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Democratic Republic of the Congo

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   République Démocratique du Congo
   Democratic Republic of the Congo

   Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Coat of arms of the
                                                Democratic Republic of the Congo
   Flag                                         Coat of arms
   Motto: Justice – Paix – Travail  (French)
   "Justice – Peace – Work"
   Anthem: Debout Congolais
   Location of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
   Capital
   (and largest city) Kinshasa
   4°24′S 15°24′E
   Official languages French
   Government Transitional
    - President Joseph Kabila
   Independence
    - from Belgium June 30, 1960
   Area
    - Total 2,344,858 km² ( 12th)
   905,351 sq mi
    - Water (%) 3.3
   Population
    - 2006 estimate 59,319,660 ( 23rd)
    - 1984 census 29,916,800
    - Density 25/km² ( 179th)
   65/sq mi
   GDP ( PPP) 2005 estimate
    - Total $46.491 billion^1 ( 78th)
    - Per capita $774 ( 174th)
   HDI  (2006) 0.391 (low) ( 167th)
   Currency Congolese franc ( CDF)
   Time zone WAT, CAT ( UTC+1 to +2)
    - Summer ( DST) not observed ( UTC+1 to +2)
   Internet TLD .cd
   Calling code +243
   ^1 Estimate is based on regression; other PPP figures are extrapolated
   from the latest International Comparison Programme benchmark estimates.

   The Democratic Republic of the Congo (French: République démocratique
   du Congo), also often referred to as DRC, RDC, DR Congo, Congo or
   Congo-Kinshasa, and formerly as Zaire (or Zaïre in French), is the
   third largest country on the African continent. Though it is located in
   the Central African UN subregion, the nation is economically and
   regionally affiliated with Southern Africa as a member of the Southern
   African Development Community (SADC). It borders the Central African
   Republic and Sudan on the north, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and Tanzania
   on the east, Zambia and Angola on the south, and the Republic of the
   Congo on the west. The country enjoys access to the sea through a
   narrow forty kilometre stretch, following the Congo river into the Gulf
   of Guinea. The name "Congo" (meaning "hunter") is coined after the
   Bakongo ethnic group, living in the Congo river basin.

   Formerly the Belgian colony of the Belgian Congo, the country's
   post-independence name was the Republic of the Congo until August 1,
   1964 , when its name was changed to Democratic Republic of the Congo
   (to distinguish it from the neighboring country of the same name). On
   October 27, 1971 , then- President Mobutu Sese Seko renamed the country
   Zaire, from a Portuguese mispronunciation of the Kikongo word nzere or
   nzadi, which translates to "the river that swallows all rivers." (Peter
   Forbath, The River Congo, p. 19) Following Mobutu's overthrow in 1997,
   the country was renamed Democratic Republic of the Congo. Since 1998,
   the country has suffered greatly from the devastating Second Congo War
   (sometimes referred to as the African World War), the world's deadliest
   conflict since World War II.

History

Congolese pre-history

   The earliest artefacts, evidence of the first human settlements in
   Congo, are Pre-Acheulean tools found at the Mulundwa (Katanga), Katanda
   2 and Sanga 5 archaeological sites (Kivu). The chopping tools and
   choppers are estimated to date back to before -200,000 years, though we
   cannot be more specific today.

   The country was peopled in very ancient times by groups of
   hunter-collectors, some of them maybe ancestors of today's pygmies. In
   the large time period between the earliest hunter-gatherer inhabitants
   and the coming of the first villagers, Congo will always be settled by
   various stone-working nomad groups of different Traditions.

   A wave of advance of Neolithic peoples is identified in the Northern
   and North-Western parts of Central Africa during the second millennium
   BC. They were food producing (pearl millet), with some domestic stock,
   and developed a kind of arboriculture mainly based on the oil palm.
   Several centuries later, around -2,500 years, bananas were known to
   some in south Cameroon. From -3,500 to -2,000 years, starting off from
   a nucleus area in South Cameroon on both banks of the Sanaga River, the
   first Neolithic peopling of northern and western Central Africa can be
   followed south-eastwards and southwards. In R.D. Congo the first
   villages in the vicinity of Mbandaka and the Tumba Lake are known as
   the 'Imbonga Tradition' around -2,600 years. In Lower-Congo, North of
   the Angolan border, it is the 'Ngovo Tradition' around -2,300 years
   which shows the arrival of the Neolithic wave of advance.

   In Kivu, across the country to the East, the 'Urewe Tradition' villages
   first show up around -2,600 years. The few archaeological sites known
   in Congo are a western extension of the 'Urewe' Culture which is mainly
   known in Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and Western Kenya and Tanzania. From
   the start of this Tradition, the people knew iron smelting as it is
   evidenced by several iron smelting furnaces excavated in Rwanda and
   Burundi.

