Terrain

The Central African Republic is in the north of the Congo Basin. Most of the country is situated on a plateau that is about 600 m above sea level. Whilst dense tropical forests cover the south, the climate becomes drier towards the north: savannah vegetation dominates until it turns into the Sahel Desert.

The Bongo Massif near the border with Sudan rises to 1,330 m and the Yadé Massif along the border with Cameroon includes Mount Ngaoui which is the country's highest peak at 1,420 m. Two large rivers flow through the Central African Republic, the Shari in the north and the Ubangi River (a tributary of the Congo) in the south.

Climate

Temperatures are higher in the north than in the south, reaching 40°C between February and May. This period can also be very humid. However, the rainy reason only lasts four months in the north (from June to September) whereas it lasts six months in the south (from May to October).

Fauna/Flora

The Central African Republic is known for its population of forest elephants, which are slightly smaller and have straighter tusks than other African elephants. 10% of the country has been turned into natural reserves, such as the Bamingui-Bangoran National Park in the north-east, St Floris National Park, Dzanga-Ndoki Park and the Dzanga-Sangha Reserve in the south.

History/Politics

By 1600, slavery was quite common and villages were continually raided by Arab conquerors from Chad and Sudan, and via the coast by European slavers. Whole villages in the north were deserted, and their inhabitants were sold at slave markets in Cairo until the 19th century. The Central African Republic is therefore one of the most sparsely populated countries in Africa. The French annexed the area in the 1880s, declared it a protectorate in 1894 and the colony became part of the Federation of French Equatorial Africa in 1910.

Its economic development was however controlled by Europe, which led to the exploitation of black Africans, who revolted against their oppressors in 1920. However, resistance faded in the late 1920s as a result of famine and a smallpox epidemic, and was later suppressed by French troops.

During the Second World War, cotton and diamond exports reached record levels, which made the colony into a favourite location for people in search of riches. In 1949 Barthelemy Boganda founded the first political party, the Movement for the Social Evolution of Black Africa (MESAN), which fought for the country's independence. Boganda died in a plane crash in 1959, the cause of which is still unknown. His successor, David Dacko, was elected the country's first president but was overthrown in 1965 by Jean-Bédel Bokassa, the army's commander in chief. Bokassa crowned himself emperor Bokassa I in 1977.

Corruption and political repression led to a civil uprising in 1979 and Bokassa was forced to flee the country. The country became a republic again in 1979, but corruption continued. This led in September 1981 to another military coup, led by General Kolingba who suspended the constitution and the Military Committee for National Reconstruction assumed power.

A new constitution establishing a one-party system was adopted in 1986. However, Kolingba was forced to introduce a multiparty system in 1992. The country's first free elections were held in 1992, but the results of the elections were declared invalid. A transitional government was formed in May 1993 and Ange-Félix Patessé was elected president two months later.

Over the years that followed, Patessé had to confront a series of internal armed conflicts, which was why the United Nations sent a peace mission to the country in 1998. Conflicts between the government and the opposition continued until the leader of the opposition Francois Bozizé launched a military coup in 2003 and became president. In 2004 an information campaign was launched to prepare the population for the free elections that took place in 2005. Francois Bozizé was elected president in those elections.

Economy

More than 70% of the Central African Republic's population are employed in agriculture and forestry. Timber accounts for about 16% of exports and the diamond industry for 54%. Economic development is mainly hindered by the country's inadequate road network, its unskilled workforce, the legacy of the misguided economic policies of different dictatorships and by the fact that the country is landlocked.

The 100% devaluation of the currencies of 14 Francophone African nations in 1994 had various effects on the Central African Republic's economy. Diamond, timber, coffee and cotton exports increased, leading to a rise of approximately 7% in the gross domestic product in 1994 and nearly 5% in 1995. However, the economic success failed when social unrest broke out the following year. Political instability in the years that followed remained the main cause of country's poor economy. In 2003, the inflation rate was 4.2% and the unemployment rate was 8%.

Culture

Music is very important in the Central African Republic. Each ethnic group has developed its own musical style and plays its own typical instruments. Different drum rhythms are played according to the occasion. The log xylophone is one of the most common instruments. It consists of two long banana tree trunks that are struck with sticks. The tiny sanza or thumb piano consists of a soundbox of wood with bamboo or metal keys played with the thumbs. The pygmies, who live in the tropical forests, have their own music and instruments, which can be heard on traditional occasions.