French activity in the area began in 1889 with the establishment of the outpost
Bangi at the head of navigation on the
Ubangi. The Upper Ubangi was established as part of the
French Congo on 9 December 1891. Despite a France-Congo Free State convention establishing a border around the
4th parallel, the area was contested from 1892 to 1895 with the
Congo Free State, which claimed the region as its territory of Ubangi-Bomu (''''). The Upper Ubangi was a separate colony from 13 July 1894 until 10 December 1899, at which time it was folded back into the French Congo. The Upper Shari region was established as part of the French Congo on 5 September 1900. The
territories were united as the separate colony of Ubangi-Shari on 29 December 1903, On 15 January 1910, this administration was merged with
French Congo and
Gabon as the Ubangi-Shari area of
French Equatorial Africa (FEA). On 12 April 1916, it again became the separate colony of Ubangi-Shari, but in 1920 lost the territory around Lake Chad, and on 30 June 1934, was again folded into FEA. As a part of FEA, it was declared an
overseas territory on 31 December 1937. The book "Travels to Congo" by Gide, published in 1927 describes the horrors of the concession companies in French Equatorial Africa. The book had an important impact on the anti-colonialist movement in France. The number of victims under the French concession system in Ubangi-Shari and other parts of French Equatorial Africa remains unknown. ==See also==