But despite this tourist potential and the CAR's agricultural, water and mineral resources, it is one of the least-developed countries on the continent.

OVERVIEW

The CAR has been unstable since independence from France in 1960. There have been several coups and a notorious period under a self-declared emperor, Jean-Bedel Bokassa.

The Bokassa era ended in 1979, when he was overthrown in a coup led by David Dacko and backed by French commandos based in the country.

After just two years in office Mr Dacko was toppled by Andre Kolingba, who eventually allowed multi-party presidential elections and was duly rejected in the first round.

Mr Kolingba's successor, Ange-Felix Patasse, had to contend with serious unrest which culminated in riots and looting in 1997 by unpaid soldiers.

When in that year the French pulled out, there were fears of a power vacuum, so Paris financed a group of French-speaking African countries to create a peacekeeping force. That force was then transformed into the UN Mission to the Central African Republic, or Minurca.

In 1999 Mr Patasse beat nine other candidates to become president again, but there were allegations of electoral fraud. He was overthrown in a coup in 2003 and went into exile in Togo.

Armed groups are active in the volatile north and have prompted the flight of thousands of Central Africans into neighbouring Chad.

FACTS

• Population: 3.9 million (UN, 2005)
• Capital: Bangui
• Area: 622,984 sq km (240,535 sq miles)
• Major languages: French, Sangho (lingua franca)
• Major religions: Christianity, Islam, indigenous beliefs
• Life expectancy: 38 years (men), 40 years (women) (UN)
• Monetary unit: 1 CFA (Communaute Financiere Africaine) franc = 100 centimes
• Main exports: Diamonds, timber, cotton, coffee, tobacco
• GNI per capita: US $260 (World Bank, 2005)
• Internet domain: .cf
• International dialling code: +236

LEADERS

President: Francois Bozize

Former coup leader Francois Bozize took more than 64% of the vote in the second round of presidential elections in May 2005, ending two years of military rule. His rival was Martin Ziguele, a former prime minister.

Francois Bozize first took power in a 2003 coup

The newly-elected president called for national unity. He had pledged in his campaign to bring security to the coup-prone country.

In 2003 Mr Bozize ousted the unpopular Ange-Felix Patasse - who was out of the country at the time - and declared himself president. He promised to return the CAR to democratic rule and ran as an independent in the 2005 poll.

Mr Bozize is no stranger to politics, or to coups. He stood for president in the republic's first democratic elections in 1993, but lost to Mr Patasse.

General Bozize led an unsuccessful coup in 1983 against military ruler Andre Kolingba. He was suspected of being involved in a coup attempt against President Patasse in 2001, which was thwarted with the help of Libyan troops.