Democratic Republic of the Congo ( ; French: RÃÆ' Â © publique dÃÆ' Â © mocratique du Congo [k ??? o] ), also known as DR Congo , DRC , Belgian Belgian Congo , Eastern Congo , Congo-Kinshasa or just Congo , is a country located in Central Africa. Sometimes referred to by the previous name Zaire , which is its official name between 1971 and 1997. DRC is bordered by Central African Republic and Southern Sudan in the north; Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania to the east; Zambia to the south; Angola to the southwest; and the Republic of Congo and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. It is the second largest country in Africa (largest in Sub-Saharan Africa) by region and 11th largest in the world. With a population of over 78 million, the Democratic Republic of Congo is the most populous Francophone country, the fourth most populous country in Africa, and the 17th most populous country in the world.
The central area of ​​the DRC is in the Congo basin. Occupied by Central African collectors since the Middle Stone Age, the area was achieved by Bantu's expansion some 3,000 years ago. The Bantu Congo empire ruled the west coast of Africa around the mouth of the Congo river from the 14th to the 19th century. In the center and east, the kingdom of Luba and Lunda ruled from the 16th and 17th centuries until the 19th century. In the 1870s, just before the Seizure of Africa, European exploration of the Congo basin was carried out, first led by Henry Morton Stanley under the sponsorship of King Leopold II of Belgium. Leopold officially acquired rights to Congo's territory at the Berlin Conference in 1885 and made the land his private property, calling it Congo-free State. During the Free State, the colonial military unit, Force Publique, forced the local population to produce rubber, and from 1885 to 1908, millions of Congolese died as a consequence of disease and exploitation. In 1908, Belgium, despite its initial reluctance, officially annexed the Free State, which became the Belgian Congo.
The Belgian Congo reached independence on 30 June 1960 under the name of the Republic of Congo. Congolese Nationalist Patrice Lumumba was elected as the first Prime Minister, while Joseph Kasa-Vubu became the first President. The conflict arose over the administration of the region known as the Congo Crisis. Katanga province, under MoÃÆ'¯se Tshombe, and Kasai Selatan are trying to escape from the Congo. On September 5, 1960, Kasa-Vubu fired Lumumba from office, encouraged by the United States and Belgium, after Lumumba turned to the Soviet Union for aid in the crisis. On September 14, with US and Belgium support, Lumumba was captured by troops loyal to Army Chief of Staff Joseph-DÃ © and Mobe, who had gained control of the country through a coup d'etat. ÃÆ'Â © tat the same day, and on January 17, 1961 Lumumba was handed over to the Katangan authorities and executed by Belgian-led Katangese troops.
In 1965, Joseph-DÃÆ' sirÃÆ' Â © Â © Mobutu, who later changed their name to Mobutu Sese Seko, officially the second power in a coup. In 1971, he changed the name of Zaire country. The country is run as a one-party state dictatorship with Popular Movement of the Revolution as the only legal party. Mobutu government received great support from the United States, because the anti-communist stance during the Cold War. In the early 1990s, Mobutu's government began to weaken. Instability in eastern Zaire as a result of the genocide and Rwanda retraction among the Banyamulenge east (a.k.a. Congolese Tutsi ) led invasion in 1996 led by the ruling Rwandan Tutsi FPR, which started the First Congo War. The war led to the end of Mobutu's 32 years of rule.
On May 17, 1997, Laurent-DÃÆ' © sirà © Kabila, a Tutsi troop leader from Southern Kivu province, became President, restoring the country's name to the Democratic Republic of Congo. The tension between President Kabila and the presence of Rwanda and Tutsi in the country led to the Second Congo War from 1998 to 2003. In the end, nine African nations and about twenty armed groups were involved in war, which resulted in the death of 5.4 million. Both wars destroyed the country. President Laurent-DÃÆ' © sirà © Kabila was killed by one of his guards on January 16, 2001 and replaced eight days later as President by his son Joseph.
In 2018 about 600,000 people have fled to neighboring countries from conflicts in central and eastern DRC.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is very rich in natural resources but has political instability, lack of infrastructure, problems with corruption and centuries of both commercial and colonial extraction and exploitation with little holistic development. In addition to the capital of Kinshasa, the next two largest cities of Lubumbashi and Mbuji-Mayi are both mining communities. DR Congo's largest export is raw minerals, with China receiving more than 50% of DRC exports by 2012. By 2016, DR Congo's human development level is 176 out of 187 countries, according to the Human Development Index.
Video Democratic Republic of the Congo
Etymology
The Democratic Republic of Congo is named after the Congo River, which flows through the whole country. The Congo River is the deepest river in the world and the second largest river in the world with discharge. The Comità © à © d'ÃÆ'¨ÃÆ'ÂÂà © tèle du haut Congo ("Committee for the Study of the Upper Congo"), was founded by King Leopold II of Belgium in 1876, and the International Association The Congo, founded by him in 1879, is also named by the river.
The Congo River itself was named by early European sailors after the Congolese kingdom and the Bantu population, a resident of Congo, when they met them in the 16th century. The word Congo comes from their Congolese language (also called Kikongo ). According to American writer Samuel Henry Nelson "It may be that the word 'Congo' itself contains the meaning of public encounter and that it is based on konga root, 'to collect' (trans [itive])." The modern name of the Congolese or Bakongo was introduced in the early 20th century.
The Democratic Republic of Congo has been known in the past as, in chronological order, Congo-Free State, Belgian Congo, Republic of Congo-LÃÆ' Â © opoldville, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Republic of Zaire, before returning to the current name of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
At the time of independence from Belgium, the country was named after the Republic of Congo-LÃÆ' Â © opoldville to distinguish it from its neighbor, the Republic of Congo-Brazzaville. With the enactment of the Luluabourg Constitution on 1 August 1964, the country became DRC, but was renamed Zaire (the old name for the Congo River) on 27 October 1971 by President Mobutu Sese Seko as part of the AuthenticitÃÆ'Â © Â © initiative.
