Bouar is a market town in the western Central African Republic, lying on the main road from Bangui (437 km) to the frontier with Cameroon (210 km). The city is the capital of Nana-Mambéré prefecture, has a population of 40,353, while the whole sous-préfecture has a population of 96,595. Bouar lies on a plateau almost 1000m above sea level and is known as the site of Camp Leclerc, a French military base.