Is there a more miserable country than the Central African Republic?

[dalej42]

One day I was the President of Haiti. Now, I’m in the Central African Republic! By far, Haiti is the poorest country in Western Hemisphere. However, is there a worse place to be than in the Central African Republic? This is the same place that declared themselves an empire a few years ago.

I guess many African countries fall into the extreme poverty, no resources, corrupt government. Still, as an ex-Head of State, I’d certainly wish for something better.

[Duck_Duck_Goose]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/2148544.stm

**The 27 least developed countries in the world are all African, with Sierra Leone ranking as the worst place to live, according to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). **

…or was the OP meant to be a rhetorical question?

[Wesley_Clark]

North Korea

[Ravenman]

I haven’t been to Haiti or the Central African Republic, but Laos is a downright miserable country.

Plus, it’s run by Commies.

[Evil_Captor]

I always thought Bangladesh had the “worst country ever” title. I dunno about corruption, but it’s basically a swamp with millions of people living in it. Every so often a hurricane or flooding kills a few hundred thousand of them. Yeesh.

[El_Kabong]

Well, haven’t been to the CAR, but Angola in the mid-'90s was certainly no walk in the park.

[syncrolecyne]

This reminds me of one of my favorite Dennis Miller quotes (before he ‘sold out’). I may be paraphrasing a little.

“Saying the United States is the best country in the world is like saying you are the valedictorian of your summer school class”.

[John_Mace]

Note to Tin-Pot, Banana Republic Heads of State: Your first duty upon assuming the office of president is to secure your “escape home” in the south of France. Otherwise you might find yourself in… The Central African Republic!

[Neidhart]

The CAR’s former dictator was a real piece of work even by Third World standards:

What sort of Emperor was Bokassa? Consider that, some time before the coronation, a number of his political prisoners were selected for “special treatment”: released from their cells and given proper food and exercise. Then, just before the coronation, they were slaughtered and butchered, and - in a scene that could have come straight out of a Thomas Harris novel - cooked into expensive dishes to be fed to those dignitaries who attended his coronation.

Then, in 1979, he decided that children in his country should have nice, smart uniforms to wear in school - uniforms that could, of course, be bought from his own clothing factory. But these uniforms were sold at a price not many parents could afford, so he made an example out of up to 200 schoolchildren whose parents chose not to buy the uniforms. The children were rounded up, put into prison and beaten to death, right in front of their loving Emperor, who also helped in their murders. It would later be revealed that he had saved some of their carcasses for food for both himself and his pet alligators.

[smiling_bandit]

I still think North Korea may be worse; it’s quite possible, even probably, that the amount of misery there has been wildly understated due to their efficacy in keeping out nosy journalists.