The Democratic Republic of Congo is located in West-Central Africa. The country formerly known as Zaire is shares borders with the Central African Republic, Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Angola and the Atlantic Ocean. The DRC is a huge country approximately a quarter the size of the US. The country’s capital is Kinshasa and the population is estimated to be in the region of 74 million.
DRC: Climate and Wildlife
The equator runs through the DRC with a greater portion of the country below the equator (2/3). The central region of the country is a vast low-lying basin, other parts of the country have thick tropical forest, grassland and plateaus. The country is connected to the Atlantic via a small strip of land on the Northern bank of the Congo River. In the river basin, the climate is hot and humid, the southern highlands are dry whereas the Ruwenzori range has cool alpine climate.
DRC: People and Language
The official language is French. However, locals also often speak Lingala, Kikongo, Kingwana and Tshiluba. The country was originally inhabited by pygmies who were forced further in land by migration of large Bantu tribes.
Other Facts about DRC
The DRC is among the richest countries in Africa in terms of abundance of natural resources. The country has cobalt, copper, cadmium, petroleum, industrial and gem diamonds, gold, silver, zinc, manganese among other resources. However, poor management of the country’s resources has seen much of the mineral wealth pocketed by few individuals. Owing to this, the country’s political climate has experienced significant flares from time to time. The country is on the road to recovery following the end of a dictatorial regime that lasted from 1970 to 1997. The new government continues to struggle with improving the conditions in DRC despite relatively minor regional issues.
