In Africa, there are two states whose full name appears the name of the Congo River. Their full names are: Republic of the Congo (capital of Brazzaville), Democratic Republic of the Congo (capital of Kinshasa). The article will focus on the second state, which is abbreviated as DRC.
Having unlimited resources in the form of water, forests, minerals, it has an underdeveloped economy and belongs to extremely unstable states of the world.
Basic data:
- Area - 2 million 345 thousand km².
- The population is 75, 507, 000 people (as of 2013).
- The official language is French, and four more languages have the status of national languages (chiluba, huahili, kikongo, lingala).
- The form of government is a mixed republic.
- The monetary unit is the Congolese franc, which is equal to 100 centimes.
Country history
The name of the state is associated with the empire, which existed in the late 14th - early 19th century. It was created by the nationality that still exists - "bakongo", which means "people of the Congo", that is, "people-hunters".
Not so long ago, the DRC was called Zaire, which means “river”. This is due to the largest river system in Africa Congo.
The most ancient tribes here were the pygmies. Then came the bakongos, who brought agriculture. By the 15th century, the Portuguese appeared on the lands, and the period of the slave trade began. Congolese slaves were used on plantations in America. For a long time, this was the main income of the Congo.
At the end of the 19th century, the Belgians settled in the country, who in 1908 made their colony from Congo. The country gained independence in 1960. This was due to the activities of Patrice Lumumba.
From 1960 to 1971, the state was called the Republic of the Congo, from 1971 to 1997 - Zaire, from 1997 to the present time - the DRC.
Geographical position
The state is located in the center of the continent, it is crossed by the equator. There is little access to the Atlantic Ocean. The coastline is 37 km.
The country is rich in water resources in the form of rivers, lakes, swamps. Its main natural asset is the energy of the rivers. It is located in the zone of the following climatic zones: equatorial, subequatorial. An African rift borders the DRC on the east side.
Minerals
The country is rich in many minerals. First of all, it is copper, cobalt, iron ore, gold, silver, diamonds, oil, tin, manganese, zinc, uranium. Particular attention is paid today to large reserves of columbite tantalite.
In its processed form, tantalite acts as the main component of capacitors. They, in turn, are an indispensable part of most modern appliances.
Tantalite capacitors are used for:
- mobile phones;
- computer processors;
- jet engines;
- night vision devices;
- audio and video equipment.
With the development of mobile technology in the country, tantalite fever began. Prior to this, the largest mines were in Australia, Brazil and Canada. The discovery of significant reserves of tantalite has led to the fact that Rwanda and Uganda are fighting for these territories. Since the proceeds from its sale are greater than those from diamonds, military and political clashes between the three countries do not stop.
At the same time, tantalite mining does not stop. It is illegally transported to Europe, sold on the black market and, after processing, used in modern devices.
Animal world
Due to its vast territory, the presence of a large number of rivers and lakes, having a significant forest area, the Democratic Republic of the Congo boasts a significant diversity of fauna representatives.
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Representatives of the fauna |
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Animals |
Elephant, lion, chimpanzee, giraffe, zebra, earthwolf, hippo |
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Reptiles |
Crocodile, snake mamba |
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Birds |
Flamingo, parrot, nectaria, pelican, heron, lapwing |
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Insects |
Tsetse fly, mosquito and many others |
Population
The Republic of Congo is the largest African country in terms of population. It is constantly growing due to high birth rates. Moreover, the average life expectancy does not exceed 55 years.
The state contains many nationalities. According to some estimates of the peoples and ethnic groups living in it, more than 200. They speak 700 dialects.
By religion, about 70% of the population are Christians who are divided into Catholics and Protestants. Equally important are traditional African beliefs, as well as Islam.
Most of the population lives in the valleys of rivers, lakes, as well as near the capital. The city of Kinshasa is huge and occupies an important place in the economic life of the whole country.
Economic activity
Although the country's economic development has become better than on the threshold of the 21st century, it remains low. Most of the population is engaged in agriculture and mining.
They grow a large number of crops that are exported. Among them are bananas, palm trees, corn, cocoa, coffee, rice, rubber.
Almost all manufacturing is concentrated in Kinshasa. Therefore, the capital is of great importance. The Democratic Republic of the Congo does not produce finished products, limited to raw materials that are sold to countries in Europe and America.
Political structure
Today, the People’s Republic of the Congo has a stable presidential system of government. Since 2006, there is a new Constitution, which retained a bicameral system in parliament. Then the Democratic Republic of the Congo, whose flag was updated, received a mixed form of government.
The president shares executive power with the prime minister. The regions have expanded their powers due to the possibility of electing governors as heads of regional governments.
Since 2007, the current president is Joseph Kabila. His election party won the most seats in Parliament.
