Geography


Location: Central Africa. Bordering nations--Angola, Burundi,
Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania,
Uganda, Zambia.

Area: 2.345 sq. km. (905,063 sq. mi.; about the size of the U.S. east of the
Mississippi).

Cities: Capital--Kinshasa (pop. 8 million). Regional
capitals--Bandundu, Bukavu, Goma, Kananga, Kindu, Kisangani, Lubumbashi,
Matadi, Mbandaka, Mbuji-Mayi.

Terrain: Varies from tropical rainforests to mountainous terraces, plateaus,
savannas, dense grasslands, and mountains.

Climate: Equatorial; ranges from tropical rainforest in the Congo River basin,
hot and humid in much of the north and west, cooler and drier in the south
central area and the east.



People

Nationality: Noun and adjective--Congolese.

Population (2009, National Institute of Statistics estimate): 68 million.

Annual growth rate (2008 est.): 3.24%.

Ethnic groups: Approximately 250 African ethnic groups; the Luba, Kongo, and
Anamongo are some of the larger groups.

Religions: Christian 70% (Catholic 50%, Protestant 20%); Kimbanguist 10%; other
sects and traditional beliefs 10%; Muslim 10%.

Language: Official--French. National languages--Lingala,
Swahili, Kikongo, Tshiluba.

Education: Literacy (2008 est.)--French or local language: 55%
(women), 76% (men). Schooling (2007 est.)--none 21%, primary 46%,
secondary 30%, university 3%.

Health (2007 est.): Infant mortality rate--92/1,000 live births.
Life expectancy (2008 est.)--51.3 yrs.



Government

Type: Republic; highly centralized with executive power vested in the president.

Independence: June 30, 1960 (from Belgium).

Constitution: The D.R.C. has had numerous constitutions, constitutional
amendments, and transitional constitutions since independence. The currently
operative constitution was approved by 84% of voters in a December 2005
referendum and officially promulgated in February 2006.

Branches: Executive--President is head of state. Cabinet is
appointed by the ruling party in the parliament. Prime minister is elected by
the parliament. Legislative--The 500-member lower house of
parliament was elected in July 30, 2006 national elections. Provincial
Assemblies elected the Senate in October 29, 2006 elections, and provincial
governors in early 2007. Judicial--Supreme Court (Cour Supreme).

Administrative subdivisions: Eleven provinces including the capital city,
Kinshasa.

Political parties: President Joseph Kabila's party is Parti du Peuple pour la
Reconstruction et le Développement (PPRD). Two main coalitions, the Alliance
pour la Majorité Presidentielle (AMP) and the Union pour la Nation (UN),
respectively represent President Kabila and former Transitional Vice President
Jean-Pierre Bemba. Bemba was Kabila’s principal opponent in the 2006
presidential election (see “Government and Political Conditions” section below),
and despite his May 2008 arrest by Belgian authorities and transfer to the
International Criminal Court in The Hague, is still the official president of
the largest single opposition party, Mouvement pour la Libération du Congo
(MLC).

Another important opposition party is the Union pour la Démocratie et le Progrès
Social (UDPS), led by aging Mobutu opponent Etienne Tshisekedi. Although the
UDPS boycotted the 2006 elections, Tshisekedi announced in November 2009 that
the UDPS would participate in upcoming local and national elections. Other
parties include Forces du Futur (FDF), Forces Novatrices pour l'Union et la
Solidarite (FONUS), Parti Democrate Social Chrétien (PDSC), Mouvement Social
Démocratie et Développement (MSDD), Mouvement Populaire de la Révolution--Fait
Prive (MPR-FP), Union des Nationalistes et des Fédéralistes Congolais (UNAFEC),
and Mouvement National Congolais/ Lumumba (MNC/L). Former rebel
movements-turned-political parties include the Rassemblement Congolais pour la
Démocratie (RCD), Mouvement pour la Libération du Congo (MLC), and independent
splinter groups of the RCD (RCD/ML, RCD/N, RCD/G). The former rebel group
Congrès National pour la Défense du Peuple (CNDP) received official status as a
political party in May 2009.

Suffrage: 18 years of age and universal.



Economy

GDP (2009): $10.82 billion.

Annual GDP growth rate (2009): 2.7%.

Per capita GDP (2009): $171.

Natural resources: Copper, cobalt, diamonds, gold, other minerals; petroleum;
wood; hydroelectric potential.

Agriculture: Cash crops--coffee, rubber, palm oil, cotton, cocoa,
sugar, tea. Food crops--manioc, corn, legumes, plantains, peanuts.

Land use: Agriculture 3%; pasture 7%; forest/woodland 77%; other 13%.

Industry: Types--processed and unprocessed minerals; consumer
products, including textiles, plastics, footwear, cigarettes, metal products;
processed foods and beverages, cement, timber.

Currency: Congolese franc (FC). The U.S. dollar is also used as legal tender.

Trade: Exports (2009 est.)--$3.787 billion. Products--diamonds,
cobalt, copper, coffee, petroleum. Main partners--EU, Japan, South
Africa, U.S., China. Imports (2009 est.)--$5.254 billion.
Products--consumer goods (food, textiles), capital equipment, refined
petroleum products. Partners--EU, China, South Africa, U.S.

Total external debt (2009): $12.5 billion.