   The earliest evidence further to the West is known around Yaoundé in
   Cameroon, and near to the small town of Bouar in Central Africa. Though
   an ongoing discussion will ultimately give us a better chronology for
   the start of iron production in Central Africa, it can be said the
   Cameroonian data pinpoints around -2,600 / -2,500 years iron smelting
   north of the Equatorial Forest. This technology developed in an
   independent way from the previous Neolithic expansion some 900 years
   later. As fieldwork done by a German team shows, the Congo river
   network was slowly settled by food producing villagers going upstream
   in the forest. Work from a Spanish project in the Ituri area further
   East suggests villages reached there only around -800 years.

   The supposedly bantu-speaking Neolithic thence Iron producing villagers
   added to and displaced the indigenous Pygmy populations (also known in
   the region as the "Bitwa" or "Twa") into secondary parts of the
   country. Subsequent migrations from the Darfur and Kordofan regions of
   Sudan into the north-east, as well as East Africans migrating into the
   eastern Congo added to the mix of ethnic groups. The Bantus imported a
   mixed economy made up of agriculture, small stock raising, fishing,
   fruit collecting, hunting and arboriculture before -3,500 years;
   iron-working techniques, possibly from West Africa, are a much later
   addition. The villagers established the Bantu language family as the
   primary set of tongues for the Congolese.

   In the fifth century, a society began to develop in a region that
   initially encompassed only a 200 kilometre (125 mi) area along the
   banks of the Lualaba River in the modern day Katanga Province. This
   culture, known as the Upemba, would eventually evolve into the more
   significant Luba kingdom.

   The process in which the original Upemba societies transitioned into
   the Luba kingdom was gradual and complex. This transition ran without
   interruption, with several distinct societies developing out of the
   Upemba culture prior to the genesis of the Luba. Each of these kingdoms
   became very wealthy due mainly to the region's mineral wealth,
   especially in ores. The civilization began to develop and implement
   iron and copper technology, in addition to trading in ivory and other
   goods. The Luba established a strong commercial demand for their metal
   technologies and were able to institute a long-range commercial net
   (the business connections extended over 1,500 kilometres (930 mi), all
   the way to the Indian Ocean). By the 1500s, the kingdom had an
   established strong central government based on chieftainship.

The Congo Free State (1870 – 1908)

   European exploration and administration took place from the 1870s until
   the 1920s — first by Sir Henry Morton Stanley who undertook his
   explorations mainly under the sponsorship of King Leopold II of
   Belgium, who desired what was to become the Congo as a colony. In a
   succession of negotiations, Leopold, professing humanitarian objectives
   in his capacity as chairman of the Association Internationale
   Africaine, played one European rival against the other. The Congo
   territory was acquired formally by Leopold at the Conference of Berlin
   in 1885. He made the land his private property and named it the Congo
   Free State. Leopold's regime began undertaking various development
   projects, such as the railway that ran from the coast to Leopoldville
   (now Kinshasa) which took years to complete. Nearly all these projects
   were aimed at increasing the capital Leopold and his cohorts could
   extract from the colony, leading to atrocious exploitation of Africans.
   In the Free State, the local population was brutalized in exchange for
   rubber, a growing market with the development of rubber tires. The
   selling of the rubber made a fortune for Leopold, who built several
   buildings in Brussels and Ostend to honour himself and his country.
   During the period between 1885 and 1908, between five and fifteen (the
   commonly accepted figure is about ten) million Congolese died as a
   consequence of exploitation and diseases. A government commission later
   concluded that the population of the Congo had been "reduced by half"
   during this brutal period. To enforce the rubber quotas, the Force
   Publique (FP) was called in. The FP was an army, but its aim was not to
   defend the country, but to terrorise the local population. The Force
   Publique made the practice of cutting off the limbs of the natives as a
   means of enforcing rubber quotas a matter of policy; this practice was
   disturbingly widespread. There were international protests, however,
   spearheaded mainly by E. D. Morel and British diplomat/Irish patriot
   Roger Casement, whose 1904 report on the Congo condemned the practice,
   as well as famous writers such as Mark Twain. Joseph Conrad's novella
   Heart of Darkness also takes place in Congo Free State. In 1908, the
   Belgian parliament, which was at first reluctant, bowed to
   international pressure (especially from Great Britain) by taking over
   the Free State from the king as a Belgian colony. From then on, it
   became the Belgian Congo.

The Belgian administration: Belgian Congo (1908 – 1960)

   As soon as the Belgian Government took over the Congolese
   Administration from King Leopold II, the situation in the Congo
   slightly improved. Economic and social changes transformed the Congo
   into a model colony. Even select Bantu languages were taught in primary
   schools, a rare occurrence in colonial education. Doctors and medics
   achieved great victories against sleeping sickness - African
   trypanosomiasis-. The Administration continued with the economic
   reforms with the construction of railways, ports, roads, mines,
   plantations, industrial areas, etc. In the 1950s, life expectancy was
   around 55 years; today it is 51.

   The Congolese, however, lacked political power and lived in an
   apartheid-like society in many cities. Everything was decided in
   Leopoldville and Brussels. The Belgian Colony-secretary and the
   Governor-general (the leader of the colony) had absolute power, while
   the people had none. Among the Congolese people, the resistance against
   this lack of democracy grew. In 1955, the upper class in the Congolese
   civilization, the so-called "évolués," initiated a campaign to end the
   inequality.

