The Central African Republic is located in the heart of Equatorial Africa. It is a land-locked country with an extensive plateau with several hills in the northeast and southwest regions. The country is about the size of Texas, with a surface area of 622,984 square kilometers (240,470 square miles). The majority of the country's 3.7 million people live in the rural areas. The official language is French; other spoken languages include Songo, Arabic, and some Swahili. There is ethnic and religious diversity in the country with the Baya (34%), the Banda (27%), and the Mandja (21%) as the more dominant; religions include indigenous believers (35%), protestants (25%), Roman Catholics (25%), and Muslims (15%).

The varied geographical, ethnic and religious structure of the country impacts the social, economic, and political framework. Ethnic groups from the southern parts of the country tend to be better educated and play dominating roles in government and the military.

The...