A bridge across the congo river still needs to be constructed to. There were probably people living in the area that is today known as the democratic republic of the congo as far back as 8000 bc. Kabila renamed the country the democratic republic of the congo drc, but in august 1998 his regime was itself challenged by a second insurrection again backed by rwanda and uganda. The recent history of the democratic republic of congo dr congo has been one of civil war and corruption. Government of the democratic republic of the congo wikipedia. The official name of the country is the democratic republic of the congo. Republique democratique du congo, commonly referred to as dr congo, congokinshasa or the drc, is a country in central africa. Democratic republic of congo profile timeline bbc news. Troops from angola, chad, namibia, sudan, and zimbabwe intervened to support kabilas regime. Mar 01, 2018 facts about democratic republic of congos culture, geography, and history one of the richest counties in natural resources, the democratic republic of congo is a force to be reckoned with. Bantu people began migrating to drc in the 5th century. Over 200 ethinc groups with nearly 250 languages spoken. In the democratic republic of the congo, the cabinet is more commonly simply referred to as the government.
Other freedom house democratic republic of the congo content can be found on the democratic republic of the congo portal page. The country is called and known by different name variations. For decades, drc has suffered a multitude of crises. Democratic republic of the congo government and society. Republic of the congo relations the united states established diplomatic relations with the republic of the congo in 1960, following the countrys independence from france. The republic of the congos economy is a mixture of subsistence farming, an industrial sector based largely on oil and support services, and government spending. Democratic republic of congo overview world bank group. The democratic republic of the congo drc is a country located in central africa with a short atlantic ocean coastline. Gender based violence in the democratic republic of the. Relations with republic of the congo united states. Unique congo, democratic republic of the content for tourists, students, business or those interested in our world. A bridge across the congo river still needs to be constructed to connect the two political centers. It is the second largest country in africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world. Top 10 facts about poverty in the democratic republic of the.
Dr congo is a vast country with immense economic resources and, until recently, has been. An estimated 65 million congolese, of whom more than 65 per cent are young people, live in rural areas. The democratic republic of congo is widely considered one of the worlds richest countries in natural resources. As of 2004, there were approximately 1,100,000 people living with hivaids in the country. The democratic republic of the congo lies in the area of africa with the highest number of cases of aids. It is bordered by the central african republic and south sudan to the north. Democratic republic of the congo hunger relief in africa. These features of democratic republic give us an insight into its definition, its characteristics, its origination, how it has been applied as a governance by many nations worldwide, etc. Named after the enormous congo river and the large ethnic group living at its mouth, the kongo, the democratic. Kinshasa and brazzaville in the nextdoor republic of congo are the closest capital cities in the world with the exception of vatican city and rome. Democratic republic of the congo united states department.
The second largest country in africa, the democratic republic of the congo drc is wellknown for its political instability. They are located next to each other and have similar names, but they are different countries. There were an estimated 100,000 deaths from aids in 2003. Our assistance supports free, fair, and credible elections and improves access to information so that citizens may participate fully in the democratic process, and make more informed decisions. The congo is situated in westcentral africa astride the equator. It borders gabon, cameroon, the central african republic, the democratic republic of the congo, and the angola exclave of cabinda, with a short stretch of coast on the south atlantic. Democratic republic of the congo kids britannica kids.
The democratic republic of the congo shares borders with the central african republic, south sudan, uganda, rwanda, burundi, lake tanganyika, zambia, angola, the republic of the congo, and the congo river. In 2018, the countrys food security deteriorated sharply. The violence peaked in november, when the rebels took goma in eastern congo. A number of lakes front the countrys eastern borders, including lakes albert, edward, kivu, mweru and tanganyika. Democratic republic of congo drc is africas second largest country, with great mineral and natural resources. Geography of democratic republic of the congo, landforms. Features of democratic republic democratic republic facts. The congo has 70% of the worlds coltan, a third of its cobalt, more than 30% of its diamond reserves, and a tenth of its copper. Only 1 percent of the drcs citizens have access to. In the democratic republic of the congo, rape is widely used as a weapon of war against women, men and children. Neighboring countries include angola, burundi, central african republic, republic of the congo, rwanda, south sudan, tanzania, uganda, and zambia. Africa congo, democratic republic of the the world. Rwanda, which is led by tutsi paul kagame, is widely suspected of not only supplying arms to the rebels but also fighting alongside them.
Citizens are unable to freely exercise basic civil liberties, and corruption is endemic throughout the government. Throughout 2018, government officials and security forces. The full freedom in the world 2020 narrative report for democratic republic of the congo will be posted as soon as it becomes available. Ten interesting facts about the democratic republic of congo. The people of the drc represent over 200 ethnic groups, with nearly 250 languages and dialects spoken throughout the country. Extremely rich in resources, but the wealth is poorly distributed. The capital, kinshasa, is located on the congo river about 320 miles 515 km from its mouth. Politics of the democratic republic of the congo wikipedia. In addition to being in charge of the executory tasks of the government, the president also appoints the prime minister and judges and is commander and chief of armed forces.
The government of the democratic republic of the congo is the second institution in the central executive branch of the democratic republic of the congo, the. Another important fact that should not be missed is the different variations or government types. Democratic republic of the congo news top stories from. The political system in the democratic republic of congo drc has been paralyzed in recent years by the repeated postponement of elections, though highly problematic balloting was finally held at the end of 2018. The congo river flows through the country and along its western border. Infoplease has everything you need to know about congo, democratic republic of the. The government, however, failed to organize elections in. Congo which distinguishes this country from the other congo, which is often called congo brazzaville. Establishes the roles and structure of the executive, judicial, and legislative. The democratic republic of the congo is named for the congo river, which flows through the entire country.
