Central Africa
In the late 1800s, the various tribal kingdoms of central Africa were colonised by France, Belgium, Portugal and Spain. Now, in this post-colonial era, the European influence is apparent across the cultures and languages of all the central African regions (Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Congo-Kinshasa, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and São Tomé and Príncipe). Central Africa is dominated by the Congo River’s great rain forest basin. North and south of the Congo Basin lay tropical savanna with a climate that, though warm all year, has definite dry and wet seasons. Where central Africa meets the Atlantic coast, the wet, warm, humid climate lasts all year, supporting large, dense tropical rain forest. However, in the mountainous areas on the eastern side of central Africa, there is a relatively cooler highland climate.