The word Zaire is from the Portuguese adaptation of the word Kikongo nzere ("river"), cutting nzadi o nzere ("swallowing river"). This river was known as Zaire during the 16th and 17th centuries; the Congo seems to have replaced Zion gradually in the use of English during the 18th century, and the Congo is the preferred English name in the century literature -19, although the reference to Zaire as the name used by the natives (ie derived from Portuguese usage) remains public.
In 1992, the Sovereign National Conference decided to change the name of the country to "Democratic Republic of Congo", but the change was not practiced. The name of the country was restored by President Laurent-DÃÆ'  © sirà © Ã… Kabila after the fall of Mobutu in 1997.
Maps Democratic Republic of the Congo
History
Initial history
The area now known as the DRC was inhabited at the beginning of 90,000 years ago, as shown by the 1988 findings of the Semliki harpoon in Katanda, one of the oldest barges ever found, believed to have been used to catch the giant catfish.
The Bantu community reached Central Africa at some point during the first millennium BC, then gradually began to expand to the south. Their propagation was accelerated by the adoption of pastoralism and the Iron Age technique. People living in the south and southwest are feeding groups, whose technology uses little use of metal technology. The development of metal tools over this period of time revolutionized agriculture and livestock. This led to the movement of hunter-gatherer groups in the east and southeast. The final wave of Bantu's expansion was completed in the 10th century, followed by the formation of the Bantu empire, whose populations increased immediately enabling complex commercial, regional and foreign networks that were mostly traded in slaves, salt, iron and copper. Congo Free State (1877-1908)
Belgian exploration and administration lasted from the 1870s to the 1920s. It was first led by Sir Henry Morton Stanley, who conducted his exploration under the sponsorship of King Leopold II of Belgium. The eastern region of the pre-colonial Congo was severely disrupted by continuous slave robberies, especially from Arab-Swahili slave traders such as the famous Tippu Tip, well known to Stanley.
Leopold has a design of what became a Congo as a colony. In a series of negotiations, Leopold, who declared the goal of humanity in his capacity as chair of the organization International Association Africaine, actually played a European rival against the others.
Leopold officially acquired the rights to Congo's territory at the Berlin Conference in 1885 and made the land his private property. He named it Congo-Free State. The Leopold regime embarked on various infrastructure projects, such as railroad construction that runs from the coast to the capital Leopoldville (now Kinshasa), which takes eight years to complete. Almost all such infrastructure projects aim to facilitate the increase in assets that Leopold and his colleagues can extract from the colony.
In the Free State, the colonists forced the local people to produce rubber, where the spread of cars and the development of rubber tires created a growing international market. The sale of rubber made a fortune for Leopold, who built several buildings in Brussels and Ostend in honor of himself and his country. To enforce the rubber quota, the army, the Force Publique , was called and made the practice of cutting the limb of the indigenous policy issue.
During the period 1885-1908, millions of Congolese died as a consequence of exploitation and disease. In some areas, the population has dropped dramatically - it is estimated that sleeping sickness and smallpox killed nearly half the population in the area around the lower Congo River.
A government commission then concluded that the population of the Congo had been "halved" during this period, but to exactly determine how many people died was not possible, as there were no accurate records.
Belgian Congo (1908-60)
In 1908, the Belgian parliament, regardless of initial reluctance, was subject to international pressure (mainly from the United Kingdom) and took over the Free State of King Leopold II.
On October 18, 1908, the Belgian parliament voted to support the annexation of Congo as a Belgian colony. The executive power was handed over to the Belgian colonial affairs minister, assisted by the Colonial Council (Conseil Colonial) (both located in Brussels). The Belgian parliament exercises legislative authority over the Belgian Congo. In 1926 the colonial capital moved from Boma to LÃÆ' Â © opoldville, some 300 kilometers (190 million) more upriver to the interior.
The transition from the Congo Free State to the Belgian Congo is a pause but also shows a great degree of continuity. The last Governor-General of the Congo-Free State, Baron ThÃÆ' Â © ophile Wahis, remains in power in the Belgian Congo and the majority of Leopold II governments are with him. Opening Congo and its natural and mineral wealth for the Belgian economy remains the primary motive for colonial expansion - but other priorities, such as health and basic education, are slowly becoming increasingly important.
The colonial administrators ruled the territory and the dual legal system existed (European court system and one more customary court,
The population of the Belgian colonies increased from 1,928 in 1910 to nearly 89,000 in 1959.
Belgian Congo is directly involved in two world wars. During World War I (1914-1918), the initial feud between the Force Publique and the German colonial army in East Germany (Tanganyika) turned into an open war with the Anglo-Belgian invasion with the German Colonial Territories in 1916 and 1917 during the East African Campaign. The Force Publique earned an important victory when he marched to Tabora in September 1916, under the command of General Charles Tombeur after a fierce battle.
After 1918, Belgium was rewarded for the participation of the Force Publique in the East African campaign with the League of Nations mandate over the previous German colony Ruanda-Urundi. During World War II, the Belgian Congo provided an important source of income for the Belgian government in exile in London, and the Force Publique re-participated in the Allied campaign in Africa. Belgian Congolese troops under the command of Belgian officers mainly fought against the Italian colonial army in Ethiopia in Asosa, BortaÃÆ'¯ and SaÃÆ'¯o under Major General Auguste-Eduard Gilliaert during the second East Africa Campaign.
Independence and political crisis (1960-65)
In May 1960, a growing nationalist movement, the Kongola National Mouvement or MNC Party, led by Patrice Lumumba, won parliamentary elections. Thus Patrice Lumumba became the first Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Parliament elected as President Joseph Kasavubu, from the Alliance des Bakongo party (ABAKO). Other emerging parties include Parti Solidaire Africain (or PSA) led by Antoine Gizenga, and Parti National du Peuple (PNP) led by Albert Delvaux and Laurent Mbariko. (Congo 1960, dossiers du CRISP, Belgium).
The Belgian Congo reached independence on 30 June 1960 under the name "RÃÆ' Â © publique du Congo" ("Republic of Congo" or "Republic of Congo" in English). Shortly after independence, the Force Publique rebelled, and on 11 July Katanga province (led by MoÃÆ'¯se Tshombe) and Kasai Selatan were involved in a separatist struggle against new leadership. Most of the 100,000 Europeans left after independence escaped from the country, paving the way for Congolese people to replace the European military and administrative elite. When the Congolese central Congo (Moyen Congo) also chose the name "Republic of Congo" after achieving its independence, the two countries were better known as "Kongo-LÃÆ' Â © opoldville" and "Congo-Brazzaville", after their capital city.
