Democratic Republic of the Congo Overview

by countryaah · Published June 3, 2019 · Updated September 25, 2019

Country Profile

Know as the central African Gem, the Democratic Republic of Congo, named because of the Congo River and also referred to as the Congo (DRC), is situated in central western Africa, covering an area of 2,344,900 square kilometers. It has a population of about 53 million, with 254 different tribes. Residents are Catholic and French is the official language. The currency is the Congolese franc and Kinshasa is the capital.

Democratic Republic of the Congo National Flag

The national flag of the Democratic Republic of Congo is primarily blue, with six small yellow five-pointed stars, with a large yellow five-pointed star in the center.

History Summary

During the 13th and 14th centuries the country was part of the Kingdom of the Congo. From 1884 to 1885, it was designated as “private territorial possessions,” of the King of Belgium and “Congo Free State.” On June 30, 1960, independence was declared, and the country was named the Republic of the Congo, referred to as “Congo (Lee).” On November 24, 1965, the national army commander staged a coup to overthrow the president, Mobutu Kasavubu, with the intention of usurping the position himself. This saw the establishment of the Second Republic, which changed the country’s name to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In May 1966, the capital city was renamed Kinshasa, and the country was referred to as “Congo (DRC).” On October 27, 1971, the name was again changed, this time to the Republic of Zaire. April 1990 saw a multi-party system and the establishment of the Third Republic. On May 17, 1997, the country was again named the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Economy and Culture Overview

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is rich in natural resources, with a variety of non-ferrous and rare metals. The country possesses enormous reserves of uranium, cobalt, diamonds, manganese, and, with the cobalt and diamond production amongst the largest in the world. Apart from the country’s developed mining industry, the forest also provides rich hydropower resources. The Democratic Republic of the Congo has been referred to as a “world of raw materials warehouse,” “African gem,” and the “wonder of the world.” The main agricultural products are cassava, maize, oil palm, coffee, rubber, cotton, and sugar cane, with oil palm, coffee, and rubber production ranking highest in Africa.

The Buy Dingnai Family Tree Burial is a popular spot. People dig holes in a large trunk, put the body in the hole covered with bark engraved with name of the deceased. After a few years, the bark and tree trunk grows into a “tree coffin.”

Geography

Most of the area is located in the eastern Congo Basin, with both sides low-lying and sloping from southeast to northwest. The eastern highlands of the East Africa Rift Valley area contain more depressions, lakes, mountains, and volcanoes. Boyoma Waterfall is the world’s longest waterfall, Lake Kivu in Virunga National Park is a wildlife protected area, with the reputation of being “a microcosm of Africa.”

South of latitude 5°C tropical grassland climate, north of the tropical rainforest climate. High temperature and rainfall throughout the year, the annual average temperature 27°C. 1500 an annual rainfall of 2,000 mm.