Geography

The Central African Republic is a large landlocked country with a land area of 622,980 km2 and an estimated population of almost 3.7m. The capital is Bangui. It is almost the precise centre of Africa and borders Cameroon, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of the Congo and Sudan.

The rainy season lasts six months in the south of the country from May to October, diminishing progressively to four months from June to September as you head north. The temperature can climb to 40°C in the north between February and May and the humidity can be oppressive.

The terrain is a vast, flat to rolling plateau which forms the watershed between the Congo and the Chari river systems. About 8% of the country is rainforest lying in the south-east and extreme south-west. The official language is French with Sangho and tribal languages spoken. More details can be found at CIA Factbook.