On September 5, 1960, Kasavubu fired Lumumba from office. Lumumba declared Kasavubu's actions unconstitutional and a crisis between the two leaders flourished. (cf. SÃÆ' Â © cession au Katanga - J.Gerald-Libois -Brussels- CRISP)
With an event held by the US and Belgium, on September 14, Lumumba was removed from office by forces loyal to Joseph Mobutu. On January 17, 1961, he was handed over to the Katangan authorities and executed by Belgian-led Katangese troops. An investigation by the Belgian parliament in 2001 found that Belgium was "morally responsible" for the Lumumba killing, and the country has since officially apologized for its role in his death.
In the midst of widespread confusion and chaos, the interim administration is led by technicians (CollÃÆ'¨ge des Commissaires). The separation of Katanga ended in January 1963 with the help of UN forces. Some of the short-lived governments, Joseph Ileo, Cyrille Adoula and Moise Tshombe, took over in sequence.
Lumumba has previously appointed Mobutu's chief of staff Joseph Mobutu of Congo's new army, Armà © Congale Congolaise (ANC). Taking advantage of the leadership crisis between Kasavubu and Tshombe, Mobutu garnered enough support inside the army to launch a coup. With financial support from the United States and Belgium, Mobutu paid his soldiers privately. The reluctance of Western forces against communism and leftist ideology influenced their decision to finance Mobutu's quest to neutralize Kasavubu and Lumumba in a coup by his deputy. The constitutional referendum following Mobutu's 1965 coup resulted in the country's official name being changed to "Democratic Republic of Congo". In 1971 Mobutu renamed it again, this time being "Republic of Zaire". Mobutu and Zaire (1965-97)
The new President has strong support from the United States for his opposition to Communism; The US believes that his government will serve as an effective barrier against the communist movement in Africa. The one-party system was established, and Mobutu claimed to be the head of state. He regularly conducts elections in which he is the only candidate. Despite the relative peace and stability achieved, Mobutu's government was guilty of gross violations of human rights, political repression, personality cults and corruption.
By the end of 1967 Mobutu had neutralized his political opponents and rivals either by co-opting them into his regime, capturing them, or making them politically impotent. Throughout the late 1960s, Mobutu continued to shuffle his government and cycle officials inside and outside the office to maintain control. Kasa-Vubu's death in April 1969 ensured that no one with a First Republic credential could oppose his rule. In the early 1970s Mobutu attempted to assert Zaire as a prominent African nation. He travels frequently across the continent as the government becomes more vocal about African issues, especially those related to the southern region. Zaire established a semi-client relationship with some of the smaller African countries, especially Burundi, Chad, and Togo.
Corruption became very common with the terms "Zairois le mall " or "Zairean Disease", which means massive corruption, theft and mismanagement, created, reported by Mobutu himself. International aid, most often in the form of loans, enriched Mobutu while allowing national infrastructure such as roads to deteriorate to a quarter of what had existed in 1960. Zaire became a "kleptocracy" when Mobutu and his colleagues embezzled the government. fund.
In a campaign to identify itself with African nationalism, from June 1, 1966, Mobutu renamed the nation's cities: LÃÆ'Â Â opoldville became Kinshasa [the country now the Democratic Republic of Congo-Kinshasa], Stanleyville became Kisangani, Elisabethville became Lubumbashi, and Coquilhatville became Mbandaka. The renaming campaign was completed in the 1970s.
In 1971, Mobutu was renamed the state of Republic of Zaire, whose fourth name changed in 11 years and sixth overall. The Congo River is named Zaire River.
During the 1970s and 1980s, he was invited to visit the United States on several occasions to meet with US President Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush. After the dissolution of US Soviet relations with Mobutu cooled, because he was no longer considered necessary as an ally of the Cold War. Opponents in Zaire are increasing demands for reform. This atmosphere contributed to Mobutu's declaring the Third Republic in 1990, the constitution should pave the way for democratic reforms. The reforms turned out to be mostly cosmetic. Mobutu continued to rule until the army forced him to flee from Zaire, in 1997. "From 1990 to 1993, the United States to facilitate the efforts of Mobutu to hijack political change," writes one scholar, and "also helped Laurent-Desire Kabila's uprising that toppled the regime Mobutu. "
Continental and the Civil War (1996-present)
In 1996, after the Rwandan Civil War and the genocide and Tutsi-led uprisings in Rwanda, the Rwandan (Hutu) Hutu militia troops fled to eastern Zaire and used the refugee camp as a base for attacks on Rwanda. They allied themselves with the Zairian armed forces (FAZ) to launch a campaign against ethnic Congolese Tutsi in eastern Zaire.
A coalition of Rwandan and Ugandan soldiers attacked Zaire to overthrow the Mobutu government, and finally to control Zaire's mineral resources, launched the First Congo War. The coalition is allied with several opposition figures, led by Laurent-Dà © à © sirà © Å Kabila, being the Alliance of Democratic Forces for Congo Liberation (AFDL). In 1997 Mobutu escaped and Kabila marched to Kinshasa, calling himself the president and returning the country's name to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Kabila then requested that foreign military forces return to their own country - he was worried that the Rwandan officer who ran his army planned a coup to give the presidency to a Tutsi who would report directly to Rwanda's president, Paul Kagame. Rwandan troops retreated to Goma and launched a recent Tutsi rebel military movement called the Rassemblement Congolais pour la Democratie (RCD) to fight Kabila while Uganda incited the formation of a new rebel movement called the Congolese Liberation Movement (MLC), led by warlords Congo Jean-Pierre Bemba. Two rebel movements, along with Rwandan and Ugandan troops, began the Second Congo War by attacking DRC soldiers in 1998. Angolan, Zimbabwe and Namibian military enter into hostile hostilities.
