ocr: The Congo (lmown locally as the Zaire) and its many tributaries provide the main means of communication. Zaire's size and the fact that most ofitis covered by dense rainforest have severely limitedt the development ofroad and rail networks. Many forest settlements are inaccessible except by air. Road maintenance, always poor, has virtually ceased outside the main towns since 1990,isolating even more settlements away from the main rivers.
