Democratic Republic of the Congo
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| Quick Facts | |
| Capital | Kinshasa |
| Government | dictatorship; presumably undergoing a transition to representative government |
| Currency | Congolese franc (CDF) |
| Area | total: 2,345,410 sq km water: 77,810 sq km land: 2,267,600 sq km |
| Population | 55,225,478 |
| Language | French (official), Lingala (a lingua franca trade language), Kingwana (a dialect of Kiswahili or Swahili), Kikongo, Tshiluba |
| Religion | Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant 20%, Kimbanguist 10%, Muslim 10%, other syncretic sects and indigenous beliefs 10% |
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (Republique Democratique du Congo) (Abbreviated:DROC) is a country in Central Africa. It straddles the Equator and is surrounded by Angola to the southwest, (Angola's discontiguous Cabinda Province lies to the west and north of a very narrow strip of land that controls the lower Congo River and is only outlet to South Atlantic Ocean), Republic of the Congo to the northwest, Central African Republic to the north, Sudan to the northeast, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and Tanzania in the east from north to south, and Zambia to the southeast.
The country has formerly been known as Congo Free State, Belgian Congo, Congo or Zaire. The country is also known as Congo-Kinshasa to distinguish it from its northern neighbor, the Republic of Congo (Congo-Brazzaville).
Regions
There are 10 provinces:
- Bandundu
- Bas-Congo
- Equateur
- Kasai-Occidental
- Kasai-Oriental
- Katanga
- Maniema
- Nord-Kivu
- Orientale
- Sud-Kivu
Cities
- Kinshasa - Capital
Ports and harbors
Other destinations
Understand
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly known as Zaire) has had a tumultuous recent history. Congolese politics have been dominated by the civil war in neighbouring Rwanda, with the influx of refugees from that conflict adding to the factional disputes following Mobutu's overthrow. Active civil war has been taking place on Congolese territory since approximately 1998. Joseph Kabila has established a government of national unity, however bitter divisions still exist nationwide.
History
Mobutu Sese Seko was president from 24 November 1965 until forced into exile on 16 May 1997 when his government was overthrown militarily by Laurent Kabila. Kabila immediately assumed governing authority, but his regime was subsequently challenged by a Rwanda- and Uganda-backed rebellion in August 1998. Troops from Zimbabwe, Angola, Namibia, Chad, and Sudan intervened to support the Kinshasa regime. A cease-fire was signed on 10 July 1999 by the DROC, Zimbabwe, Angola, Uganda, Namibia, Rwanda, and Congolese armed rebel groups, but sporadic fighting continued.
Kabila was assassinated in January 2001 and was succeeded by his son Joseph Kabila. In October 2002, the new president was successful in getting occupying Rwandan forces to withdraw from eastern Congo; two months later, an agreement was signed by all remaining warring parties to end the fighting and set up a government of national unity.
Get in
by plane
- From Europe: Air France and SN Brussels have 8 flight a week.
Local airline will transport you inland mainly with russian planes.
By train
By car
By bus
By boat
Passenger and VIP ferries operate daily between Brazzaville and Kinshasa roughly every two hours between 8am and 3pm. Prices for the ferries are: 15 US$ for the passenger and US$20 for the VIP ferry. The VIP ferry is recommended as these are brand new boats and not cramped. A valid visa for both countries is required in either direction. The bureaucracy at either end require some time. Entry and exit procedures in Brazzaville are "easy" and straight forward and people are very helpful in assisting to get through without troubles. In contrast, these procedures are a bit difficult in Kinshasa and depend much on whether you are an individual traveller or assisted by an organisation or an official government representative. There are also speed boats to hire, either in a group or alone (price!), however, it is not advisable to book them as they really speed across the river along the rapids.
Get around
Air France flies into and out of Kinshasa from Paris on Tuesdays and Thursdays (daytime flight from Paris to Kinshasa, nighttime flight arriving the next morning--Wednesday or Sunday--on the way back).
Sabena Belgian Airlines goes to and from Paris on Mondays (down during the day, and return overnight arriving Tuesday)
Talk
- Languages
- French (official), Lingala (a lingua franca trade language), Kingwana (a dialect of Kiswahili or Swahili), Kikongo, Tshiluba
Buy
Eat
Drink
Sleep
Learn
Work
Stay safe
The Democratic Republic of the Congo should be considered a high-risk destination, particularly outside Kinshasa. The security situation is particularly volatile and the North and South Kivu provinces in particular are experiencing factional warfare at present. Certain regions are in fact controlled by rebel forces.