Kabila was assassinated in 2001. His son Joseph Kabila succeeded him and called for multilateral peace talks. UN peacekeepers, MONUC, now known as MONUSCO, arrived in April 2001. In 2002 and 2003 Bemba intervened in the Central African Republic on behalf of its former president, Ange-FÃÆ' © © © Patix © ©. The talks led to the signing of a peace agreement in which Kabila would share power with the former rebels. In June 2003 all foreign troops except those from Rwanda had been withdrawn from the Congo. The transitional government was formed until the election was completed. The Constitution was approved by the electorate, and on 30 July 2006 the DRC held its first multi-party election. The election disputes between Kabila and Jean-Pierre Bemba turned into an all-out battle between their supporters on the streets of Kinshasa. MONUC controls the city. The new election took place in October 2006, which Kabila won, and in December 2006 he was sworn in as President.
Kivu Conflict
However, Laurent Nkunda, a member of the RCD-Goma, an RCD branch integrated with the army, defected with forces loyal to him and formed the National Congress for People's Defense (CNDP), which started an armed rebellion against the government. , started the Kivu conflict. They are believed to be supported again by Rwanda as a way to deal with the Hutu group, the Democratic Forces for Rwanda Exemption (FDLR). In March 2009, following an agreement between DRC and Rwanda, Rwandan troops entered DRC and arrested Nkunda and were allowed to pursue FDLR militants. The CNDP signed a peace agreement with the government in which it agreed to become a political party and that its troops be integrated into the national army in exchange for the release of its imprisoned members. In 2012 CNDP leader Bosco Ntaganda, and forces loyal to him, rebelled and formed the March 23 Movement of the rebel army, claiming a breach of the treaty by the government.
In the resulting M23 uprising, the M23 briefly seized the provincial capital of Goma in November 2012. Neighboring countries, in particular Rwanda, are accused of using rebel groups as proxies for control of resource-rich countries and arming rebels, claiming they deny. In March 2013, the United Nations Security Council adopted the United Nations Intervention Force Intervention Force, the first United Nations peacekeeping unit, to neutralize armed groups. On November 5, 2013, M23 announced the end of its uprising.
In addition, in northern Katanga, Mai-Mai created by Laurent Kabila slipped out of Kinshasa's control with GÃÆ' Â © dÃÆ'Â © on Mai Mai Katanga of Kyungu Mutanga which briefly invaded the Lubumbashi provincial capital in 2013 and 400,000 people were displaced in the province as 2013. The battles and battles in the Ituri conflict occurred between the Nationalist Front and Integration (FNI) and the Congolese Patriot Union (UPC) each claiming to represent the Lendu and Hema ethnic groups. In the northeast, Joseph Kony's LRA moved from their original bases in Uganda and Southern Sudan to DR Congo in 2005 and set up camps in Garamba National Park.
In 2009, The New York Times reported that people in Congo continue to die at a rate of about 45,000 per month - the estimated number of dead from the long conflict ranges from 900,000 to 5,400,000. The death toll is due to widespread disease and starvation; reports show that nearly half of the individuals who died were children under the age of five. There have been reports of arms carriers killing civilians, property destruction, widespread sexual violence, displacing hundreds of thousands of people from their homes, and violations of humanitarian and other human rights law. A study found that more than 400,000 women were raped in the Democratic Republic of Congo each year.
The war in Congo was described as the bloodiest war since World War II. On December 8, 2017, fourteen UN soldiers and five Congolese regular army were killed in a rebel attack on Semuliki in Beni territory. The rebels are considered as the Allied Democratic Forces. The UN investigation confirms that the aggressor in the attack in December.
Terms Kabila in office and some anti-government protests
In 2015, massive protests took place across the country and protesters demanded that Joseph Kabila resign as President. The protest begins after the passage of legislation by the lower house of Congo which, if also endorsed by the Congolese upper house, will keep Kabila in power at least until the national census takes place (a process that will likely take several years and therefore keep him in power through the 2016 elections. planned, constitutionally prohibited from participating in it).
The bill is passed; However, it annihilates the provision that will make Joseph Kabila rule until the census takes place. Census should be done, but no longer bound when the election takes place. By 2015, elections are scheduled for late 2016 and a weak peace held in Congo.
On Nov. 27, Congolese Foreign Minister Raymond Tshibanda told the press that no election will be held in 2016, after December 20, the end of Kabila's term. At a conference in Madagascar, Tshibanda said Kabila's government had "consulted with electoral experts" from Congo, the UN and elsewhere, and that "it has been decided that voter registration operations will expire on July 31, 2017, and that elections will take place April 2018. "The protests broke out in the country on December 20 when Kabila's office term ended. Across the country, dozens of protesters were killed and hundreds more arrested.
Rising violence and war
According to Jan Egeland (currently Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council) the situation in DRC becomes much worse in 2016 and 2017 and is a major moral and humanitarian challenge comparable to the wars in Syria and Yemen, which receive more attention. Women and children are sexually abused and "abused in all possible ways". In addition to the conflict in North Kivu, violence has escalated in the Kasai region. Armed groups are after gold, diamonds, oil, and cobalt to coat the pockets of the rich both in the region and internationally. There is also ethnic and cultural rivalry playing, as well as religious motives and political crises with delayed elections. He said people believed that the situation in the DRC was "really bad" but in reality it became much, much worse. "The big war of Congo that was really on the top of the agenda 15 years ago came back and got worse". Because of the irregular planting and harvest caused by the conflict, it is estimated by a UN report in March 2018 that 2 million children are threatened with starvation.
Human Rights Watch said in 2017 that Joseph Kabila recruited a former M23 fighter to launch a nationwide protest over his refusal to resign from office at the end of his term. "M23 fighters patrolled the streets of the main Congolese cities, shooting or holding protesters or anyone considered a threat to the president," they said.
Geography
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is located in central sub-Saharan Africa, bordering (clockwise from southwest) Angola, South Atlantic Ocean, Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Southern Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania across Lake Tanganyika , and Zambia. This country lies between latitude 6 Â ° N and 14 Â ° C, and longitude 12 Â ° and 32 Â ° BT. It straddles the Equator, with a third to the North and two thirds to the South. The size of the Congo, 2,345,408 square kilometers (905,567 sq mi), is slightly larger than the combined regions of Spain, France, Germany, Sweden, and Norway. It is the second largest country in Africa by region, after Algeria.