   During World War II, the small Congolese army achieved several
   victories against the Italians in North Africa. The Belgian Congo,
   which was also rich in uranium deposits, supplied the uranium that was
   used by the USA to build the atomic bombs that destroyed the Japanese
   cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, at the end of World War II.

Political crises (1960-1965)

   In May 1960, the MNC party or Mouvement National Congolais, led by
   Patrice Lumumba, won the parliamentary elections, and Lumumba was
   appointed Prime Minister. Joseph Kasavubu, of the ABAKO (Alliance des
   Bakongo) party, was elected President by the parliament. Other parties
   that emerged include the Parti Solidaire Africain (or PSA, led by
   Antoine Gizenga) and the Parti National du Peuple (or PNP led by Albert
   Delvaux and Laurent Mbariko).

   The Belgian Congo achieved independence on June 30, 1960 under the name
   Republic of Congo or Republic of the Congo (République du Congo). As
   the French colony of Middle Congo (Moyen Congo) also chose the name
   Republic of Congo upon receiving its independence, the two countries
   were more commonly known as Congo-Léopoldville and Congo-Brazzaville,
   after their capital cities. In 1966, Joseph Mobutu changed the
   country's official name to Democratic Republic of the Congo.

   Shortly after independence, the provinces of Katanga (with Moise
   Tshombe) and South Kasai engaged in secessionist struggles against the
   new leadership.

   Subsequent events led to a crisis between President Kasavubu and Prime
   Minister Lumumba. On September 5, 1960, Kasavubu dismissed Lumumba from
   office. Lumumba declared Kasavubu's action "unconstitutional" and a
   crisis between the two leaders developed.

   Lumumba had previously appointed Joseph Mobutu chief of staff of the
   new Congo army, Armee Nationale Congolaise (ANC). Taking advantage of
   the leadership crisis between Kasavubu and Lumumba, Mobutu garnered
   enough support within the army to create sentiment sufficient to
   inspire mutinous action. With financial support from the United States
   and Belgium, Mobutu made payments to his soldiers in order to generate
   their loyalty. The aversion of Western powers towards communism and
   leftist ideology in general influenced their decision to finance
   Mobutu's quest to maintain "order" in the new state by neutralizing
   Kasavubu and Lumumba in a coup by proxy.

   On January 17, 1961, Katangan forces, supported by the Belgian
   government's desire to retain rights to mine for copper and diamonds in
   Katanga and South Kasai and the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency's
   desire to remove any leftist sympathizers in the region, assassinated
   Patrice Lumumba. Amidst widespread confusion and chaos, several
   governments led by technicians (College des Commissaires), Joseph Ileo,
   Cyrille Adoula, Moise Tshombe, Graham Talley, and Evariste Kimba, took
   over in quick succession.

Zaire (1971 – 1997)

   Following five years of extreme instability and civil unrest,
   Joseph-Désiré Mobutu, now Lieutenant General, overthrew Kasavubu in a
   1965 Central Intelligence Agency-backed coup. He had the support of the
   US because of his staunch opposition to Communism, which would
   presumably make him a roadblock to Communist schemes in Africa. It is
   also argued that the Western support for Mobutu was also related to his
   allowing businesses to export the many natural resources of Zaire
   without worrying about environmental, labour, or other regulations that
   protect against corruption and abuse. A one-party system was
   established, and Mobutu declared himself head of state. He would
   occasionally hold elections in which he was the only candidate.

   Relative peace and stability was achieved; however, Mobutu's government
   was accused of human rights violations, repression, a cult of
   personality (every Congolese bank note displayed his image, his
   portrait was displayed in all public buildings, most businesses, and on
   billboards, and it was common for ordinary people to wear his likeness
   on their clothing), and excessive corruption. In 1984 he was said to
   have 4 billion U.S. dollars, an amount close to the country's national
   debt, stashed away in personal Swiss bank accounts.

   In an effort to spread African national awareness, starting on June 1,
   1966, Mobutu renamed the nation's cities (Léopoldville became Kinshasa
   [the country was now Democratic Republic of The Congo – Kinshasa],
   Stanleyville became Kisangani, and Elisabethville became Lubumbashi).
   This city-renaming campaign was completed in the 1970s. In 1971, he
   renamed the country the Republic of Zaire, its fourth name change in 11
   years and its sixth overall. The Congo River became the Zaire River. In
   1972, Mobutu renamed himself Mobutu Sese Seko Nkuku Ngbendu Wa Za
   Banga.

   Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, U.S. relations with
   Kinshasa cooled, as Mobutu was no longer deemed a necessary Cold War
   ally, and his opponents within Zaire stepped up demands for reform.
   This atmosphere contributed to Mobutu's declaring the Third Republic in
   1990, whose constitution was supposed to pave the way for democratic
   reform. The reforms turned out to be largely cosmetic, and Mobutu's
   rule continued until conflict forced him to flee Zaire in 1997.

