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Democratic Republic of the Congo

CD / COD   -2.9°, 23.7°

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo, and formerly named Zaire, is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is the second-largest country in Africa and the eleventh-largest in the world. With a population of about 124 million people, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the fourth-most populous country in Africa and the most populous Francophone country in the world. French is the official and most widely spoken language. There are over 200 indigenous languages, of which Lingala is the most widely spoken. The capital, largest city, and economic center is Kinshasa. The DRC is bordered by the Republic of the Congo, the Cabinda exclave of Angola, and the South Atlantic Ocean to the west; the Central African Republic and South Sudan to the north; Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and Tanzania to the east; and Zambia and Angola to the south. Centered on the Congo Basin, most of the DRC's terrain is covered by dense rainforests and is crossed by many rivers. The east and southeast are mountainous.

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Capital
Kinshasa
Population
105,789,731
Area
2,344,858 km2
Climate
Tropical
Government
Semi-presidential republic
Currency
Congolese franc
Languages
French, Lingala, Kingwana
Sells
refined copper, cobalt, copper ore, raw copper
Sells to
China 69%, UAE 7%, India 3%
Land borders
9: Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo ...
Drives on the
right
Calling code
+243
Founded
1960
Hemisphere
Southern

Where it is

Languages

Share of the population that speaks each. Click one to see every country that speaks it.

Frenchofficial

Largest cities

Kinshasa  capital 16,000,000
Lubumbashi 2,221,925
Mbuji-Mayi 2,101,332
Kananga 1,247,168
Kisangani 1,181,788

Form of government

Semi-presidential republic.

Climate and geography

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)

Climate zone

Highest point

Southern hemisphere.

Figures from its history

Patrice Lumumba
Patrice Lumumba First prime minister, assassinated in 1961 Patrice Émery Lumumba was a Congolese politician, independence leader and revolutionary who served as the first prime minister of the First Congolese Republic from June until September 1960, following his party's success in the May 1960 election.
Mobutu Sese Seko
Mobutu Sese Seko Dictator, 1965-1997 Mobutu Sese Seko Nkuku Ngbendu wa za Banga, often shortened to Mobutu Sese Seko or Mobutu and also known by his initials MSS, was a Congolese politician and military officer who was the first and only president of Zaire from 1971 to 1997.
Denis Mukwege
Denis Mukwege Nobel laureate surgeon Denis Mukwege is a Congolese humanitarian, gynecologist and Pentecostal pastor.