As a result of the location of the equator, the DRC experiences high rainfall and has the highest frequency of lightning storms in the world. Annual rainfall can reach more than 2,000 millimeters (80 inches) in some places, and the region sustains the Congolese Rainforest, the world's second largest rainforest after the Amazon. This vast expanse of dense forests covers most of the wide and low valley of the river, which leads to the Atlantic Ocean to the west. The area is surrounded by a plateau that joins into a savanna in the south and southwest, with mountainous terraces in the west, and lush meadows stretching out beyond the Congo River to the north. Tall and glacial mountains (Rwenzori Mountains) are found in the easternmost region.
The tropical climate also produces the Congo River system that dominates the region topographically along with the rain forest that flows through, although they are not mutually exclusive. The name for the Congolese country comes partly from the river. The river basin (which means the Congo River and all its myriad rivers) occupies almost the entire country and an area of ​​nearly 1,000,000 km 2 (390,000 sq., Mi). Rivers and tributaries form the backbone of Congo's economy and transport. The main tributaries include Kasai, Sangha, Ubangi, Ruzizi, Aruwimi, and Lulonga.
Congo's sources are in the Albertine Rift Mountains flanking the western branch of the East African Rift, as well as Lake Tanganyika and Lake Mweru. The river flows generally west of Kisangani just below Boyoma Falls, then gradually turns to the southwest, passes Mbandaka, joins the Ubangi River, and runs into the Malebo Pond (Stanley Pool). Kinshasa and Brazzaville are across the river in Pool (see NASA picture). Then the river narrows and falls through a number of cataracts in the deep canyon, collectively known as Livingstone Falls, and passes Boma into the Atlantic Ocean. It also has the second largest stream and the second largest river basin in every river in the world (trailing the Amazon in both cases). Rivers and coastlines 37 kilometers (23 miles) on the northern edge provide the country's only outlet to the Atlantic.
The Albertine Rift plays a key role in shaping the geography of Congo. Not only the northeastern part of the country is much more mountainous, but due to rectonic tectonic activity, this area also experiences volcanic activity, sometimes with loss of life. Geological activities in this area also created the famous Great Lakes of Africa, three of which lie on the eastern border of the Congo: Lake Albert (known during Mobutu's era as Lake Mobutu Sese Seko), Lake Kivu (Unknown until late 1712), Lake Edward (known during the Amin era as Lake Idi Amin Dada), and Lake Tanganyika. Lake Edward and Lake Albert are connected by the Semliki River.
The Rift Valley has exposed a large amount of mineral wealth throughout southern and eastern Congo, making it accessible for mining. Cobalt, copper, cadmium, industrial and gem diamonds, gold, silver, zinc, manganese, tin, germanium, uranium, radium, bauxite, iron ore and coal are all found in abundant supply, especially in the southeastern region of Katanga Congo.
On January 17, 2002 Mount Nyiragongo erupted in Congo, with lava running at 64 km/h (40 mph) and 46 m (50 y) wide. One of the three highly fluid lava flows flows through the nearby town of Goma, killing 45 people and displacing 120,000 people. Four hundred thousand people were evacuated from the city during the eruption. Lava poisoned the water of Lake Kivu, killing fish. Only two planes left the local airport due to a possible explosion of stored gasoline. Lava passes through the airport but destroys the runway, trapping some planes. Six months after the eruption in 2002, nearby Nyamuragira Mountain also erupted. Mount Nyamuragira then erupted in 2006 and back in January 2010.
The World Wide Fund for Nature Ecoregions located in Congo includes:
- Central Congo lowlands - home to rare bonobo primates
- Congo's East swamp forest along the Congo River
- Lowland Forests of the Northeastern Congo, with one of the richest concentrations of primates in the world
- Southern Congo savannah forest mosaic
- Most of the middle forest is Zambezian Miombo
- The area of ​​the Albertine Rift forest forest in high forest flows along the country's eastern border.
World Heritage Sites located in the Democratic Republic of Congo are: Virunga National Park (1979), Garamba National Park (1980), Kahuzi-Biega National Park (1980), Salonga National Park (1984) and Okapi Wildlife Reserve (1996).
Province
The country is currently divided into the provinces of Kinshasa and 25 other provinces. Provinces are divided into districts divided into regions. Before 2015, the country has 11 provinces.
Flora and fauna
The Democratic Republic of Congo's rainforests contain large biodiversity, including many endangered and endemic species, such as common chimpanzees and bonobos, African forest elephants, mountain gorillas, okapi, and white rhino. Five national parks of this country are listed as World Heritage Sites: Garumba National Park, Kahuzi-Biega, Salonga and Virunga, and the Okapi Wildlife Sanctuary. The Democratic Republic of Congo is Africa's most diverse country.
The civil war and resulting in poor economic conditions have jeopardized most of this biodiversity. Many park guards are killed or unable to continue their work. These five sites are listed by UNESCO as World Heritage in Hazard.
Conservationists are particularly concerned about primates. Congo is inhabited by several great ape species: common chimpanzee (Panigglodytes Pan), bonobo ( Pan paniscus ), eastern gorilla ( Gorilla beringei i>) , and possibly western gorillas ( gorilla gorillas ). It is the only country in the world where bonobos are found in the wild. Many concerns have been raised about the extinction of great apes. Due to the hunting and destruction of the habitat, chimpanzees, bonobos and gorillas, each of which has millions, has now shrunk to only about 200,000 gorillas, 100,000 chimpanzees and perhaps only about 10,000 bonobos. Gorillas, chimpanzees, and bonobos are all classified as threatened by the World Conservation Union, as well as the octopus, which is also native to the area.
Bushmeat
Over the last century or so, the DRC has been at the center of the so-called Central African "flesh" problem, considered by many to be a major environmental and socioeconomic crisis. "Bushmeat" is another word for the flesh of wild animals, usually obtained by trap, usually by a wire mesh, or with a shotgun, poisoned arrow or weapon originally intended to be used in various military conflicts DRC.
