Democratic Republic o the Congo

The Democratic Republic o the Congo (French: République démocratique du Congo), umwhile Zaire, is a naition locatit in Central Africae, wi a short Atlantic coastline (37 km). It is the third lairgest kintra in Africae bi aurie efter Sudan an Algerie an the 12t lairgest in the warld. The Democratic Republic o the Congo – wi its population o nearly 71 million,^[1] – is the aichteent maist populous naition in the warld, an the fowert maist populous naition in Africae, as well as the maist populous offeecially Francophone kintra.

Democratic Republic o the Congo République démocratique du Congo  (French) Repubilika ya Kôngo ya Dimokalasi  (Kongo) Republíki ya Kongó Demokratíki  (Lingala) Jamhuri ya Kidemokrasia ya Kongo  (Swahili) Ditunga dia Kongu wa Mungalaata  (Luba-Katanga)
Banner Coat of arms
Motto: "Justice – Paix – Travail" (French) "Juistice – Peace – Wirk"
Anthem: Debout Congolais  (French) "Arise, Congolese"
Location o  Democratic Republic o the Congo  (dark green)
Caipital and largest city	Kinshasa 4°19′S 15°19′E
Offeecial leids	French
Recognised naitional leids	Lingala Kikongo Swahili Tshiluba
Demonym(s)	Congolese
Govrenment	Unitar semi-presidential republic
• Preses	Félix Tshisekedi
• Prime Meenister	Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde
Legislatur	Parliament
• Upper house	Senate
• Lower house	Naitional Assemmly
Formation
• Colonized	17 November 1879
• Congo Free State	1 Julie 1885
• Belgian Congo	15 November 1908
• Independence frae Belgium	30 Juin 1960[1]
• Renamed tae Democratic Republic o the Congo	1 August 1964
• Republic o Zaire	29 October 1971
• Faw o Mobutu	17 Mey 1997
• Current constitution	18 Februar 2006
Aurie
• Total	2,345,409 km2 (905,567 sq mi) (11t)
• Water (%)	3.32
Population
• 2016 estimate	78,736,153[2] (16t)
• Density	34.83/km2 (90.2/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)	2017 estimate
• Total	$67.988 billion[3]
• Per capita	$785[3]
GDP (nominal)	2017 estimate
• Tot	$40.415 billion[3]
• Per capita	$446[3]
Gini (2006)	44.4[4] medium
HDI (2015)	0.435[5] law · 176t
Currency	Congolese franc (CDF)
Time zone	UTC+1 to +2 (WAT an CAT)
Drivin side	right
Cawin code	+243
ISO 3166 code	CD
Internet TLD	.cd

Territorial Organization

File:Erritoires du Republique Democratique du Congo(1).png

Territorial Organization 2

In order tae distinguish it frae the neighborin Republic o the Congo tae the wast, the Democratic Republic o the Congo is aften referred tae as DR Congo, DROC, DRC, or RDC (frae its French abbreviation), or is cawed Congo-Kinshasa efter the caipital o Kinshasa (in contrast tae Congo-Brazzaville for its neighbor). It an aa borders the Central African Republic an Sudan tae the north; Uganda, Rwanda, an Burundi in the east; Zambie an Angolae tae the sooth; the Atlantic Ocean tae the wast; an is separatit frae Tanzanie bi Loch Tanganyika in the east.^[1] The kintra haes access tae the ocean through a 40-kilometre (25 mi) stretch o Atlantic coastline at Muanda an the roughly nine-kilometer-wide mouth o the Congo River which opens intae the Gulf o Guinea.

The Democratic Republic o the Congo wis umwhile, in chronological order, the Congo Free State, Belgian Congo, Congo-Léopoldville, Congo-Kinshasa, an Zaire (Zaïre in French).^[1] Though it is locatit in the Central African UN subregion, the naition is economically an regionally affiliatit wi Soothren Africae as a member o the Soothren African Development Community (SADC).

The Seicont Congo War, beginnin in 1998, devastatit the kintra, involved seiven foreign airmies an is sometimes referred tae as the "African Warld War".^[6] Despite the signin o peace accords in 2003, fechtin continues in the east o the kintra. In eastren Congo, the prevalence o rape an ither sexual violence is described as the wirst in the warld.^[7] The war is the warld's deadliest conflict since Warld War II, killin 5.4 million fowk.^[8][9]

Though it is locatit in the Central African UN subregion, the naition is an aw economically an regionally affiliatit wi Soothren Africae as a member o the Soothren African Development Community (SADC).