Conflict and transition (1996 – present)

   Since 1994, the Congo has been rent by ethnic strife and civil war,
   touched off by a massive inflow of refugees fleeing the Rwandan
   Genocide. The government of Mobutu Sese Seko was toppled by a rebellion
   led by Laurent-Désiré Kabila in May 1997; he changed the country's name
   back to Democratic Republic of The Congo-Kinshasa (the capital of
   Congo/Zaire). His former allies soon turned against him, however, and
   his regime was challenged by a Rwandan and Ugandan-backed rebellion in
   August 1998. Troops from Zimbabwe, Angola, Namibia, Chad, and Sudan
   intervened to support the new regime in Kinshasa. See Foreign relations
   of Congo and First Congo War.
   UN peacekeepers to the DRC in 2005
   Enlarge
   UN peacekeepers to the DRC in 2005

   A cease-fire was signed on July 10, 1999; nevertheless, fighting
   continued apace especially in the eastern part of the country, financed
   by revenues from the illegal extraction of minerals such as coltan,
   cassiterite and diamonds. Kabila was assassinated in January 2001 and
   his son Joseph Kabila was named head of state. The new president
   quickly began overtures to end the war and an accord was signed in
   South Africa in 2002. By late 2003, a fragile peace prevailed as the
   Transitional Government was formed. Kabila appointed four vice
   presidents, two of whom had been fighting to oust him until July 2003.
   Much of the east of the country remains insecure, primarily due to the
   Ituri conflict and the continued activity of the Democratic Forces for
   the Liberation of Rwanda in the Kivus.

   This period of conflict has been the bloodiest in history since World
   War II. Almost four million people have died as a result of the
   fighting. The United Nations is concerned that 1000 people a day are
   still dying as a result of the conflict and have described 2006 as a
   "make or break point" for the continuing humanitarian crisis.

   On July 30, 2006, the Congo held its first multi-party elections since
   independence in 1960. After this Joseph Kabila took 45% of the votes
   and his main opponent Jean-Pierre Bemba took 20%. That was the origin
   of a two-day fight between the two factions from August 20, 2006 in the
   streets of the capital, Kinshasa. Sixteen people died before police and
   the UN mission, MONUC, took control of the city.

   A second round of elections between the two leading candidates, Kabila
   and Bemba, was held on 29 October, 2006. Rioters destroyed polling
   stations in Congo's east and electoral officials organized a revolt
   over burned ballots in the north. Despite that, the presidential vote
   was called a success. Both Kabila and Bemba assured that they would
   respect the result, but Bemba's militants have began riots in
   opposition of the decision by the Supreme Court that will legitimise
   Kabila's 58%-42% winning result on the run-off.

Politics

   The current political situation is slightly ambiguous because the Congo
   is living in the interregnum between two constitutions that establish
   different political institutions at the various levels of all branches
   of government, as well as different administrative divisions of the
   country. Politics in the Democratic Republic of the Congo therefore
   take place in a framework of a republic in transition from a civil war
   to a presidential democratic republic.

   The transition constitution established a system composed of a
   bicameral legislature with a Senate and a National Assembly. The Senate
   has, among other things, the charge of drafting the new constitution of
   the country. The executive branch is vested in a 60-member cabinet,
   headed by a President, and four vice presidents. The President is also
   the Commander-in Chief of the Armed forces. The unusual organization of
   the executive — considering the large number of vice presidents — has
   earned it the very official nickname of The 1 + 4.

   The transition constitution also established a relatively independent
   judiciary, headed by a Supreme Court with constitutional interpretation
   powers.

   The 2006 constitution, also known as the Constitution of the Third
   Republic, came into effect in February 2006. It has concurrent
   authority, however, with the transition constitution until the
   inauguration of the elected officials that will emerge from the July
   2006 elections. Under this constitution, the legislature will remain
   bicameral; the executive will be concomitantly undertaken by a
   President and the government; and the latter will be led by a Prime
   Minister, appointed from the party with the majority at the National
   Assembly. The government – not the President – is responsible to the
   Parliament.

   The provincial governments will gain new powers, under the new
   decentralized model, with the creation of provincial parliaments, with
   oversight over the Governor, head of the provincial government, whom
   they elect.

   The new constitution also sees the disappearance of the Supreme Court,
   which is divided into three new institutions. The constitutional
   interpretation prerogative of the Supreme Court will be held by the
   Constitutional Council.

Administrative divisions

   A new provincial map of Democratic Republic of Congo.
   Enlarge
   A new provincial map of Democratic Republic of Congo.

