An Introduction to Democratic Republic of Congo
Africa's 'Heart of Darkness', The Democratic Republic of Congo is located in Central Africa (although it is a member of the Southern African Development Community). Established as a Belgian colony in 1908, the then-Republic of'the Congo gained its independence in 1960 and was led by Col. Joseph Mobutu for 30 years after a coup in 1965, becoming Zaire during this time. See full country profile.Latest Research News from Africa
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GOVERNMENT: Republic
AREA: 2,344,858 sq km
POPULATION: 71,712,867 (July 2011 est)
MAJOR LANGUAGE: French
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Africa's 'Heart of Darkness', The Democratic Republic of Congo is located in Central Africa (although it is a member of the Southern African Development Community). Established as a Belgian colony in 1908, the then-Republic of'the Congo gained its independence in 1960 and was led by Col. Joseph Mobutu for 30 years after a coup in 1965, becoming Zaire during this time.
In 1997 the regime was toppled by a rebellion backed by Rwanda and Uganda and fronted by Laurent Kabila who renamed the country as DRC - Kabila was then deposed in another rebellion by his son Joseph during the Second Congo War. The War, beginning in 1998, devastated the country, involved seven foreign armies and is sometimes referred to as the "African World War". Despite the signing of peace accords in 2003, fighting continues in the east of the country along with rape and other sexual violence described as the world's worst. The war is the deadliest conflict since World War II, killing 5.4 million people.Although its citizens are among the very poorest, in terms of natural resources the country is widely considered to be the world's richest: its untapped deposits of raw minerals are estimated to be worth in excess of US$ 24 trillion.
GDP: $23.12 billion (2010 est) - $300 (PPP 2010 est)
Religions Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant 20%, Kimbanguist 10%, Muslim 10%, other (includes syncretic sects and indigenous beliefs) 10%
Currency: Congolese Franc (CDF) - 1 GBP= 1514 CDF
Telephone Code: +243
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Democratic Republic of Congo has no MR association. If you know differently, please get in touch! chris@mrweb.comThe economy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo - a nation endowed with vast potential wealth - is slowly recovering from decades of decline. Systemic corruption since independence in 1960 and conflict that began in May 1997 has dramatically reduced national output and government revenue. Foreign businesses curtailed operations due to uncertainty about the outcome of the conflict, lack of infrastructure, and the difficult operating environment. Conditions began to improve in late 2002 with the withdrawal of a large portion of the invading foreign troops. A United Nations Human Development Index report shows human development to be one of the worst in decades.
The economy of the third largest country in Africa relies heavily on mining. However, much economic activity occurs in the informal sector and is not reflected in GDP data. The Congo is the world's largest producer of cobalt ore, and a major producer of copper and industrial diamonds. The Congo has 70% of the world's coltan, and more than 30% of the world's diamond reserves, mostly in the form of small, industrial diamonds. The coltan is a major source of tantalum, which is used in the fabrication of electronic components in computers and mobile phones.
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