Crime rates are high, and visitors are advised not to walk alone at night.
Public transport is also unreliable at best, predominantly due to a lack of safety eqipment.
Stay healthy
Congo is a malarian region, so please use insect repellent and take necessary precautions. It is advised that you should seek advice from a physician before visiting. The hygienic condition is not good, so beware of food and catering. It is dangerous to go to the local hospitals in towns since they are not hygienic and are often without a registered doctor. The needles are also unsafe because of the lack of sterilization. Ebola outbreaks have recently been reported in some areas. If you need emergency medical assistance, it is advised that you go to your nation's embassy. The embassy doctors are normally willing and skilled enough to help.
Respect
When motorcades pass, all vehicular traffic is expected to provide a clear path. Photography of these motorcades is illegal. Also illegal is photography of or near government buildings.
At approximately 6AM and 6PM daily, the national flag is raised and lowered. All traffic and pedestrians are required to stop for this ceremony, with reports indicating that those who do not are detained by security personnel.
Contact
External links
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Geography
- Geographic coordinates
- 0 00 N, 25 00 E
- Area
- total: 2,345,410 sq km
water: 77,810 sq km
land: 2,267,600 sq km - Area - comparative
- slightly less than one-fourth the size of the US
- Coastline
- 37 km
- Maritime claims
- exclusive economic zone: boundaries with neighbors
territorial sea: 12 NM - Natural resources
- cobalt, copper, cadmium, petroleum, industrial and gem diamonds, gold, silver, zinc, manganese, tin, germanium, uranium, radium, bauxite, iron ore, coal, hydropower, timber
- Land use
- arable land: 2.96%
permanent crops: 0.52%
other: 96.52% (1998 est.) - Irrigated land
- 110 sq km (1998 est.)
- Environment - current issues
- poaching threatens wildlife populations; water pollution; deforestation; refugees responsible for significant deforestation, soil erosion, and wildlife poaching; mining of minerals (coltan - a mineral used in creating capacitors, diamonds, and gold) causing environmental damage
- Environment - international agreements
- party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification
People
- Population
- 55,225,478
- Nationality
- noun: Congolese (singular and plural)
adjective: Congolese or Congo - Ethnic groups
- over 200 African ethnic groups of which the majority are Bantu; the four largest tribes - Mongo, Luba, Kongo (all Bantu), and the Mangbetu-Azande (Hamitic) make up about 45% of the population
- Religions
- Roman Catholic 41%, Protestant 20%, Kimbanguist 10%, Muslim 21%, other syncretic sects and indigenous beliefs 10%
- Literacy
- definition: age 15 and over can read and write French, Lingala, Kingwana, or Tshiluba
total population: 77.3%
male: 86.6%
female: 67.7% (1995 est.)
Government
- Country name
- conventional long form: Democratic Republic of the Congo
conventional short form: none
local short form: none
former: Congo Free State, Belgian Congo, Congo/Leopoldville, Congo/Kinshasa, Zaire
local long form: Republique Democratique du Congo
abbreviation: DROC
- Government type
- dictatorship; presumably undergoing a transition to representative government
- Legal system
- based on Belgian civil law system and tribal law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
- Judicial branch
- Supreme Court or Cour Supreme
- Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission: Ambassador Faida MITIFU
FAX: [1] (202) 234-2609
telephone: [1] (202) 234-7690, 7691
chancery: 1800 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
- Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission: Ambassador Aubrey HOOKS
embassy: 310 Avenue des Aviateurs, Kinshasa
mailing address: Unit 31550, APO AE 09828
telephone: [243] (88) 43608
FAX: [243] (88) 43467
- Flag description
- light blue with a large yellow five-pointed star in the center and a columnar arrangement of six small yellow five-pointed stars along the hoist side
Economy
- Economy - overview
- The economy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo - a nation endowed with vast potential wealth - has declined drastically since the mid-1980s. The war, which began in August 1998, has dramatically reduced national output and government revenue and has increased external debt. Foreign businesses have curtailed operations due to uncertainty about the outcome of the conflict, lack of infrastructure, and the difficult operating environment. The war has intensified the impact of such basic problems as an uncertain legal framework, corruption, raging inflation, and lack of openness in government economic policy and financial operations. A number of IMF and World Bank missions have met with the government to help it develop a coherent economic plan, and President KABILA has begun implementing reforms.
