I travel in and out of Africa about once a month on business, hitting about 15 countries on average each year. I can tell you from experience that it is VERY dangerous to be seen using a GPS near Military installations, railroads, shipping, and anything the locals consider of strategic value. This generally means about everything. You should be extremely circumspect when using the GPS. You may have it confiscated, or you may end up in a cell somewhere with arabic graffiti on the walls. Not good.
Your best bet is to make sure you contact your local embassy in the country, and ask their communications personnel about local sensitivities to GPS. You could always ask the Regional Security Officer (RSO) also, but be forewarned that they often err on the side of safety, have a poor understanding of much tech, and could very well say not without a moment's hesitatin to avoid having to retrieve you from your cell when you are snagged.
Best bet; use it for quick position fixes, then put it away. It is also not safe to display an item that costs more than most locals make in a month of hard labor.
Good luck!
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Oh, wait. That's the BBC.
Never mind.
I travel in and out of Africa about once a month on business, hitting about 15 countries on average each year. I can tell you from experience that it is VERY dangerous to be seen using a GPS near Military installations, railroads, shipping, and anything the locals consider of strategic value. This generally means about everything. You should be extremely circumspect when using the GPS. You may have it confiscated, or you may end up in a cell somewhere with arabic graffiti on the walls. Not good. Your best bet is to make sure you contact your local embassy in the country, and ask their communications personnel about local sensitivities to GPS. You could always ask the Regional Security Officer (RSO) also, but be forewarned that they often err on the side of safety, have a poor understanding of much tech, and could very well say not without a moment's hesitatin to avoid having to retrieve you from your cell when you are snagged. Best bet; use it for quick position fixes, then put it away. It is also not safe to display an item that costs more than most locals make in a month of hard labor. Good luck!