Central Africa is a core
region of the
African
continent often considered to include
Burundi, the
Central African Republic,
Chad,
Democratic Republic of the Congo, and
Rwanda.
Middle Africa (as used by the
United Nations when
categorising geographic subregions) is an analogous term that describes the portion of Africa south of the
Sahara Desert, east of
Western Africa, but west of the
Great Rift Valley.
The region is dominated by the
Congo River and its tributaries, which collectively drain a greater area than any river system except the
Amazon.
According to the UN, the nine countries of Middle Africa are
Angola,
Cameroon,
Central African Republic,
Chad,
Democratic Republic of the Congo,
Republic of the Congo,
Equatorial Guinea,
Gabon, and
São Tomé and Príncipe.
All of the states in the UN subregion of Middle Africa, plus those otherwise commonly reckoned in central Africa (11 states in total), comprise the
Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS).
The
Central African Federation (1953–1963), also called the
Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, was made up of what are now the nations of
Malawi,
Zambia, and
Zimbabwe. Similarly, the Anglican
Church of the Province of Central Africa covers dioceses in
Botswana, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe. These states are now typically regarded as parts of
Southern Africa or
Eastern Africa.
Climate
Much of Africa's Atlantic coast has a humid tropical climate. It is wet and warm all year. This climate supports a large, dense tropical rain forest. North and south of the Congo Basin are large areas with a tropical savanna climate. Those areas are warm all year, but have distinct dry and wet seasons. Only in the high eastern mountains is there highland climate. Dry steppe and even desert climates are found in the far south sometimes.
See also
