To properly understand the conflict in the Central African Republic that has effectively raged since its independence from France in 1960, it helps to understand that it is really only a country as defined by its borders with its neighbouring states rather than anything intrinsically 'Central African Republic.'

Many of the images on our Central African Republic profile pages understandably reflect the ongoing conflict and its impact on the people who live there. This video montage, however, takes a moment to step back, and view the country of the Central African Republic without such images.

This is probably one of the few opportunities you will get to explore the Central African Republic's countryside as its too dangerous for most visitors to even venture out of the country's cities. Armed rebels regularly carry out attacks in the north and more recently the Lord's Resistance Army has started to operate a wave of terror against an already traumatised population.

The Central African Republic itself is about the size of Texas and borders Cameroon, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Republic of Congo and Sudan and is located almost precisely in the centre of Africa.

The country has three main rivers, the Ubangi (also spelled Oubangui) in the south and the Chari and Logone rivers in the north and in general the Central African Republic consists of an undulating plateau ranging in altitude from 2,000–2,500 ft with a high granite plateau in the north-west forming part of the Adamawa Plateau of Cameroon and in the north east the Bongos mountain range which extends into Sudan.