Central Africa is a region of Africa that includes Chad, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, Sao Tome and Principe, and Angola. South Sudan has also been included in the region since its independence in 2011, but it is not recognized as such by the African Union or any nongovernmental organizations. The region is mostly rainforest, although Chad is a part of the Sahara desert region.