Kisangani, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is located along the Congo River in the northwestern part of the country. It is today the fifth most populous urban area in the country with an estimated population of around 1.3 million (compared to 340,000 to the first image in 1986). In these images, most of the region around Kisangani is a rich green colour, indicative of dense forest cover. However, directly around the city is a light green zone -evidence of deforestation and conversion of the land to other uses. As time passes by, the cleared area around the city has grown and become consolidated; it has also spread along the rivers and the roads. Much of the deforestation is attributed to the influx of refugees into the country. Even the denser parts of the forest, once thought to be impenetrable, show signs of deforestation.