The wildlife crisis arose mainly as a result of poor living conditions of Congolese people and lack of education about the dangers of eating it. The increasing population combined with the sad economic conditions make many Congolese dependent on the flesh of wild animals, either as a source of income (selling meat), or for food. Unemployment and urbanization throughout Central Africa has further exacerbated the problem by turning cities like the implacable city of Kinshasa into a major market for commercial animal meat.
This combination has caused widespread local fauna, and forced humans to travel further into the desert to find the desired animal flesh. This excessive result leads to the death of more animals and makes resources scarce for humans. The hunt has also been facilitated by extensive logging scattered throughout the Congo rainforest from logging companies, and farmers clearing forest land for agriculture. Logging allows hunters easier access to previously unattainable forest fields, while simultaneously eroding animal habitats. Deforestation is accelerating in Central Africa.
Politics
Government
After a four-year interlude between two constitutions, with new political institutions established at various levels of government, as well as new administrative divisions for provinces throughout the country, a new constitution came into force in 2006 and politics in the Democratic Republic of Congo finally settled in a democratic republic of a stable president. The transitional constitution of 2003 has established parliament with a bicameral legislature, comprising the Senate and the National Assembly.
The Senate has, among other things, the charge of drafting a new constitution of the state. The executive branch is held in a 60-member cabinet, headed by a President and four vice presidents. The President is also the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces. The transitional constitution also forms a relatively independent judiciary, led by the Supreme Court with the power of constitutional interpretation.
The 2006 Constitution, also known as the Third Republic Constitution, came into force in February 2006. However, it has authority along with the transitional constitution until the inauguration of elected officials emerged from the elections of July 2006. Under the new constitution, the legislature remains bicameral; executives simultaneously conducted by a President and government, headed by a Prime Minister, appointed from a party that can obtain a majority in the National Assembly.
The government - not the President - is accountable to Parliament. The new Constitution also grants new powers to the provincial government, creating a provincial parliament with oversight of the governors and heads of provincial governments, of their choosing. The new Constitution also sees the disappearance of the Supreme Court, which is divided into three new institutions. Constitutional interpretation of the prerogative of the Supreme Court is now held by the Constitutional Court.
Although located in the subregional UN Central Africa, the country is also economically and regionally affiliated with South Africa as a member of the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
Corruption
Mobutu Sese Seko ruled the DRC, which he renamed to Zaire, from 1965 to 1997. A relative explains how the government illegally collects revenue: "Mobutu will ask one of us to go to the bank and take a million.We'll go to a intermediary and tell him to get five million.He will go to the bank with Mobutu's authority, and take ten.Garutu gets it, and we take the other nine. "Mobutu instituted corruption to prevent political opponents challenging his control, leading to economic collapse in the year 1996.
Mobutu allegedly stole as much as US $ 4-5 billion while in the office. He was not the first corrupt Congo leader in any way: "The government as a system of organized theft goes back to King Leopold II," Adam Hochschild said in 2009. In July 2009, a Swiss court ruled that the restriction law was exhausted. in case of international asset recovery about $ 6.7 million Mobutu deposits in Swiss banks, and therefore assets should be returned to Mobutu's family.
President Joseph Kabila formed the Economic Crime Commission on his rise to power in 2001.
Human rights
The investigation of the International Criminal Court in the Democratic Republic of Congo was initiated by Joseph Kabila in April 2004. The International Criminal Court Prosecutor opened the case in June 2004.
Child soldiers have been used on a large scale in the DRC, and by 2011 an estimated 30,000 children are still operating with armed groups.
Examples of child labor and forced labor have been observed and reported in the US Department of Labor Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor in the DRC by 2013 and the six items produced by the country's mining industry appear in the December department 2014 List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor .
Violence against women
Violence against women seems to be felt by most people to be normal. The DHS Survey 2013-2014 (pp. 299) found that 74.8% of women agreed that the husband justified beating his wife in certain circumstances.
The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women in 2006 expressed concern that in the post-war transition period, promotion of women's rights and women's gender equality is not seen as a priority. Mass rape, sexual violence and sexual slavery were used as weapons of war by the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo and armed groups in the eastern part of the country. The eastern part of the country has been specifically described as "the world's rape capital" and the prevalence of sexual violence there is described as the worst in the world.
Female genital mutilation (FGM) is also performed in DRC, although not on a large scale. Prevalence of FGM is estimated at about 5% of women. FGM is illegal: the law imposes a prison sentence of two to five years and a fine of 200,000 Congolese francs on any person who violates the "physical or functional integrity" of the genital organs.
In July 2007, the International Committee of the Red Cross expressed concern about the situation in eastern DRC. The phenomenon of "pendulum displacement" has grown, in which people rush at night for safety. According to the Confident ErtÃÆ'¼rk, UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women who toured the eastern Congo in July 2007, violence against women in North and South Kivu included "unimaginable brutality". ErtÃÆ'¼rk added that "armed groups attack local communities, loot, rape, kidnap women and children, and make them work as sexual slaves." In December 2008, Guardian Film of The Guardian released a film documenting the testimony of more than 400 women and girls who have been tortured by robber militia.
In June 2010, Oxfam reported a dramatic increase in the number of rapes in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and researchers from Harvard found that rape by civilians has increased by seventeenfold. In June 2014, Freedom from Torture published reports of rape and sexual abuse routinely used by state officials in Congolese prisons as punishment for politically active women. Women included in the report were tortured in several locations across the country including the capital Kinshasa and other areas far from the conflict zone.
By 2015, domestic and foreign figures such as Filimbi and Emmanuel Weyi spoke of the need to curb violence and instability as the 2016 election approaches.
Foreign and military relations
The global growth in the demand for scarce raw materials and industrial surges in China, India, Russia, Brazil and other developing countries requires developed countries to adopt new, integrated and responsive strategies to identify and ensure, on an ongoing basis, enough of the strategic and critical material needed for their security needs. Highlighting the DR Congo's interest for US national security, the effort to establish a Congolese elite unit is the latest insistence by the United States to professionalize the armed forces in this important strategic area.
