Ubangi
/uːˈbæŋɡi/noun
A major river in Central Africa, formed by the Uele and Mbomou rivers and flowing into the Congo River.
Did you know?Ubangi is also known by the French form Oubangui, and the name was used in the colonial title Ubangi-Shari, a former territory of French Equatorial Africa.
Etymological Timeline
Precolonial period
Local African languages
Ubangi
“An indigenous river name; its precise original meaning is not securely established in surviving linguistic sources.”
19th Century
French
Oubangui
“French colonial spelling of the river’s name.”
1880s–1900s
French
Oubangui
“Name used in European geographical and colonial records for the river and surrounding region.”
1903–1958
French
Oubangui-Chari
“Colonial territory named for the Ubangi and Chari rivers.”
Modern English
English
Ubangi
“The standard English form for the Central African river and the surrounding historical region.”
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