   The Congo is divided into twenty-five provinces and one independent
   city ( Kinshasa). Before the constitution approved in February 2006,
   there were ten provinces plus Kinshasa. The present provinces are:

   1 Kinshasa
   2 Kongo central
   3 Kwango
   4 Kwilu
   5 Mai-Ndombe
   6 Kasaï
   7 Lulua

                    8 Kasaï Oriental
                    9 Lomami
                  10 Sankuru
                  11 Maniema
                  12 Sud-Kivu
                  13 Nord-Kivu
                  14 Ituri

                                    15 Haut-Uele
                                    16 Tshopo
                                    17 Bas-Uele
                                    18 Nord-Ubangi
                                    19 Mongala
                                    20 Sud-Ubangi

                                                  21 Équateur
                                                  22 Tshuapa
                                                  23 Tanganyika
                                                  24 Haut-Lomami
                                                  25 Lualaba
                                                  26 Haut-Katanga

Major cities

   Nyiragongo volcano
   Enlarge
   Nyiragongo volcano
   Kinshasa
   Enlarge
   Kinshasa

   Congolese       French        Dutch
   Bandundu   Banningville
   Bukavu     Constermansville
   Djokupunda Charlesvilles
   Goma
   Ilebo      Port-Francqui
   Isiro      Paulis
   Kalemie    Albertville     Albertstad
   Kananga    Lualabourg      Lualaburg
   Kikwit
   Kindu
   Kinshasa   Léopoldville    Leopoldstad
   Kisangani  Stanleyville    Stanleystad

     Congolese       French         Dutch
   Kolwezi
   Likasi        Jadotville     Jadotstad
   Lubumbashi    Elisabethville Elisabethstad
   Lukutu
   Lusanga       Leverville     Leverstad
   Mbandaka      Coquilhatville Cocquilhatstad
   Mbanza-Ngungu Thysville      Thysstad
   Moba          Baudoinville   Boudewijnstad
   Mobaye-Mbongo Banzyville     Banzystad
   Mbuji-Mayi    Bakwanga
   Ubundu        Ponthierville  Ponthierstad

Geography

   The map of Democratic Republic of Congo from CIA World Factbook
   Enlarge
   The map of Democratic Republic of Congo from CIA World Factbook

   Satellite image of Democratic Republic of the Congo, generated from
   raster graphics data supplied by The Map Library
   Enlarge
   Satellite image of Democratic Republic of the Congo, generated from
   raster graphics data supplied by The Map Library

   The Congo is situated at the heart of the west-central portion of
   sub-Saharan Africa and is bounded by (Clockwise from the southwest)
   Angola, the Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic, the Sudan,
   Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania across Lake Tanganyika, and Zambia.
   Its territory also straddles the Equator, with one-third to the north
   and two-thirds to the south. The size of Congo, 2,345,410 km², is
   comparable to that of Western Europe.

   As a result of its equatorial location, the Congo experiences large
   amounts of precipitation and has the highest frequency of thunderstorms
   on Earth. The annual rainfall can total upwards of 80 inches in some
   places, and the area sustains the second largest rain forest in the
   world (after the Amazon). This massive expanse of lush jungle covers
   most of the vast, low-lying central basin of the river, which slopes
   toward the Atlantic Ocean in the west. This area is surrounded by
   plateaus merging into savannas in the south and southwest, by
   mountainous terraces in the west, and dense grasslands extending beyond
   the Congo River in the north. High mountains are found in the extreme
   eastern region.

   The tropical climate has also produced the Congo River system which
   dominates the region topographically along with the rainforest it flows
   through, (though they are not mutually exclusive). The name for the
   "Congo" state is derived from that of the river, along with that of the
   Kongo Empire which controlled much of the region in precolonial times.
   The river basin (meaning the Congo River and all of its myriad
   tributaries) occupy nearly the entire country and an area of nearly one
   million square kilometers (400,000 sq mi). The river and its
   tributaries (major offshoots include the Kasai, Sangha, Ubangi,
   Aruwimi, and Lulonga) form the backbone of Congolese economics and
   transportation, they have a drastic impact on the daily lives of the
   people. The sources of the Congo are in the highlands and mountains of
   the East African Rift, as well as Lake Tanganyika and Lake Mweru. The
   river flows generally west from Kisangani just below Boyoma Falls, then
   gradually bends southwest, passing by Mbandaka, joining with the Ubangi
   River, and running into the Pool Malebo (Stanley Pool). Kinshasa and
   Brazzaville are actually on opposite sides of the river at the Pool
   (see NASA image), then the river narrows and falls through a number of
   cataracts in deep canyons (collectively known as the Livingstone
   Falls), and then running past Boma into the Atlantic. The river also
   has the second-largest flow and the second-largest watershed of any
   river in the world (trailing the Amazon in both respects). The river
   provides the country's only outlet to the Atlantic, a narrow strip of
   land on its north bank, otherwise the Congo would be completely
   landlocked.

   The previously mentioned Great Rift Valley, in particular the Eastern
   Rift, plays a key role in shaping the Congo's geography. Not only is
   the northeastern section of the country much more mountainous, but due
   the rift's tectonic activities, this area also experiences low levels
   of volcanic activity. The rifting of the African continent in this area
   has also manifested itself as the famous Great Lakes which lie on the
   Congo's eastern frontier. The country is bordered in the east by two of
   these: Lake Albert and Lake Tanganyika. Perhaps most important of all,
   the Rift Valley has endowed most of the south and east of the Congo
   with an enormous amount of mineral wealth. These include cobalt,
   copper, cadmium, petroleum, industrial and gem diamonds, gold, silver,
   zinc, manganese, tin, germanium, uranium, radium, bauxite, iron ore,
   and coal. Unfortunately, this wealth has been both a blessing and a
   curse; the Congo people have not so far reaped the benefits of their
   country's tremendous mineral resources.