There are economic and strategic incentives to bring more security to the Congo, which is rich in natural resources like cobalt. Cobalt is a strategic and critical metal used in many industrial and military applications. The biggest use of cobalt is superalloy, used to make jet engine parts. Cobalt is also used in magnetic alloys and in cutting and wear-resistant materials such as cemented carbides. The chemical industry consumes significant amounts of cobalt in a variety of applications including catalysts for petroleum and chemical processing; drying agents for paint and ink; ground layer for porcelain enamel; decolourisers for ceramics and glass; and pigments for ceramics, paints, and plastics. The country contains 80% of the world's cobalt reserves.
Economy and infrastructure
The Central Bank of Congo is responsible for developing and maintaining the Congolese franc, which serves as the main form of currency in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In 2007, the World Bank decided to award the Democratic Republic of Congo up to $ 1.3 billion in relief funds over the next three years. Kinshasa is currently negotiating membership in the Organization for Harmonization of Business Laws in Africa (OHADA).
The Democratic Republic of Congo is widely regarded as one of the world's richest nations in natural resources; its untapped raw mineral deposits are estimated to be worth more than US $ 24 trillion. Congo has 70% of the world's arms, one-third of its cobalt, more than 30% of its diamond reserves, and one-tenth of its copper.
Despite the enormous mineral wealth, the Democratic Republic of Congo's economy has dropped dramatically since the mid-1980s. The African state generated up to 70% of its export revenues from minerals in the 1970s and 1980s, and was devastated when resource prices deteriorated at the time. In 2005, 90% of DRC revenues came from minerals (Exenberger and Hartmann 2007: 10). The country's misery means that regardless of its potential citizens are among the poorest people on Earth. DR Congo consistently has the lowest nominal GDP per capita, or almost the lowest, in the world. The DRC is also one of the twenty countries with the lowest rank in the Corruption Perceptions Index.
Mine
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is the world's largest producer of cobalt ore, and a major producer of copper and diamond. The latter comes from Kasai province in the west. By far the largest mine in DRC is located in southern Katanga province (formerly Shaba), and highly mechanized, with a capacity of several million tonnes per year of copper and cobalt ore, as well as distillation capability for metal ores. DRC is the second largest diamond producing country in the world, and small and small scale miners account for most of its production.
At independence in 1960, DRC was the second most industrialized country in Africa after South Africa; he boasts a fast growing mining sector and a relatively productive agricultural sector. The First and Second Congo Wars began in 1996. These conflicts have dramatically reduced national output and government revenues, increased foreign debt, and resulted in the deaths of more than five million people from war and famine and related diseases. Malnutrition affects about two-thirds of the country's population.
Foreign businesses have limited operations due to uncertainty about the outcome of the conflict, lack of infrastructure, and a difficult operating environment. Wars increase the impact of underlying problems such as uncertain legal frameworks, corruption, inflation, and lack of openness in government economic policies and financial operations.
Conditions improved in late 2002, when most of the foreign troops attacked backed down. A number of International Monetary Fund and World Bank missions met with the government to help develop a coherent economic plan, and President Joseph Kabila began implementing reforms. Many economic activities are still outside of GDP data. The United Nations Human Development Index report shows that the DRC human development index is one of the worst that the country has experienced in decades. Throughout 2011 the DRC has the lowest Human Development Index of 187 countries ranked. It ranks lower than Niger, despite a higher margin increase than the last country above 2010 figures.
The economy of DRC, Africa's second largest country, is heavily dependent on mining. However, small-scale economic activity of smallholder mining takes place in the informal sector and is not reflected in GDP data. One-third of DRC diamonds are believed to be smuggled overseas, making it difficult to measure diamond production levels. In 2002, tin was found in the east of the country, but to date has been mined on a small scale. Smuggling of conflict minerals such as coltan and cassiterite, tantalum and tin ore, respectively, helped spark war in the eastern Congo.
In September 2004, the state-owned Gone Corporation signed an agreement with Global Enterprises Corporate (GEC), a company formed by the incorporation of Dan Gertler International (DGI) with Beny Steinmetz Global, to rehabilitate and operate the Kananga and Tilwezembe copper mines. The deal was ratified by a presidential decree. In 2007, a World Bank report reviewed three of DR's largest mining contracts, found that a 2005 agreement, including one with Global Enterprises Company, was approved with "a lack of full transparency" (Mahtani, 3 January 2007). Gertler and Steinmetz put 75% of GEC shares in Komoto Oliveira Virgule (KOV), a project made from Tilwezembe and Kananga, along with Kolwesi concentrators, to Nikanor plc. Registered on the Isle of Man, achieved a market capitalization of $ 1.5 billion in 2007. In February 2007, 22% of Nikanor Mining companies were owned by Gertner Family Trust and 14% by Dan Gertler. In January 2008, Katanga Mining acquired Nikanor for $ 452 million.
In April 2006, Gertler's DGI took a major stake in DEM Mining, a kobalt-copper mining and service company based in Katanga. In June 2006, Gertler bought Tremalt from Zimbabwean businessman John Bredenkamp for about $ 60 million. Tremalt has half section in Mukondo Mine. In 2007, Tremalt is owned by Prairie International Ltd, where the trust of Dan Gertler's family is the main shareholder. Tremalt owns 80% of Savannah Mining, which has the C17 and C18 concessions in Katanga Province and 50% of the Mukondo project. The other 50% of Mukondo is held by Boss Mining, which in turn is 80% owned by Central African Mining & amp; Exploration Company (CAMEC). Boss Mining has rented and operates half of Mukondo Bredenkamp. Gertler stops this setting.
Katanga Mining Limited, a Swiss-owned company, owns the Luilu Metallurgical Plant, which has a capacity of 175,000 tons of copper and 8,000 tons of cobalt per year, making it the largest cobalt plant in the world. After a major rehabilitation program, the company restarted copper production operations in December 2007 and cobalt production in May 2008.
