Democratic Republic of the Congo

Democratic Republic of the Congo
République démocratique du Congo  (French)
Repubilika ya Kôngo ya Dimokalasi  (Kongo)
Republíki ya Kongó Demokratíki  (Lingala)
Jamhuri ya Kidemokrasia ya Kongo  (Swahili)
Ditunga dia Kongu wa Mungalaata  (Luba-Katanga)
Motto: "Justice – Paix – Travail" (French)
"Justice – Peace – Work"
Anthem: Debout Congolais  (French)
"Arise, Congolese"
Location of  Democratic Republic of the Congo  (dark green)
Location of  Democratic Republic of the Congo  (dark green)
Capital
and largest city
Kinshasa
4°19′S 15°19′E / 4.317°S 15.317°E / -4.317; 15.317
Official languagesFrench & Swahili
Recognised national languagesLingala
Kikongo
Tshiluba
Ethnic groups
See Ethnic groups section below
Demonym(s)Congolese
GovernmentUnitary semi-presidential republic
• President
Félix Tshisekedi
Judith Suminwa Tuluka
LegislatureParliament
Senate
National Assembly
Formation
• Colonised
17 November 1879
1 July 1885
15 November 1908
30 June 1960[1]
20 September 1960
• Renamed to Democratic Republic of Congo
1 August 1964
29 October 1971
17 May 1997
18 February 2006
Area
• Total
2,345,409 km2 (905,567 sq mi) (11th)
• Water (%)
3.32
Population
• 2021 estimate
95,894,118[2][3] (16th)
• Density
34.83/km2 (90.2/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)2017 estimate
• Total
$67.988 billion[4]
• Per capita
$785[4]
GDP (nominal)2017 estimate
• Total
$40.415 billion[4]
• Per capita
$446[4]
Gini (2006)Negative increase 44.4[5]
medium
HDI (2018)Increase 0.470[6]
low · 176th
CurrencyCongolese franc (CDF)
Time zoneUTC+1 to +2 (WAT and CAT)
Driving sideright
Calling code+243
ISO 3166 codeCD
Internet TLD.cd
Principal rivers and lakes of the Democratic Republic of Congo

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (French: République démocratique du Congo), commonly referred to as DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa or the DRC, is a country in central Africa. It was known as Zaïre from 1971 to 1997. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world. With a population of over 71 million,[1] the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the nineteenth most populous nation in the world, the fourth most populous nation in Africa, as well as the most populous Francophone (French-speaking) country.

DRC borders the Central African Republic and South Sudan to the north; Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi in the east; Zambia and Angola to the south; the Republic of the Congo, the Angolan exclave of Cabinda, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. It is separated from Tanzania by Lake Tanganyika in the east.[1] The country has access to the ocean through a 40-kilometre (25 mi) stretch of Atlantic coastline at Muanda and the roughly 9 km wide mouth of the Congo River which opens into the Gulf of Guinea. It has the second-highest total Christian population in Africa.

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Central Intelligence Agency (2014). "Democratic Republic of Congo". The World Factbook. Langley, Virginia: Central Intelligence Agency. Archived from the original on 18 May 2020. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  2. "World Population Prospects 2022". population.un.org. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  3. "World Population Prospects 2022: Demographic indicators by region, subregion and country, annually for 1950-2100" (XSLX). population.un.org ("Total Population, as of 1 July (thousands)"). United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "Democratic Republic of the Congo". International Monetary Fund.
  5. "GINI index". World Bank. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
  6. "2018 Human Development Report". United Nations Development Programme. 2018. Archived from the original on 14 September 2018. Retrieved 14 September 2018.

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