- Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Located in Central Africa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the third largest country on the continent. Its capital is Kinshasa. The country is sometimes referred to as Congo-Kinshasa to distinguish it from its neighbor, the Republic of the Congo (sometimes called Congo-Brazzaville). GeographyThe Democratic Republic of the Congo has an area of 905,354 square miles (2,344,858 square kilometers). It is bordered on the north by the Central African Republic and Sudan; on the east by Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and Tanzania; on the south by Angola and Zambia; and on the west by the Republic of the Congo. The western tip of the country touches the Atlantic Ocean. - The Enya people fish in the rapids of the Congo River near Kisangani, Democratic Republic of the …
The main physical feature of the country is the Congo River. It flows for more than 2,900 miles (4,700 kilometers) through the heart of Africa. Most of the country is composed of a vast rolling plain that may once have been an inland sea. High plateaus border almost every side of the central basin. The eastern part of the country is the highest and most rugged. It contains three chains of mountains, including the Ruwenzori Range. The Ruwenzori features the country's highest point, Margherita Peak, at 16,795 feet (5,119 meters). Because the country is situated along the equator it has high temperatures and abundant rainfall in all seasons. People and cultureThe people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo belong to many different ethnic groups and speak more than 200 languages and dialects. The Bantu peoples make up a large majority of the country's population and occupy more than two thirds of the national territory. French is the only official language, but Lingala is growing rapidly and is the official language of the military. Some 80 percent of the people practice some form of Christianity. The rest follow traditional African beliefs and other religions. More than two thirds of the people live in small towns and villages. The capital city of Kinshasa is the only city with a population of more than 1 million. The country's other major cities include Lubumbashi, Mbuji-Mayi, Kisangani, and Kananga. EconomyThe country's main economic resource is its rich deposits of minerals. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a leading producer of industrial diamonds. In fact, it accounts for about one third of the world's production. It also produces about half the world's cobalt and is a major producer of copper and tin. The limestone deposits that occur throughout the country are considered to be among the richest in Africa. Most of the population is employed in farming. In the humid equatorial zone, cassava and rice are the basic food crops. Peanuts, oil palms, and fruit trees are also important, and coffee is the main cash crop. HistoryEarly history and colonizationBefore Europeans began to settle in Africa, the region that is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo was divided into several kingdoms. They were the Kingdom of Kongo, the Luba Empire, the Lunda Empire, the Lele and Kuba societies, and the Bola Group. Europeans began exploring the area in the late 1800s, and King Leopold II of Belgium acquired the region for his personal possession in 1885. Under the king's rule the African people were treated harshly and forced to work in mines and on rubber plantations. Because of complaints about this treatment, the Belgian government took control of the region in 1908. It was renamed the Belgian Congo. First years of independenceAfricans were not able to take part in the political system of the colony until 1957. They then began to seek independence for their country. One of the first African political parties in the Congo was the Alliance des Ba-Kongo, under the leadership of Joseph Kasavubu. In 1958 a national Congolese movement was formed and began to work toward independence. On June 30, 1960, the independent Republic of the Congo was declared. Kasavubu became the president and Patrice Lumumba was made prime minister. From the beginning the two leaders fought over power and control. Taking advantage of the situation, the army chief of staff, Colonel Joseph Mobutu, took control of the country in September 1960 with the support of the military. Mobutu forced both Kasavubu and Lumumba from power. Mobutu later brought Kasavubu back as president. Mobutu's regime - Memorial in Kisangani to Patrice Lumumba, first prime minister of the Democratic Republic of the …
In January 1961, Lumumba was assassinated and his supporters fled the country. Although groups opposed to Mobutu's leadership continued to struggle against him, he took firm control of the country and was a powerful leader. In 1971 he took a series of steps to erase the last traces of colonial rule. He renamed the country—from Congo to the Republic of Zaire. In the course of his rule Mobutu acted more and more like a dictator, attempting to crush all opposition. Rebellion and a new governmentBy the 1990s, the country had seen decades of poor economic management and political corruption. There were riots, massacres, and mutiny. Political groups in Zaire called for democratic reform and the end of one-party rule. Mobutu agreed to some reforms, but these lasted only for a short while. Eventually, Mobutu's hold on the country weakened. He gave up in May 1997, as rebels led by Laurent Kabila closed in on Kinshasa. Following Mobutu's departure, Kabila claimed the title of president and proclaimed Zaire the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Rebels opposed to Kabila soon began fighting government troops. Soldiers from neighboring countries joined the rebels while others supported Kabila. In 2001 Kabila was killed, but the fighting continued. Population (2001 estimate), 53,625,000. |