Africa, the second largest of Earth’s seven continents, covers 23 percent of the world’s total land area and contains 13 percent of the world’s population. Africa straddles the equator and most of its area lies within the tropics. It is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the west, the Indian Ocean and Red Sea on the east, and the Mediterranean Sea on the north. In the northeastern corner of the continent, Africa is connected with Asia by the Sinai Peninsula.
Central African Republic
As the name dictates, the Central African Republic (CAR) lies in Central Africa entirely within the 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. The southern border follows the bed of the Ubangi River; the eastern border coincides with the divide between the watersheds of the Nile and the Zaire Rivers.
CAR has possibly the most pristine national park in the whole of Africa, where pygmies guide you through forest that's the domain of elephants and rare lowland gorillas. Dense rainforests explode in riots of colourful butterflies, and out on the plains you can spot elephants, lions, leopards, rhinos and a host of other animals you won't see outside of a zoo at home. The towns and cities have bustling markets, palm and banana wine for sale by the side of the roads, green hills and giraffes close by.
Unfortunately, the CAR has succumbed to decades of political chaos, lawlessness and poverty. In the cities, muggings, petty theft and police extortion are commonplace. The countryside has become so lawless that the government recently closed all its land borders to foreigners.
The Republic of South Africa
South Africa is the only country in Africa which can delight its visitors with everything from snow-blanketed Alpine mountain ranges, ancient deserts teeming with fascinating wildlife and incredible succulents, sub-tropical rainforests, castles and forts, and world-renowned conservation areas all linked with excellent highways and first-rate communications systems.
For the first-time traveller to Africa, South Africa is not a bad place to start: the infrastructure is constantly improving, the climate is kind and there are few better places to see Africa's wildlife. But if you want to understand the country, you'll have to deal with the full spectrum. Poverty still exists alongside riches, the AIDS pandemic is devastating and violence remains a problem. It's necessary to take some precautions: keep money and valuables out of sight; take care when using local public transport and around railway stations; and note that car hijackings and armed robbery are risks in parts of the country.
Côte d’Ivorie
The Republic of the Ivory Coast, on the south coast of the western bulge of Africa, is bordered to the north by Mali and Burkina Faso, to the east by Ghana, to the south the Gulf of Guinea of the Atlantic Ocean and to the west by Liberia and Guinea.
The population of Côte d’Ivoire is diverse, comprising more than 60 ethnic groups. The principal groups include the Akan-speaking peoples of the southeast, the Kru of the southwest, the Voltaic groups of the northeast, and the Mandinka (also known as Mandingo or Malinke) and southern Mande peoples found in the northwest. A significant Lebanese community also exists.
In February, the Fêtes des Masques (Festival of Masks) takes place in scattered villages in the Man region. Not to be missed is mid-April's Fête du Dipri, held in Gomon, when the entire village vigorously exorcises their homes of evil spells. A peaceful time to go is the cool, dry period from November to February, though shutterbugs will get much better photos in the rainy season from May to October. The tourist season tends to be from December to March and, to a lesser extent, the months of November and April.