Economy

   The economy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo — a nation endowed
   with vast potential wealth — has declined drastically since the
   mid-1980s. The two recent conflicts (the First and Second Congo Wars),
   which began in 1996, have dramatically reduced national output and
   government revenue, have increased external debt, and have resulted in
   the deaths from war, famine, and disease of perhaps 3.8 million people.
   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, inflation, and
   lack of openness in government economic policy and financial
   operations. Malnutrition affects approximately two thirds of the
   country's population. Conditions improved in late 2002 with the
   withdrawal of a large portion of the invading foreign troops. A number
   of International Monetary Fund and World Bank missions have met with
   the government to help it develop a coherent economic plan, and
   President Joseph Kabila has begun implementing reforms. Much economic
   activity lies outside the GDP data.

Demographics

   The population was estimated at 56.6 million in 2003, growing quickly
   from 46.7 million in 1997. As many as 250 ethnic groups have been
   distinguished and named. The most numerous people are the Kongo, Luba,
   and Mongo. Although seven hundred local languages and dialects are
   spoken, the linguistic variety is bridged both by the use of French and
   the intermediary languages Kongo, Tshiluba, Swahili, and Lingala.

   About eighty percent of the Congolese population are Christian,
   predominantly Roman Catholic. Among the largest Protestant churches
   are: Anglican Church of Congo, Église des Frères mennonites, Église du
   Christ au Congo, .

   Most of the non-Christians adhere to either traditional religions or
   syncretic sects. Traditional religions embody such concepts as
   monotheism, animism, vitalism, spirit and ancestor worship, witchcraft,
   and sorcery and vary widely among ethnic groups; none is formalized.
   The syncretic sects often merge Christianity with traditional beliefs
   and rituals. The most popular of these sects, Kimbanguism, was seen as
   a threat to the colonial regime and was banned by the Belgians.
   Kimbanguism, officially "the church of Christ on Earth by the prophet
   Simon Kimbangu," now has about three million members, primarily among
   the Bakongo of Bas-Congo and Kinshasa.

Languages

   Major Bantu languages in the Congo.
   Enlarge
   Major Bantu languages in the Congo.

   There is an estimated total of 242 languages spoken in the Democratic
   Republic of the Congo. Out of these, only four have the status of
   national languages: Kongo, Lingala, Tshiluba and Swahili.

   Lingala was made the official language of the army under Mobutu, but
   since the rebellions, a good part of the army also uses Swahili in the
   East.

   French is also an official language of the country. It is meant to be
   an ethnically neutral language, to ease communication between all the
   different ethnic groups of the Congo.

   When the country was a Belgian colony, the four national languages were
   already used in primary schools, which makes the country one of the few
   to have had literacy in local languages during the occupation by
   Europeans.

Culture

   The culture of the Democratic Republic of the Congo reflects the
   diversity of its hundreds of ethnic groups and their differing ways of
   life throughout the country — from the mouth of the River Congo on the
   coast, upriver through the rainforest and savanna in its centre, to the
   more densely populated mountains in the far east. Since the late 19th
   century, traditional ways of life have undergone changes brought about
   by colonialism, the struggle for independence, the stagnation of the
   Mobutu era, and most recently, the First and Second Congo Wars. Despite
   these pressures, the customs and cultures of the Congo have retained
   much of their individuality. The country's 60 million inhabitants are
   mainly rural. The 30 percent who live in urban areas have been the most
   open to Western influences.

Flora and fauna

   Bas-Congo landscape.
   Enlarge
   Bas-Congo landscape.

   The rainforests of the Democratic Republic of the Congo contain great
   biodiversity, including many rare and endemic species, including both
   species of chimpanzee: the Common chimpanzee and the bonobo (also known
   as the Pygmy Chimpanzee), mountain gorilla, okapi and white rhino. Five
   of the country's national parks are listed as World Heritage Sites: the
   Garumba, Kahuzi-Biega, Salonga and Virunga National Parks, and the
   Okapi Wildlife Reserve. The civil war and resultant poor economic
   conditions have endangered much of this biodiversity. Many park wardens
   were either killed or could not afford to continue their work. All five
   sites are listed by UNESCO as World Heritage In Danger.

   Over the past century or so, the DRC has developed into the centre of
   what has been called the Central African " bushmeat" problem, which is
   regarded by many as a major environmental, as well as, socio-economic
   crisis. "Bushmeat" is another word for the meat of wild animals. It is
   typically obtained through trapping, usually with wire snares, or
   otherwise with shotguns or arms originally intended for use in the
   DRC's numerous military conflicts.

