Bangui | |
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State | Bangui |
Country | Central African Republic |
Capital | |
Population | 0 |
Bangui (French pronunciation: [bɑ̃ɡi]) (or Bangî in Sango, formerly written Bangi in English) is the capital and largest city of the Central African Republic. As of 2012 it had an estimated population of 734,350. It was recognized as a French outpost in 1889 and named after its location on the northern bank of the Ubangi River (French: Oubangui); the Ubangi itself was appointed from the Bobangi word for the"rapids" situated beside the settlement, which marked the end of navigable water north from Brazzaville. The majority of the population of the Central African Republic lives in the western parts of the country, in Bangui and the surrounding region.
The city creates an autonomous commune (commune autonome) of the Central African Republic that's surrounded by the Ombella-M'Poko prefecture. Having an area of 67 square kilometres (26 sq mi), the commune is the smallest high-level administrative division in the nation, but the highest in terms of population.
Beirut | |
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State | Beirut Governorate |
Country | Lebanon |
Capital | |
Population | 1252000 |
Beirut ( bay-ROOT; Arabic: بيروت, romanized: Bayrūt; French: Beyrouth, pronounced [bɛʁut]) is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. As of 2007 it had an estimated population of slightly more than 1 million to 2.2 million as part of Greater Beirut, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region and the fifteenth-largest in the Arab world. On a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coast, Beirut is an important regional seaport.
It is one of the oldest cities in the world, having been inhabited for more than 5,000 years. The first historical mention of Beirut is found in the Amarna letters from the New Kingdom of Egypt, which date to the 15th century BC.