_#_Coastline: none—landlocked

_#_Maritime claims: none—landlocked

_#_Climate: tropical; hot, dry winters; mild to hot, wet summers

_#_Terrain: vast, flat to rolling, monotonous plateau; scattered hills in northeast and southwest

_#_Natural resources: diamonds, uranium, timber, gold, oil

_#_Land use: arable land 3%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 5%; forest and woodland 64%; other 28%

_#_Environment: hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds affect northern areas; poaching has diminished reputation as one of last great wildlife refuges; desertification

_#_Note: landlocked; almost the precise center of Africa

_*People #_Population: 2,952,382 (July 1991), growth rate 2.6% (1991)

_#_Birth rate: 44 births/1,000 population (1991)