Bossangoa, city in the western Central African Republic, capital of Ouham prefecture, 303 km (189 mi) north of the country's capital, Bangui. The Ouham River passes through Bossangoa and on through a number of waterfalls east of the city before turning north to join the Chari River in Chad. Cotton and coffee are the principal cash crops grown around the city. On an important road between Bangui and the Chadian border, Bossangoa has a market and a small airfield. The Mandjia, the third most populous ethnic group in the Central African Republic, are concentrated in Bossangoa.
Along with the Baya, a closely related group, the Mandjia are important historically for their resistance to invasion by various Muslim powers to the north. From 1901 to 1905 Bossangoa and the surrounding area was in rebellion against French colonial authorities. Bossangoa became a center of Protestant missionary activity during the 1920s. In June 1980 the city was the scene of clashes between police and farmers over government food policies. The next year French troops were called in to suppress rioting in the aftermath of elections. Population (1988) 31,502.
