Bangui's city setting

Assignment:

1. Briefly describe your city’s setting (environment) and its most notable features. 

2. Compare the different Google Earth "views" of your city (satellite, hybrid, roadmap, terrain, physical, street map).  Compare 2 different neighborhoods using Google Earth satellite. How does your city appear in 1675 and 1770 maps (AfricaMap). Where does your city lie in Malaria distribution? Explore your city using the AfricaMap Gazetteer - Features layer. List some of the features included for your city in this layer.

3. Locate and mark (using Google Earth) the main city center and avenues/ streets coming into it. Include screen shots of your results.

4. Discuss your city using 5 different layers of AfricaMap. Provide screen shots in your overview.

Bangui, the capital of The Central African Republic is located north of the Ubangi River on the southwest border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Bangui located above the southwest border of Central African Republic 
and The Democratic Republic of the Congo

The city center is located in the southeast just above the river. It is home to the presidential palace, formerly known as the Bokassa Palace, and the central market square. From there, major roads such as Avenue de L'Independance and Avenue de France head north and northwest to the Bangui University and the Bangui M'Poko International Airport. RN 6, another major road, goes west and southwest and connects to other countries.

Roadmap of Bangui showing major roads

Satellite view of Bangui with lush green rainforest on the east

Bangui’s geographical location, just north of the equator, makes it warm, green and lush. Terrain view of Bangui show that most of the inhabited area is flat but surrounded by hills.

 

Terrain view of Bangui highlighting elevation to the east

An interesting aspect of Bangui is that it is home to one of earth's largest crustal anomalies named the Bangui Magnetic Anomaly. Not much is known about it but the anomaly, a local variation in the earth's magnetic field, covers most of the Central African Republic.

Magnetic intensity. The Bangui Anomaly is the red in central Africa.

                              

The physical infrastructure of the city seems more robust on the eastern part of the city compared to the rest of the city. This can be seen both on the streetmap and the Esri world imagery above. All major roadways extend from the city center. The built-form and structures on the eastern coast of the city are also more distinguishable. The image below on the right shows smaller, more recognizable land parcels, and larger boulevards and passageways in the city center. Parcels are larger and denser in Castors, shown on the left, with fewer clear passage ways. Parks and public squares are also visible in the city center which creates a more comprehensive landscape.