In April 2013, anti-corruption NGOs revealed that the Congolese tax authorities had failed to account for $ 88 million from the mining sector, despite positive production and industrial performance booms. The date of the fund is lost from 2010 and the tax body should pay them to the central bank. Then in 2013, the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative suspended state nominations for membership due to inadequate reporting, monitoring and independent audits, but in July 2013 the country improved its accounting practices and transparency at the point where EITI gave the country full membership.
Transportation
Land transportation in the Democratic Republic of Congo is always difficult. The terrain and climate of the Congo Basin present a serious obstacle to the construction of roads and railways, and the distance is very wide across this vast country. Chronic economic mismanagement and internal conflict have led to a lack of long-term investment.
Rel
Rail transportation is provided by the Congo Railway Company (Socià ©  © Nationale des Chemins de Fer du Congo) and the Office of the National des Transports (Congo) (ONATRA) and the Uele Railway Office (Office of des Chemins de fer des Ueles, CFU).
Road
The Democratic Republic of Congo has fewer all-weather pavilions than any other country in the population and size in Africa - a total of 2,250 km (1,400 mi), of which only 1,226 km (762 mi) are in good condition (see below). To put this in perspective, the cross-country road distance in any direction is more than 2,500 km (1,600 mi) (eg Matadi to Lubumbashi, 2,700 km (1,700 mi) by road). The figure of 2,250 km (1,400 mi) is converted to 35 km (22 million) paved roads per 1,000,000 inhabitants. Comparative figures for Zambia and Botswana are respectively 721 km (448 mi) and 3,427 km (2,129 mi).
Three routes within the Trans-African Highway network pass DR Congo:
- Tripoli-Cape Town Toll Road: This route crosses the western tip of the country on National Road No. 1 between Kinshasa and Matadi, a distance of 285Ã, km (177Ã, mi) in one of the paved parts in a fair condition.
- The Lagos-Mombasa Highway: Congo is the missing major link on this east-west highway and needs new roads to be built before they can function.
- Beira-Lobito Highway: This east-west highway crosses Katanga and requires redevelopment at most of its length, being the earth route between the Angolan and Kolwezi borders, paved roads in very poor conditions between Kolwezi and Lubumbashi, and paved roads in fair condition over a short distance to the Zambian border.
Water
The Democratic Republic of Congo has thousands of kilometers of navigable waterways. Traditionally water transport has become the dominant means to move around two-thirds of the country.
Air
As of June 2016, DR Congo has one national airline (Kongo Airways) offering flights within DR Congo. Congo Airways is based at Kinshasa international airport. All airlines certified by DRC have been banned from European Union airports by the European Commission, due to inadequate safety standards.
Several international flights serve Kinshasa international airport and some also offer international flights to Lubumbashi International Airport.
Energy
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, there are coal and crude oil resources that are mainly used domestically in 2008. The Democratic Republic of Congo has infrastructure for hydro-electricity from the Congo River at the Inga dam. The Democratic Republic of Congo also has 50% of African forests and river systems that can provide hydroelectric power to the entire continent, according to a UN report on the country's strategic significance and its potential role as an economic power in Central Africa.
Power generation and distribution is controlled by the National © dà © l © © SNE © © © (SNEL), but only 15% of countries have access to electricity.
Education
In 2014, the literacy rate for the population between the ages of 15 and 49 estimated 75.9% (males 88.1% and females 63.8%) according to a national survey of DHS. The education system in the Democratic Republic of Congo is governed by three government ministries: MinistÃÆ'¨re de l'Enseignement primaire, secondaire et Professionnel (MEPSP ), MinistÃÆ'¨re de l 'Enseignement SupÃÆ' Â © rieur et Universitaire (MESU) and MinistÃÆ'¨re des Affaires Sociales (MAS) . Basic education in the Democratic Republic of Congo is not free or compulsory, although the Congolese Constitution says it should (Article 43 of the Congo Constitution of 2005).
As a result of a 6-year civil war in the late 1990s - early 2000s, more than 5.2 million children in the country received no education. Since the end of the civil war, the situation has grown rapidly, with the number of enrolled children in primary school increasing from 5.5 million in 2002 to 13.5 million in 2014, and the number of enrolled children in secondary schools increased from 2.8 million in 2007. up to 4.4 million in 2014 according to UNESCO.
The actual school attendance has also increased considerably in recent years, with net primary school attendance estimated to be 82.4% by 2014 (82.4% of children aged 6-11 attend school; 83.4% for boys, 80.6% for girls).
Health
Hospitals in the Democratic Republic of Congo include Kinshasa General Hospital. DRC has the second highest infant mortality rate in the world (after Chad). In April 2011, through assistance from the Global Alliance for Vaccines, a new vaccine to prevent pneumococcal disease was introduced around Kinshasa.
In 2012, it is estimated that about 1.1% of adults aged 15-49 years live with HIV/AIDS. Malaria is also a problem. Yellow fever also affects DRC.
Bad maternal health in DRC. According to 2010 estimates, the DRC has the world's 17th-highest maternal mortality rate. According to UNICEF, 43.5% of children under five have stunting.
Crime and law enforcement
Congolese National Police (PNC) is the main police force in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Demographics
The largest city
Ethnic group
More than 200 ethnic groups fill the Democratic Republic of Congo, the majority are Bantu tribes. Together, Mongols, Luba and Congolese (Bantu) and Mangbetu-Azande constitute about 45% of the population. Congolese are the largest ethnic group in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
By 2016, the United Nations estimates the country's population to 79 million people, a rapid rise from 39.1 million in 1992 despite the ongoing war. A total of 250 ethnic groups have been identified and named. The most people are the Congo, Luba, and Mongo. About 600,000 Pygmis are natives of Congo. Although several hundred local languages ​​and dialects are spoken, linguistic varieties are bridged both by the widespread use of French and national intermediate languages, Kituba, Tshiluba, Swahili, and Lingala.
Migration
Given the situation in the country and the state structure conditions, it is very difficult to get reliable migration data. However, evidence suggests that DRC continues to be a destination country for immigrants, despite a recent decline in their numbers. Immigration is very diverse in nature; refugees and asylum seekers - products of various conflicts and violence in the Great Lakes Region - are an important part of the population. In addition, the country's large mining operations attract migrant workers from Africa and beyond. There are also migrations
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