Democratic Republic of the Congo

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Democratic Republic of the Congo's Information


Capital	Kinshasa
Languages	French (official), Lingala (a lingua franca trade language), Kingwana (a dialect of Kiswahili or Swahili), Kikongo, Tshiluba
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
Religion	Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant 20%, Kimbanguist 10%, Muslim 10%, other (includes syncretic sects and indigenous beliefs) 10%
Government	Semi-presidential republic
Independance	30 June 1960 (from Belgium)
Area	2,344,858.00 km²
Water Area	77,810.00 km²
Land Area	2,267,048.00 km²
Population	81,331,050.00
Location	Central Africa, northeast of Angola
No. Bordering Countries	9
Bordering Countries	Angola 2,646 km (of which 225 km is the boundary of Angola's discontiguous Cabinda Province), Burundi 236 km, Central African Republic 1,747 km, Republic of the Congo 1,229 km, Rwanda 221 km, South Sudan 714 km, Tanzania 479 km, Uganda 877 km, Zambia 2,332 km
GDP(PPP)	$65,040,000,000.00 (USD)
Export Partners	Its major export partners are China, Zambia, and South Korea.
Export Commodities	Its main exports are diamonds, copper, gold, cobalt, and wood products.
Import Partners	Its major import partners are China, South Africa, and Zambia.
Import Commodities	Its major imports include foodstuffs, transport equipment, and fuels.
Climate	Tropical; hot and humid in equatorial river basin; cooler and drier in southern highlands; cooler and wetter in eastern highlands; north of Equator - wet season (April to October), dry season (December to February); south of Equator - wet season (November to March), dry season (April to October)
Terrain	Vast central basin is a low-lying plateau; mountains in east

Where is Democratic Republic of the Congo?

Located in Central Africa, Democratic Republic of the Congo has a 10,481.00 km border with Angola (2,646 km) (of which (225 km) is the boundary of Angola's discontiguous Cabinda Province), Burundi (236 km), Central African Republic (1,747 km), Republic of the Congo (1,229 km), Rwanda (221 km), South Sudan (714 km), Tanzania (479 km), Uganda (877 km) and Zambia (2,332 km). It has a 37.00 km coastline. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is involved in some territorial disputes with both the Republic of the Congo and Uganda.

Democratic Republic of the Congo is an African country covering 2,344,858.00 km² of which 3.32% is water and 2,267,048.00 km² is land. This makes it the 11th largest country in the world and slightly less than one-fourth the size of the US. Its geographic coordinates are 0 00 N, 25 00 E and Kinshasa is the capital city.

The congo is named for the Congo River, most of which lies within the DRC.

Its ISO code is CD.

Geography

Democratic Republic of the Congo has a mean elevation of 726 m above sea level.

It has a tropical climate that is hot and humid in the equatorial river basin, cooler in the southern highlands, and cooler and wetter in the eastern highlands. Its terrain consists of a vast central basin in a low-lying plateau with mountains in the east.

Population

Democratic Republic of the Congo has a population of 81,331,050 making it the 17th largest in the world.

French is the official language; Lingala and Kingwana are widely spoken. The majority ethnic group is Bantu. The majority of the population identifies as Roman Catholic or Protestant.

The dialing code for the country is 243.

Government

Democratic Republic of the Congo is an independent country. It gained independence from Belgium in 1960. Its constitution was last ratified in 2006.

Economy

The currency of Democratic Republic of the Congo is the Franc (CDF).

Its major export partners are China, Zambia, and South Korea. Its main exports are diamonds, copper, gold, cobalt, and wood products. Its major import partners are China, South Africa, and Zambia. Its major imports include foodstuffs, transport equipment, and fuels.

This page was last modified on January 17th, 2018