West African crocodile 2011–2015. Despite the long history of confusion, genetic testing has revealed that the two are not particularly close. The closest relatives of the Nile crocodile are the "Crocodylus" species from the Americas, while the West African crocodile is basal to the clade of Nile and American crocodiles. The West African crocodile inhabits much of West and Central Africa, ranging east to South Sudan and Uganda, and south to Democratic Republic of the Congo (in all three countries it may come into contact with Nile crocodiles). Other countries where found include Mauritania, Benin, Liberia, Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, Chad, Central African Republic,
Coat of arms of the Central African Republic map of Africa symbolizes the position of the Central African Republic. The hand (bottom right quarter) was the symbol of the dominant MESAN party in 1963 when the arms were adopted. The bottom left quarter holds three diamonds, which symbolize the mineral resources of the country. The medal under the shield is the honorific decoration of the Order of Central African Merit. An earlier version of the coat of arms had the words "1er DECEMBRE 1958" written within the sun. Coat of arms of the Central African Republic The coat of arms of the Central African Republic consists of a