Hundreds of unmapped villages have been discovered in a Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) rainforest, it has been revealed.
Those embarking on
gap year travel to the DRC could now have the opportunity to visit these unexplored pockets of culture, which were previously not recorded on maps or satellite images.
It is thought that the country's five-year war, which ended in 2003, prevented proper ordinance from being conducted in the thick forest areas.
According to Cath Long of the Rainforest Foundation, which is responsible for the latest effort to find unregistered villages, recognising their existence is essential to their preservation from logging contracts.
She told the BBC: "In one of the sectors of the territory that the groups are mapping at the moment, there are something like 190 villages but on the official map there are about 30."
The rainforest could also be home to rare and protected wildlife such as mountain gorillas.
DRC has adopted the growing ecotourism industry as one method of preserving such species from extinction in places like Virunga National Park.
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