   The "bushmeat crisis" has emerged in the DRC mainly as a result of the
   poor living conditions of the Congolese people. A rising population
   combined with deplorable economic conditions has forced many Congolese
   to become dependent on bushmeat, either as a means of acquiring income
   (hunting the meat and selling), or are dependent on it for food.
   Unemployment and urbanization throughout Central Africa have
   exacerbated the problem further by turning cities like the urban sprawl
   of Kinshasa into the prime market for bushmeat.
   The Democratic Republic of the Congo is the only country in the world
   in which bonobos (Pygmy chimpanzees) are found in the wild.
   Enlarge
   The Democratic Republic of the Congo is the only country in the world
   in which bonobos (Pygmy chimpanzees) are found in the wild.

   This combination has caused not only widespread endangerment of local
   fauna, but has forced humans to trudge deeper into the wilderness in
   search of the desired animal meat. This overhunting results in the
   deaths of more animals and makes resources even more scarce for humans.
   The hunting has also been facilitated by the extensive logging
   prevalent throughout the Congo's rainforests (from corporate logging,
   in addition to farmers clearing out forest in order to create areas for
   agriculture), which allows hunters much easier access to previously
   unreachable jungle terrain, while simultaneously eroding away at the
   habitats of animals.

   A particularly alarming case of bushmeat hunting is that of primates.
   The Congo is inhabited not only by two distinct species of chimpanzee,
   both belonging to the genus Pan, the Common chimpanzee (Pan
   troglodytes) and the bonobo (Pan paniscus), but gorilla as well. The
   Democratic Republic of the Congo is the only country in the world in
   which bonobo are found in the wild. The two species of chimpanzees as
   well as gorillas are the closest living evolutionary relatives to
   humans. Both the Pan and Gorilla genera are now considered to be part
   of the subfamily Homininae to which humans also belong and it has even
   been proposed that the chimpanzees should be re-categorized in the
   genus Homo as well. These apes are closely related to humans and are
   considered highly intelligent and much concern has been raised about
   Great ape extinction. Because of hunting and habitat destruction, the
   chimpanzee and the gorilla, both of whose population once numbered in
   the millions have now dwindled down to only about 200,000 per species.
   Gorillas and both incarnations of chimpanzee are classified as
   Endangered by the World Conservation Union, as well as the okapi, which
   is also native to the area.

Geographic locale

   Flag of Republic of the Congo  Republic of the Congo Flag of Central
   African Republic  Central African Republic Flag of Sudan  Sudan
   South Atlantic Ocean North Flag of Uganda  Uganda
   Flag of Rwanda  Rwanda
   Flag of Burundi  Burundi
   Flag of Tanzania  Tanzania
   West    Flag of Democratic Republic of the Congo  Democratic Republic
   of the Congo     East
   South
   Flag of Angola  Angola Flag of Zambia  Zambia

   Countries of Central Africa

   Burundi • Central African Republic • Chad • Democratic Republic of the
   Congo • Rwanda
   Countries of Africa

   Sovereign states: Algeria • Angola • Benin • Botswana • Burkina Faso •
   Burundi • Cameroon • Cape Verde • Central African Republic • Chad •
   Democratic Republic of the Congo • Republic of the Congo • Comoros •
   Côte d'Ivoire • Djibouti • Egypt ^1 • Equatorial Guinea • Eritrea •
   Ethiopia • France ^2 • Gabon • The Gambia • Ghana • Guinea-Bissau •
   Guinea • Kenya • Lesotho • Liberia • Libya • Madagascar • Malawi • Mali
   • Mauritania • Mauritius • Morocco • Mozambique • Namibia • Niger •
   Nigeria • Portugal ^2 • Rwanda • Senegal • Seychelles • Sierra Leone •
   Somalia • South Africa • Spain ^2 • Sudan • Swaziland • São Tomé and
   Príncipe • Tanzania • Togo • Tunisia • Uganda • Yemen ^3 • Zambia •
   Zimbabwe

   Dependencies: British Indian Ocean Territory (UK) • French Southern
   Territories (France) • Mayotte (France) • Réunion (France) • Saint
   Helena ^4 (UK)

   ^1  Partly in Asia. ^2  Mostly in Europe. ^3  Mostly in Asia.
   ^4 Includes the dependencies of Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha.
   Countries and territories on the South Atlantic Ocean

   Africa: Angola • Democratic Republic of the Congo • Republic of the
   Congo • Gabon • Namibia • South Africa

   South America: Argentina • Brazil • Falkland Islands • Uruguay

   On the between: Ascension Island • Saint Helena • Tristan da Cunha
   Flag of the SADC    Member states of the Southern African Development
   Community

   Angola • Botswana • Democratic Republic of the Congo • Lesotho •
   Madagascar • Malawi • Mauritius • Mozambique • Namibia • Seychelles •
   South Africa • Swaziland • Tanzania • Zambia • Zimbabwe
   Member states of the African Union