The democratic republic of the congo also known as dr congo, drc, droc, congokinshasa or simply the congo is a country located in central africa the official name of the country is the democratic republic of the congo the official language is french. Democratic republic of the congo country profile nations. Interesting facts about the democratic republic of congo. Gender based violence in the democratic republic of the congo. Check out our country profile, full of essential information about congo, democratic republic of thes geography, history, government, economy, population, culture, religion and languages. The democratic republic of the congo drc is a nominally centralized constitutional republic. During the 20th century, the country was subjected to a brutal period of belgian colonial rule. Official web sites of democratic republic of the congo, links and information on democratic republic of the congos art, culture, geography, history, travel and tourism, cities, the capital city, airlines, embassies, tourist boards and newspapers. Key facts and priorities of humanitarian actors source. The highest point of the democratic republic of the congo is mt.
Democratic republic of the congo democratic republic of the congo government and society. More information about republic of the congo is available on the republic of the congo page and from other department of state publications and other sources listed at the end of this fact sheet. The democratic republic of the congo is the second largest nation in subsaharan africa, with a population of more than 77 million that is growing by nearly 3 per cent a year. Check out our country profile, full of essential information about congo, democratic republic of thes geography, history, government, economy, population. The people of the democratic republic of congo drc have suffered greatly over the past 40 years. Ethnic conflict and a civil war between government troops and rebel groups in eastern congo have contributed to high levels of poverty. There were probably people living in the area that is today known as the democratic republic of. Politics of the democratic republic of congo take place in a framework of a republic in transition from a civil war to a semipresidential republic on 18 and 19 december 2005, a successful nationwide referendum was carried out on a draft constitution, which set the stage for elections in 2006. The drc is still recovering from a series of conflicts that broke out in the 1990s. The democratic republic of the congo, or drc, covers 905,063 miles making it one quarter the size of the united states. Usaid programs strengthen the ability of the government of the drc and civil society organizations to deliver basic services and encourages greater citizen participation in political processes. Jan 10, 2019 a chronology of key events in the history of the democratic republic of congo, from the 1200s to the present. Its area is nearly three times that of pennsylvania.
Only 1 percent of the drcs citizens have access to basic financial services. Systemic corruption since independence in 1960, combined with countrywide instability and intermittent conflict that began in the early90s, has reduced national output and government revenue, and increased. Congo s civil war 19982003 was essentially ended by a powersharing agreement that created the transitional constitution of 2003, which provided for a transitional government that consisted of representatives from various rebel groups, the previous government, the political opposition, and. Citizens are unable to freely exercise basic civil liberties, and corruption is. Under the constitution, president joseph kabilas second and final term in office expired in 2016. Congo is the second largest country in the african continent. Mar 23, 2009 m23 fought government troops throughout the year, taking over city after city. The western tip of the country touches the atlantic ocean the congo river flows through the country and along its western border. The economy of the democratic republic of the congo a nation endowed with vast natural resource wealth continues to perform poorly. A chronology of key events in the history of the democratic republic of congo, from the 1200s to the present. Africa congo, democratic republic of the the world factbook. The democratic republic of congos economic freedom score is 50. Official web sites of democratic republic of the congo, links and information on democratic republic of the congo s art, culture, geography, history, travel and tourism, cities, the capital city, airlines, embassies, tourist boards and newspapers. Oil has supplanted forestry as the mainstay of the economy, providing a major share of government revenues and exports.
The cabinet is headed by the prime minister, also known as the head of government, appointed by the president, from the political party, the group or the coalition that holds the majority of seats in the national assembly. Jan 10, 2019 the recent history of the democratic republic of congo dr congo has been one of civil war and corruption. Top 10 facts about child soldiers in the democratic republic. Rwanda, which is led by tutsi paul kagame, is widely suspected of not only supplying. Voters popularly elect the president and the lower house of parliament national assembly. Officially known as the democratic republic of the congo, the country has a 25mile 40km coastline on the atlantic ocean but is otherwise landlocked. The western tip of the country touches the atlantic ocean. The congo river is the second longest river in africa after nile and the second largest river in the world by discharge volume of water after the amazon, and the worlds deepest river with measured depths in excess of 220 m 720 ft.
Angola, burundi, the central african republic, the republic of congo, rwanda, south sudan, tanzania, uganda, and zambia. The democratic republic of the congo borders the central african republic and sudan to the north, uganda, rwanda and burundi in the east, zambia and angola to the south, the republic of the congo to the west and is separated from tanzania by lake tanganyika in the east. The democratic republic of congo is the third largest country on the african continent. Congos civil war 19982003 was essentially ended by a powersharing agreement that created the transitional constitution of 2003, which provided for a transitional government that consisted of representatives from various rebel groups, the previous government, the political opposition, and. The democratic republic of the congo is the second largest country in africa. However, fairly weak revenues are limiting the governments flexibility to. Congo, democratic republic of the overview customs and culture diet and recipes language religion students life interesting facts. Legal and political structure dr congo national investment. Learn facts about democratic republic of congo and poverty. The democratic republic of the congo is a different country from the republic of the congo. Posted 24 may 2019 originally published 24 may 2019 origin.
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