Central African Republic:
In 1960, this landlocked African country gained its independence from France. Since then, the road to democracy has been bumpy. Political mutinies and coups have been rife, and at present, it's difficult to get into CAR and to travel around the countryside. Because of the very real threat of armed robbery and road banditry, land routes into the country are closed. You can only get into CAR by flying into Bangui, the capital. Then if you want to travel outside of the city, you still risk nasty encounters with those armed bandits. The U.N. troops stationed in CAR left February '99, making things less stable. Elections in September were peaceful, however.
If you make it past the bandits, you can visit the national parks and go on safari to check out the elephant situation. In 1987, hunting elephants was banned; it remains to be seen how effective this ban has been against poachers. Presumably, if the bandits will hunt humans on the road, they'll hunt elephants in the bush. Most of the people live in the rainforested south of CAR. The north is arid savanna, and the far north is in the Sahel.
This page last updated September 22, 1999.