Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Democratic Republic Of The Congo |
Democratic Republic Of The CongoNoun1. A republic in central Africa; achieved independence from Belgium in 1960. Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Synonym: Democratic Republic Of The CongoSynonym: zaire (n). (additional references) |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
It is sometimes called Congo-Kinshasa, after its capital, to distinguish it from the Republic of Congo, or Congo-Brazzaville.
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| National motto: None | |||||
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| Official language | French | ||||
| Capital | Kinshasa | ||||
| President | Joseph Kabila | ||||
| Area - Total - % water | Ranked 12th 2,345,410 km² 3.3% | ||||
| Population
- Total - Density | Ranked 23rd
55,225,478 24/km² | ||||
| Independence
- Date | From Belgium
June 30, 1960 | ||||
| Currency | Congolese franc | ||||
| Time zone | UTC +1 to UTC +2 | ||||
| National anthem | Debout Kongolaise | ||||
| Internet TLD | .CD | ||||
| Calling Code | 243 | ||||
The area now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo was populated as early as 10,000 years ago, and settled in the 7th and 8th centuries by Bantus from present-day Nigeria.
European exploration and exploitation took place from the 1870s until the 1920s. The rape of the Congo Free State stands alone as the single most brutal and greedy episode of colonisation in modern history.
Since 1994, DR Congo has been rent by ethnic strife and civil war, touched off by a massive inflow of refugees from fighting in Rwanda and Burundi. The government of former president Mobutu Sese Seko was toppled by a rebellion led by Laurent-Desire Kabila in May 1997; his regime was subsequently challenged by a Rwanda- and Uganda-backed rebellion in August 1998. Troops from Zimbabwe, Angola, Namibia, Chad, and Sudan intervened to support the Kinshasa regime. See Foreign relations of Congo.
A cease-fire was signed on 10 July 1999; nevertheless, fighting continues apace especially in the eastern part of the country, financed by revenues from the illegal extraction of minerals such as coltan. Kabila was assassinated in January 2001 and his son Joseph Kabila was named head of state. The new president quickly began overtures to end the war. Fighting continued, even after an accord signed in South Africa in 2002. But by late 2003, a fragile peace prevailed. Kabila appointed four vice-presidents, two who had been fighting to oust him until July, 2003.
The government of former president Mobutu Sese Seko was toppled by a rebellion led by Laurent Kabila in May 1997; his regime was subsequently challenged by a Rwanda- and Uganda-backed rebellion in August 1998. Troops from Zimbabwe, Angola, Namibia, Chad, and Sudan intervened to support the Kinshasa regime. A cease-fire was signed on 10 July 1999 by the DROC, Zimbabwe, Angola, Uganda, Namibia, Rwanda, and Congolese armed rebel groups, but sporadic fighting continued. Kabila was assassinated on 16 January 2001 and his son Joseph Kabila was named head of state ten days later. In October 2002, the new president was successful in getting occupying Rwandan forces to withdraw from eastern Congo; two months later, an agreement was signed by all remaining warring parties to end the fighting and set up a government of national unity.
The Congo is divided into 10 provinces, and 1 independent city (Kinshasa):
The Congo is located in the west-central part of sub-Saharan Africa.
It straddles the Equator, with one-third to the north and two-thirds to the south. Clockwise from the west, it is bounded by Angola, the Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic, the Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania across Lake Tanganyika, and Zambia.
The capital, Kinshasa, is located in the country's western salient, immediately across the Congo River from Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of Congo.
The Congo includes the greater part of the Congo River Basin, which covers an area of almost a million square kilometers. The country's only outlet to the Atlantic Ocean is a narrow strip of land on the north bank of the Congo River.
The vast, low-lying central area is a basin-shaped plateau sloping toward the west and covered by tropical rainforest. This area is surrounded by mountainous terraces in the west, plateaux merging into savannas in the south and southwest, and dense grasslands extending beyond the Congo River in the north.
Sparsely populated in relation to its area, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is home to a vast potential of natural resources and mineral wealth, yet the economy of the country has declined drastically since the mid-1980s. Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy, accounting for 55% of GDP in 2000.
The population was estimated at 56.6 million in 2003, growing quicky from 46.7 million in 1997. As many as 250 ethnic groups have been distinguished and named. The most numerous people are the Kongo, Luba, and Mongo. Although 700 local languages and dialects are spoken, the linguistic variety is bridged both by the use of French and the intermediary languages Kikongo, Tshiluba, Swahili, and Ligala.
About 80% of the Congolese population are Christian, predominantly Roman Catholic. Most of the non-Christians adhere to either traditional religions or syncretic sects. Traditional religions embody such concepts as monotheism, animism, vitalism, spirit and ancestor worship, witchcraft, and sorcery and vary widely among ethnic groups; none is formalized. The syncretic sects often merge Christianity with traditional beliefs and rituals. The most popular of these sects, Kimbanguism, was seen as a threat to the colonial regime and was banned by the Belgians. Kimbanguism, officially "the church of Christ on Earth by the prophet Simon Kimbangu," now has about 3 million members, primarily among the Bakongo of Bas-Congo and Kinshasa.
