I- GENERAL INFORMATION ON THE REPUBLIC OF CONGO A/- Physical features Straddling the Equator, 60% of Congo is covered by dense forest. The country is 342,000 sq. kms in area with a population of some 3,500,000 inhabitants. Situated in Central Africa, Congo covers a 1,200 km stretch from the North to the South and is bordered to the North by the Central African Republic and Cameroun, to the South, by Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo, to the South-East by the Atlantic Ocean, to the East by the Congo River and its tributary the Oubangui, and to the West by Gabon. Congo has three main types of features: - Plains in the Niara Valley, the coastal plain and the Congolese Basin ; Mountain areas whose altitude ranges between 800 and 1000m The most representative are the Mayombe Range, the Chaillu Highlands and Mount NABEMBA, the peak ; Plateau areas including the Batékés Plateau. 1. Climate Due to its geographic position (4th degree latitude North and 5th degree latitude South), the whole of the Republic of Congo is in the hot and humid zone, with average temperatures estimated at 25 degrees and heavy and regular rains. There are three types of climates in Congo: the equatorial climate to the North, the tropical humid climate to the South and the so-called transitional subequatorial climate in the Plateau area. 2. Vegetation Due to the diverse climatic conditions Congo has a wide range of vegetation. The dense forest grows on the dry land, especially in Mayombe, Chaillu, and the North Western Plateaus. Generally it is a primary forest, with an extraordinary range of species such as Okoumé, Terminalia Superba, Mahogany, Sappelli and Iroko. The dense floodplain forest is mainly in the Congolese Basin ; the gallery forest mainly borders the waterways especially in the middle of the Savannah, whereas mangroves thrive in the salty waters of the Atlantic in the Kouilou ; the savannah extends from the edge of the dense forest to the North on the maritime seaboard, interspersed by the Mayombe and Chaillu Forest. These natural assets explain the presence of a particularly rich and varied fauna which makes Congo a first class tourist destination. 6