Abiras (french: les Abiras) is a former settlement that was located on the northern bank of the

Ubangi River The Ubangi River (), also spelled Oubangui, is the largest right-bank tributary of the Congo River in the region of Central Africa. It begins at the confluence of the Mbomou (mean annual discharge 1,350 m3/s) and Uele Rivers (mean annual discharge ...

at its source, the confluence of the

Mbomou :''Mbomou'' can also refer to the Mbomou River The Mbomou River or Bomu (also spelled M'bomou in French) forms part of the boundary between the Central African Republic (CAR) and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The Mbomou merges wit ...

and Welle rivers. It was located opposite from the Congolese city of Yakoma in the area of the present-day

Central African Republic The Central African Republic (CAR; ; , RCA; , or , ) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to the north, Sudan to the northeast, South Sudan to the southeast, the DR Congo to the south, the Republic of th ...

. It was not until 1882 or ’83 that the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

explorer

Wilhelm Junker Wilhelm Junker ( rus, Василий Васильевич Юнкер; 6 April 184013 February 1892) was a Russian explorer of Africa. Dr. Junker was of German descent. Born in Moscow, he studied medicine at Dorpat (now called University of Tart ...

established that the Welle flowed into the Mbomou; the

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

agent Alphonse Vangele established the Yakoma post in 1890. The Frenchman Gaston Gaillard then received a grant from the Yakoma leader Inkesse on the north bankKalck, Pierre and trans. by Xavier-Samuel Kalck
''Historical Dictionary of the Central African Republic'', 3rd ed., p. 81: "Gaillard, Gaston"
Scarecrow Press ( Lanham), 2005. Accessed 30 Mar 2014. and established Abiras on September 7, 1891. During the initial French settlement of central Africa, Abiras served as the capital of the

French Congo The French Congo (french: Congo français) or Middle Congo (french: Moyen-Congo) was a French colony which at one time comprised the present-day area of the Republic of the Congo and parts of Gabon, and the Central African Republic. In 1910, i ...

's territory of Upper Ubangi (') and then as the first capital of the colony of

Ubangi-Shari Ubangi-Shari (french: Oubangui-Chari) was a French colony in central Africa, a part of French Equatorial Africa. It was named after the Ubangi and Chari rivers along which it was colonised. It was established on 29 December 1903, from the U ...

('). It was replaced in 1906 first by Fort de Possel and then by Bangi, the present-day

Bangui Bangui () (or Bangî in Sango, formerly written Bangi in English) is the capital and largest city of the Central African Republic. It was established as a French outpost in 1889 and named after its location on the northern bank of the Ubangi ...

. Coordinates are based on aerial photographs; a statement that in 1894, "a large French expedition had massed at Abiras (junction of the Wellé and Mbomu Rivers)"; and a statement "Elsewhere we learn that Abiras, at the mouth of the Mbomu...". There are a number of villages in the area in the present day, such as

André André — sometimes transliterated as Andre — is the French and Portuguese form of the name Andrew, and is now also used in the English-speaking world. It used in France, Quebec, Canada and other French-speaking countries. It is a variation o ...

References

Former populated places in the Central African Republic {{CentralAfricanRepublic-geo-stub