Rich in natural resources such as diamonds, gold and oil, the Central African Republic gained independence from France in 1960 and has been currently undergoing an internationally supervised transition to be able to conduct presidential and parliamentary elections.
The country’s wildlife include forest elephants and western lowland gorillas, with a climate that is tropical. The nation is believed to have over 80 ethnic groups, each with its own language. The largest ethnic groups are the Baggara Arabs, Baka, Banda, Bayaka, and Fula. The two official languages are French and Sango and most of its population identifies as Christian.