Central Africa & its Tropical Rain Forest

Geography

% tree cover derived from the MODIS satellite imagery

Today, the majority of the tropical rain forests remained in Africa is located within the Congo Basin. Stretched across six countries on both sides of the Equator, there is little elevation relief within the forested region. Along the coast, the Atlantic Ocean supplies the moisture required for the development of the rain forests. Further inland, the forests are supported by watersheds of the Congo River and its numerous tributaries. The Congo River is the second longest river in Africa (4380 km or 2720 mi, after the Nile) and the largest river in terms of water volume.

Environment

The vegetation in the Congo Basin is dominated by mixed species evergreen and deciduous upland forests, but it also encompasses a vast area of swamps and marshes. Unique from other tropical forested regions in the world, the Congo Basin also supports a large concentration of large mammals, including forest elephants, gorillas, chimpanzees, and various species of large cats. In addition to its timber and wildlife, the Basin is also rich in mineral deposits, including diamond, coltan, and petroleum (off-shore).

Location map & topographic relief of Central Africa

Log yard

Forest degradation

Historic Land Use & Current Environmental Threats

People have been living in the forest domain of Central Africa for thousands of years. Traditional land-use practices include hunting-gathering, small-scale shifting agriculture, fishing, and trapping. Large-scale commercial exploitation of forest resources have begun during the colonial period in the 1880s and lasted till the present day. Today, the tropical rain forest of Central Africa is threatened by timber extraction, mining, agricultural expansion, and, last but not the least, civil unrests and armed conflicts. Poaching of endangered species and inadequately controlled hunting of other wildlife, often resulted from the above activities, also upset the balance of this fragile ecosystem. 

People & Culture

Central Africa is highly diverse in its people, language, and culture.  The population in Central Africa is predominately Bantu, a language family comprised of many tribal groups and languages. The most widely spoken Bantu languages are Kiswahili (a.k.a. Swahili) and Lingala, which serve as the lingua franca in a region of more than 300 languages. As a result of the colonial rule by Belgium and France from the 1880s to the 1960s, French is also the official language in all Central African countries (plus English in Cameroon and Spanish in Equatorial Guinea).

Africa population density

Population density is highly variable in the modern day Central Africa; it ranges from more than 500 people to less than 1 person per sq-km. The majority of the population is concentrated in urban areas: For example, roughly half of the people in Gabon lives in its capital city of Libreville. In terms of religion, most people from the forested region are Catholic animists while those from the savanna are Muslims.

To learn more about the history, people, and  culture of Central Africa, below are a few recommended readings:

• The Scramble for Africa: White Man's Conquest of the Dark Continent from 1876 to 1912 by Thomas Pakenham
• King Leopold's Ghost by Adam Hochschild
• The Poisonwood Bible, a novel by Barbara Kingsglover
• Facing the Congo: a Modern-Day Journey into the Heart of Darkness by Jeffrey Taylor
• By the Grace of God: A True Story of Love, Family, War and Survival from the Congo by Suruba Ibumando Goergette Wechsler et al.

Political Situation

Most of the Central African countries gained their independence from colonial rules only recently, in the early 1960's. Moreover, most of the countries were defined arbitrarily, primarily as a relic of colonial territories and not based on any ethnic or cultural coherence. What followed are years of civil wars, dictatorship or, at the best, weak democracy. Because of the political instability, there is frequent policy change and a high turn-over rate of upper level governmental personnel. Corruption is also prevalent in the society. Consequently, there is a serious lack of governance and institutional capacity in managing natural resources and protecting the environment.

The following online resources provide current events and news of the region: Integrated Regional Information Network and ReliefWeb of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and Pambazuka News.

Economy

Although Central Africa is rich in natural resources, corruption and political instability complicate its economic development and modernization. The economy is dominated by extractive industry, but, instead of allocated towards nation building, the majority of the profit is often pocketed by various governmental officials. There is limited foreign investments from the private sector, and most investments are short-term in nature. Central African nations also rely heavily on foreign aid; however, structural adjustments have not always been positive.

Human Health

As with other parts of Africa, Central Africa has been plagued by HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, typhoid, cholera, ebola, and many other infectious diseases. Malnutrition and lack of adequate health care are also serious problems. The average life expectancy is 55 for males and 58 for females.

©Woods Hole Research Center, 2007