Congo, Democratic Republic of

Congo, Democratic Republic of

General Information
Geography
Government
Economy
Population
Health
Communications and media
Chronology


GENERAL INFORMATION

National name République Démocratique du Congo/Democratic Republic of Congo Area 2,344,900 sq km/905,366 sq mi Capital Kinshasa Language French (official), Swahili, Lingala, Kikongo, Tshiluba (all national languages), over 200 other languages Religion Roman Catholic 41%, Protestant 32%, Kimbanguist 13%, animist 10%, Muslim 1–5% Time difference GMT +1/2 Major holidays 1, 4 January, 1, 20 May, 24, 30 June, 1 August, 14, 27 October, 17, 24 November, 25 December


GEOGRAPHY

Major towns/cities Lubumbashi, Kananga, Mbuji-Mayi, Kisangani, Kolwezi, Likasi, Boma Major ports Matadi, Kalemie Physical features Congo River basin has tropical rainforest (second-largest remaining in world) and savannah; mountains in east and west; lakes Tanganyika, Albert, Edward; Ruwenzori Range Airports five international airports and over 40 domestic airports and 150 landing strips; total passengers carried: 95,000 (2003 est) Railways total length: 3,641 km/2,262 mi; total passenger journeys: 160,000 (2002) Roads total road network: 157,000 km/97,560 mi (1999 est); passenger cars: 16.9 per 1,000 people (1996 est)


GOVERNMENT

Head of state and government Antoine Gizenga from 2007 Political system military Political executive military Administrative divisions 10 provinces and one city (Kinshasa) Political parties Popular Movement of the Revolution (MPR), African socialist; Democratic Forces of Congo–Kinshasa (formerly Sacred Union, an alliance of some 130 opposition groups), moderate, centrist; Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UPDS), left of centre; Congolese National Movement–Lumumba (MNC), left of centre Death penalty retained and used for ordinary crimes Armed forces 64,800 (2006 est) Conscription military service is voluntary Defence spend (% GDP) 2.1 (2005 est) Health spend (% GDP) 0.7 (2004)


ECONOMY

Currency Congolese franc GDP (US$) 7 billion (2005 est) Real GDP growth (% change on previous year) 7.4 (2006 est) GNI (US$) 6.9 billion (2005 est) GNI per capita (PPP) (US$) 720 (2005 est) Consumer price inflation 10% (2006 est) Labour force 65% agriculture, 15% industry, 20% services (2000) Foreign debt (US$) 12.6 billion (2005 est) Major trading partners Belgium, South Africa, USA, France, China, Zambia, India Resources petroleum, copper, cobalt (65% of world's reserves), manganese, zinc, tin, uranium, silver, gold, diamonds (one of the world's largest producers of industrial diamonds) Industries textiles, cement, food processing, tobacco, rubber, engineering, wood products, leather, metallurgy and metal extraction, food production, clothing Exports mineral products (mainly copper, cobalt, industrial diamonds, and petroleum), agricultural products (chiefly coffee). Principal market: Belgium 38.3% (2005) Imports manufactured goods, food and live animals, machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, mineral fuels and lubricants, consumer goods. Principal source: South Africa 16.6% (2005) Arable land 2.9% (2006 est) Agricultural products coffee, palm oil, palm kernels, sugar cane, cassava, plantains, maize, groundnuts, bananas, yams, rice, rubber, seed cotton; forest resources


POPULATION

Population 59,319,700 (2006 est) Population growth rate 3.1% (2005–10) Population density (per sq km) 25 (2006 est) Urban population (% of total) 33 (2005 est) Age distribution (% of total population) 0–14 47%, 15–59 49%, 60+ 4% (2005 est) Ethnic groups almost entirely of African descent, distributed among over 200 ethnic groups, the most numerous being the Kongo, Luba, Lunda, Mongo, and Zande Life expectancy 44 (men); 46 (women) (2005–10) Child mortality rate (under 5, per 1,000 live births) 205 (2004) Education (compulsory years) 8 Literacy rate 76% (men); 55% (women) (2003 est)


HEALTH

Physicians (per 10,000 people) 0.7 (2004 est) Hospital beds (per 1,000 people) 1.4 (2002 est) HIV infection (% of population aged 15–49) 3.2 (2005 est) AIDS deaths 90,000 (2005 est) Access to drinking-water source (% of total population) 83 (urban); 29 (rural) (2002)


COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA

Landline telephones (per 100 people) 0.02 (2004 est) Mobile phone subscribers (per 100 people) 4.8 (2005 est) Radios (per 1,000 people) 386 (2001 est) TV sets (per 1,000 people) 4 (2004 est) Internet users (per 100 people) 0.2 (2005 est)


CHRONOLOGY

13th century Rise of Kongo Empire, centred on banks of the Congo River. 1483 First visited by the Portuguese, who named the area Zaire (from Zadi, ‘big water’) and converted local rulers to Christianity. 16th–17th centuries Great development of slave trade by Portuguese, Dutch, British, and French merchants, initially supplied by Kongo intermediaries. 18th century Rise of Luba state, in southern copper belt of north Katanga, and Lunda, in Kasai region in central south. mid-19th century Eastern Zaire invaded by Arab slave traders from East Africa. 1874–77 Welsh-born US explorer Henry Morton Stanley navigated Congo River to Atlantic Ocean. 1879–87 Stanley engaged by King Leopold II of Belgium to sign protection treaties with local chiefs and the ‘Congo Free State’ was awarded to Leopold by 1884–85 Berlin Conference; great expansion in rubber export, using forced labour. 1908 Leopold was forced to relinquish personal control of Congo Free State, after international condemnation of human-rights abuses. Became a colony of the Belgian Congo and important exporter of minerals. 1959 Riots in Kinshasa (Léopoldville) persuaded Belgium to decolonize rapidly. 1960 Independence achieved as Republic of the Congo. Civil war broke out between central government based in Kinshasa (Léopoldville) with Joseph Kasavubu as president, and rich mining province of Katanga. 1961 Former prime minister Patrice Lumumba was murdered in Katanga; fighting between mercenaries engaged by Katanga secessionist leader Moise Tshombe, and United Nations (UN) troops; Kasai and Kivu provinces also sought (briefly) to secede. 1963 Katanga secessionist war ended; Tshombe forced into exile. 1964 Tshombe returned from exile to become prime minister; pro-Marxist groups took control of eastern Zaire. The country was renamed the Democratic Republic of Congo. 1965 Western-backed Col Sese Seko Mobutu seized power in coup, ousting Kasavubu and Tshombe. 1971 Country renamed Republic of Zaire, with Mobutu as president as authenticité (Africanization) policy launched. 1972 Mobutu's Popular Movement of the Revolution (MPR) became sole legal political party; Katanga province renamed Shaba. 1974 Foreign-owned businesses and plantations seized by Mobutu and given to political allies. 1977 Zairean guerrillas invaded Shaba province from Angola, but repulsed by Moroccan, French, and Belgian paratroopers. 1980s Collapse in world copper prices increased foreign debts; international creditors forced series of austerity programmes. 1991 After antigovernment riots, Mobutu agreed to end ban on multiparty politics and share power with opposition. 1993 Rival pro- and anti-Mobutu governments created. 1994 Influx of Rwandan refugees. 1995 Secessionist activity in Shaba and Kasai provinces and interethnic warfare in Kivu, adjoining Rwanda. 1996 Thousands of refugees allowed to return to Rwanda. 1997 Mobutu ousted by rebel forces of Laurent Kabila, who declared himself president and changed name of Zaire back to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC); fighting between army factions. 1998 Rebellion by Tutsi-led forces, backed by Rwanda and Uganda, against President Kabila; suppressed by government troops aided by Angola and Zimbabwe. 1999 Peace deal signed by government and rebel factions broken in November. 2000 War intensified; Ugandan-backed rebels made gains in northwest of the country. President Kabila allowed some UN peacekeepimg troops into DRC. 2001 Kabila assassinated, allegedly by bodyguard; succeeded by his son, Joseph. Peace talks with rebel factions held in Zambia; more UN troops deployed. 2002 Joseph Kabila and Ugandan president signed agreement on withdrawal of Ugandan troops from DRC; Rwanda completed its troop withdrawal; government signed peace deal with two main rebel groups. Eruption of volcano engulfed city of Goma. 2003 Despite power-sharing accord between Kabila government and rebel groups, European-led 1,400-strong rapid reaction force deployed to Ituri province to deter further tribal massacres of civilians. 2005 New constitution approved by referendum; International Court of Justice ruled that Uganda compensate DRC for rights abuses and theft of resources during civil war. 2006 Kabila elected president by first direct poular vote; fighting broke out with rebel forces supporting General Laurent Nkunda in North Kivu province. 2007 Further clashes between Nkunda's forces, Rwandan rebels and Congolese army.


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