Central African Republic

The Central African Republic lies entirely within Africa’s central tropical zone. Completely landlocked, it is bordered to the North by Chad, on the east by Sudan, on the south by Zaire and the Congo, and on the west by Cameroon. Geographically the land consists of an undulating plateau varying in altitude from 2,000 to 2,500 ft.

Gaining independence from France in 1958, the country soon became destabilised through the reign of the notorious Colonel Bokassa, and it remains in a poor state socially and economically.

Although the country, in theory, has the potential to be a major tourist destination, with pristine national parks, home to forest elephants, lions, leopards, rhinos and countless other animals (including the rare lowland gorilla), its poor infrastructure largely militates against this.