The Central African Republic lies north of Zaire on an undulating plateau between the Chad and Congo basins, drained by numerous rivers.
Rainforest is confined to the south west.
The rest of the country is savannah. The country has a total land area of 622,980 sq km. The climate is tropical, with hot and dry winters, and mild to hot wet summers. The terrain is a vast flat to rolling plateau, with scattered hills in the north east and south west. The population has an estimated life expectancy of 68 years.