History
Main article: History of the Democratic Republic of the CongoPolitics
Main article: Politics of the Democratic Republic of the CongoPolitical divisions
Main article: Political divisions of the Democratic Republic of the CongoGeography
Main article: Geography of the Democratic Republic of the CongoEconomy
Main article: Economy of the Democratic Republic of the CongoDemographics
Main article: Demographics of the Democratic Republic of the CongoCulture
Main article: Culture of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
| Date | English Name | Local Name | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 30 | Independence Day |
See also:
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Democratic Republic of the Congo."
Crosswords: Democratic Republic Of The Congo |
| English words defined with "Democratic Republic of the Congo": Kinshasa ♦ Leopoldville. (references) |
| Specialty definitions using "Democratic Republic of the Congo": Africa, Central ♦ Congolese franc. (references) |
| Domain | Title |
Books | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Health | Situation - Occurred in Kikwit, Democratic Republic of the Congo. (references) | |
Confirmed cases of Ebola HF have been reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Sudan, the Ivory Coast, and Uganda. (references) | ||
The disease is caused by infection with Ebola virus, named after a river in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire) in Africa, where it was first recognized. (references) | ||
Civil Liberties | Namibia | The remaining refugees are from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania, and other African countries. (references) |
Cameroon | Other refugees principally were from Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with small numbers from Liberia, Sudan, and Ethiopia. (references) | |
Burkina Faso | Most are nationals of Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Republic of the Congo; others are from Chad, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. (references) | |
Economic History | Democratic Republic of Congo | In August 1998, a war broke out in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. (references) |
Angola | It also is bordered by the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia to the east. (references) | |
Rwanda | Rwanda is exploiting these natural resources through joint hydroelectric projects with Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. (references) | |
Human Rights | Burundi | The law does not provide for forced exile, and the Government does not use forced exile as a means of political control; however, many persons remained in voluntary exile in Belgium, Kenya, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and elsewhere. (references) |
Gambia | There reportedly was no action taken against the responsible members of the security forces, police, or government officials who tortured, beat, raped, or otherwise abused persons in the following cases: The May 2000 beating of a journalist from the Democratic Republic of the Congo; the January 2000 mistreatment of Ousman Ceesay; and the 1999 case of an alleged severe beating and torture of an opposition politician who was arrested and detained for 2 days. (references) | |
Political Economy | Sudan | Citizens have fled to Uganda, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Central African Republic. (references) |
Trade | Botswana | Botswana along with 13 other southern African states (Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DROC), Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, the Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe) is a member of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). (references) |
Travel | Chad | There are Chadian embassies in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Sudan, Libya, Nigeria, Niger, Benin, Algeria, Germany, Egypt, Ethiopia, Lebanon, France, Benelux and the EU, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Italy, Russia, and the United States which can provide entry visas. (references) |
Worker Rights | France | Women were also trafficked from Haiti and Africa, particularly Nigeria, Togo, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. (references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| Language | Translations for "Democratic Republic of the Congo"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Danish | Den Demokratiske Republik Congo, Congo (Brazil, Congo, Congo copal, India, Republic of the Congo, The People's Republic of the Congo), CD (candle power). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Dutch | Democratische Republiek Congo (Democratic Republic of Congo), CD (candlepower). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Finnish | Kongon demokraattinen tasavalta, CD. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
French | République démocratique du Congo (Democratic Republic of Congo), la République démocratique du Congo, Congo, COD, CD (certificate of deposit, deposit certificate). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
German | Demokratische Republik Kongo (Congo), Kongo-Kinshasa (Congo), Kongo (Congo, Republic of the Congo, The People's Republic of the Congo, Zaire), COD (Congo), CD (candela, cd, certificate of deposit, compact disc, conceptual dependency, Congo, digital audio disc). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Greek | Λαϊκή "ημοκρατία του Κονγκό, CD (CD, compact disk, digital audio disc, optical disk). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Italian | Repubblica democratica del Congo (Congo), Congo (Congo, Republic of the Congo, The People's Republic of the Congo), COD:Kinshasa:nuovo zaire (Congo), CD (candela, certificate of deposit, Congo, deposit certificate). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Pig Latin | emocraticday epublicray ofay ethay ongocay República Democrática do Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, CD (cd, certificate of deposit, compact disk, deposit certificate). (various references) República Democrática del Congo, CD (certificate of deposit, deposit certificate, differentiated appropriations). (various references) Demokratiska republiken Kongo, CD (digital audio disc). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Hexadecimal (or equivalents, 770AD-1900s) (references)44 65 6D 6F 63 72 61 74 69 63 52 65 70 75 62 6C 69 63 4F 66 54 68 65 43 6F 6E 67 6F |
| Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519; backwards) (references)
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Binary Code (1918-1938, probably earlier) (references)01000100 01100101 01101101 01101111 01100011 01110010 01100001 01110100 01101001 01100011 00100000 01010010 01100101 01110000 01110101 01100010 01101100 01101001 01100011 00100000 01001111 01100110 00100000 01010100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01000011 01101111 01101110 01100111 01101111 |
HTML Code (1990) (references)D e m o c r a t i c   R e p u b l i c   O f   T h e   C o n g o |
ISO 10646 (1991-1993) (references)0044 0065 006D 006F 0063 0072 0061 0074 0069 0063 0052 0065 0070 0075 0062 006C 0069 0063 004F 0066 0054 0068 0065 0043 006F 006E 0067 006F |
Encryption (beginner's substitution cypher): (references)387179816984678675692527182876878756924972254747123781807381 |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Commercial | 5. Quotations: Non-fiction 6. Translations: Modern 7. Orthography 8. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