- GDP - composition by sector
- agriculture: 54%
industry: 9%
services: 37% (1999 est.) - Inflation rate (consumer prices)
- 358% (2001 est.)
- Labor force - by occupation
- agriculture 65%, industry 16%, services 19% (1991 est.)
- Industries
- mining (diamonds, copper, zinc), mineral processing, consumer products (including textiles, footwear, cigarettes, processed foods and beverages), cement
- Electricity - production by source
- fossil fuel: 2%
hydro: 98% - Agriculture - products
- coffee, sugar, palm oil, rubber, tea, quinine, cassava (tapioca), palm oil, bananas, root crops, corn, fruits; wood products
- Exports - commodities
- diamonds, copper, coffee, cobalt, crude oil
- Exports - partners
- Benelux 62%, US 18%, South Africa, Finland, Italy (1999)
- Imports - commodities
- foodstuffs, mining and other machinery, transport equipment, fuels
- Imports - partners
- South Africa 28%, Benelux 14%, Nigeria 9%, Kenya 7%, China (1999)
- Currency
- Congolese franc (CDF)
- Currency code
- CDF
- Exchange rates
- Congolese francs per US dollar - 500(march 2005) 305 (January 2002), 21.82 (2000), 4.02 (1999), 1.61 (1998), 1.31 (1997)
note: on 30 June 1998 the Congolese franc was introduced, replacing the new zaire
Communications
- Telephones - main lines in use
- 20,000 (2000)
- Telephones - mobile cellular
- 15,000 (2000),4 gsm provider (2005) with vodacom(south african) 1 000 000 users
- Telephone system
- general assessment: poor
domestic: barely adequate wire and microwave radio relay service in and between urban areas; domestic satellite system with 14 earth stations
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) - Radio broadcast stations
- AM 3, FM 11, shortwave 2 (2001)
- Radios
- 18.03 million (1997)
- Television broadcast stations
- 4 (2001)
- Televisions
- 6.478 million (1997)
- Internet country code
- .cd
- Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
- 1 (2001): 5 (2005)
- Internet users
- 6,000 (2002)
Transportation
- Railways
- total: 5,138 km
narrow gauge: 3,987 km 1.067-m gauge (858 km electrified); 125 km 1.000-m gauge; 1,026 km 0.600-m gauge
note: severely reduced route-distance in use because of damage to facilities by civil strife (2000 est.) - Highways
- total: 157,000 km (including 30 km of expressways)(1996)
paved: NA km
unpaved: NA km - Waterways
- 15,000 km (including the Congo and its tributaries, and unconnected lakes)
- Airports
- 232 (2001)
- Airports - with paved runways
- total: 24
over 3,047 m: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2002)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 16 - Airports - with unpaved runways
- total: 205
1,524 to 2,437 m: 19
914 to 1,523 m: 95
under 914 m: 91 (2002) - Heliports
- 1 (2002)
Military
- Military branches
- Army, Navy, Air Force, Special Security Battalion
Transnational Issues
- Disputes - international
- Democratic Republic of the Congo is in the grip of a civil war that has drawn in military forces from neighboring states, with Uganda and Rwanda supporting the rebel movements that occupy much of the eastern portion of the state; Tutsi, Hutu, and other conflicting ethnic groups, political rebels, and various government forces continue fighting in Great Lakes region, transcending the boundaries of Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda; most of the Congo River boundary with the Republic of the Congo is indefinite (no agreement has been reached on the division of the river or its islands, except in the Pool Malebo/Stanley Pool area)
- Illicit drugs
- illicit producer of cannabis, mostly for domestic consumption; while rampant corruption and inadequate supervision leaves the banking system vulnerable to money laundering, the lack of a well-developed financial system limits the country's utility as a money-laundering center
de:Kongo (Demokratische Republik) fr:République démocratique du Congo ja:コンゴ民主共和国