   Algeria • Angola • Benin • Botswana • Burkina Faso • Burundi •
   Cameroon • Cape Verde • Central African Republic • Chad • Comoros •
   Democratic Republic of the Congo • Republic of the Congo •
   Côte d'Ivoire • Djibouti • Egypt • Eritrea • Ethiopia •
   Equatorial Guinea • Gabon • The Gambia • Ghana • Guinea •
   Guinea-Bissau • Kenya • Lesotho • Liberia • Libya • Madagascar •
   Malawi • Mali • Mauritania • Mauritius • Mozambique • Namibia • Niger •
   Nigeria • Rwanda • São Tomé and Príncipe • Senegal • Seychelles •
   Sierra Leone • Somalia • South Africa • Sudan • Swaziland • Tanzania •
   Togo • Tunisia • Uganda • Western Sahara  (SADR) • Zambia • Zimbabwe
   Francophonie
   Members: Belgium • Benin • Bulgaria • Burkina Faso • Burundi • Cambodia
   • Cameroon • Canada • New Brunswick • Quebec • Ontario • Cape Verde •
   Central African Republic • Chad • Comoros • Côte d'Ivoire • Cyprus •
   Democratic Republic of the Congo • Djibouti • Dominica • Egypt •
   Equatorial Guinea • France • French Guiana • Gabon • Ghana • Guadeloupe
   • Guinea • Guinea-Bissau • Haiti • Laos • Lebanon • Madagascar • Mali •
   Martinique • Mauritania • Mauritius • Morocco • Niger • Republic of the
   Congo • Romania • Rwanda • Saint Lucia • São Tomé and Príncipe •
   Senegal • Seychelles • Saint-Pierre and Miquelon • Switzerland • Togo •
   Tunisia • Ukraine • Vanuatu • Vietnam

   Observers: Armenia • Austria • Croatia • Czech Republic • Georgia •
   Hungary • Lithuania • Mozambique • Poland • Serbia • Slovakia •
   Slovenia • Ukraine
   Niger-Congo-speaking nations
   Kordofanian

   Flag of Sudan  Sudan
   Mande

   Flag of The Gambia  The Gambia • Flag of Guinea  Guinea • Flag of
   Guinea-Bissau  Guinea-Bissau • Flag of Mali  Mali • Flag of Mauritania
    Mauritania • Flag of Senegal  Senegal • Flag of Sierra Leone  Sierra
   Leone
   Atlantic-Congo

   Atlantic

   Flag of Benin  Benin • Flag of Burkina Faso  Burkina Faso • Flag of
   Cameroon  Cameroon • Flag of Central African Republic  Central African
   Republic • Flag of Chad  Chad • Flag of Côte d'Ivoire  Côte d'Ivoire •
   Flag of The Gambia  The Gambia • Flag of Guinea  Guinea • Flag of
   Guinea-Bissau  Guinea-Bissau • Flag of Liberia  Liberia • Flag of Mali
    Mali • Flag of Mauritania  Mauritania • Flag of Niger  Niger • Flag of
   Senegal  Senegal • Flag of Sierra Leone  Sierra Leone • Flag of Sudan
   Sudan • Flag of Togo  Togo

   Ijoid: Flag of Nigeria  Nigeria - Dogon: Flag of Mali  Mali
   Volta-Congo

   Senufo: Flag of Benin  Benin • Flag of Côte d'Ivoire  Côte d'Ivoire •
   Flag of Mali  Mali

   Gur: Flag of Benin  Benin • Flag of Burkina Faso  Burkina Faso • Flag
   of Côte d'Ivoire  Côte d'Ivoire • Flag of Ghana  Ghana • Flag of Mali
   Mali • Flag of Nigeria  Nigeria • Flag of Togo  Togo

   Adamawa-Ubangi: Flag of Cameroon  Cameroon • Flag of Central African
   Republic  Central African Republic • Flag of Chad  Chad • Flag of
   Nigeria  Nigeria

   Kru: Flag of Burkina Faso  Burkina Faso • Flag of Côte d'Ivoire  Côte
   d'Ivoire • Flag of Liberia  Liberia

   Kwa: Flag of Benin  Benin • Flag of Côte d'Ivoire  Côte d'Ivoire • Flag
   of Ghana  Ghana • Flag of Nigeria  Nigeria • Flag of Togo  Togo
   Benue-Congo

   Bantu

   Flag of Angola  Angola • Flag of Botswana  Botswana • Flag of Burundi
   Burundi • Flag of Cameroon  Cameroon • Flag of Democratic Republic of
   the Congo  Democratic Republic of the Congo • Flag of Republic of the
   Congo  Republic of the Congo • Flag of Equatorial Guinea  Equatorial
   Guinea • Flag of Gabon  Gabon • Flag of Kenya  Kenya • Flag of Nigeria
    Nigeria • Flag of Malawi  Malawi • Flag of Mozambique  Mozambique •
   Flag of Namibia  Namibia • Flag of Rwanda  Rwanda • Flag of Somalia
   Somalia • Flag of South Africa  South Africa • Flag of Swaziland
   Swaziland • Flag of Tanzania  Tanzania • Flag of Uganda  Uganda • Flag
   of Zambia  Zambia • Flag of Zimbabwe  Zimbabwe

   Yoruba and Igbo: Flag of Nigeria  Nigeria
   Retrieved from "
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo"
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   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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