboula	CF.HS.GA	313
Grimari	CF.UK.GR	523
Ippy	CF.UK.IP	524
Kabo	CF.AC.KA
Kaga-Bandoro	CF.KB.KB	421
Kembé	CF.BK.KE	612
Kouango	CF.UK.KO	525
Markounda	CF.AC.MA	434
M'Baïki	CF.LB.MB	213
M'Boki	CF.HM.MB	623
Mbrès	CF.KB.MB
Mingala	CF.BK.MI	613
Mobaye	CF.BK.MO	614
Mongoumba	CF.LB.MO	214
N'Délé	CF.BB.ND	412
Nola	CF.SE.NO	314
Obo	CF.HM.OB	621
Ouadda	CF.HK.OU	512
Ouanda-Djallé	CF.VK.OU	532
Ouango	CF.MB.OU	633
Paoua	CF.OP.PA	333
Rafaï	CF.MB.RA	634
Sibut	CF.KG.SI	423
Yalinga	CF.HK.YA	513
Zémio	CF.HM.ZE	624

 

A map formerly shown on the Africa Data Dissemination Service website had data collected between 1992 and 1996. It differed from the map in the Atlas cited above. If the ADDS borders are complete, the simplest explanation for the differences is that the following changes occurred between 1984 and ~1994:

1. Mboki merged with Obo.
2. Kabo merged with Batangafo.
3. Baoro merged with Bouar.
4. Part of Berberati transferred to Gamboula.

The most current list of sub-prefectures implies that the three mergers above either never happened, or were rescinded. Instead, the name of Mboki sub-prefecture was changed to Bambouti, and 19 new sub-prefectures were created.

~2003: Bossemptélé sub-prefecture split from Bozoum.