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The Congolese people

Cultural Profile of their country- Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is a country in Central Africa, it has a 25-mile (40-km) coastline on the Atlantic Ocean but is otherwise landlocked and bounded to the north by the Central African Republic and South Sudan; to the east by Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and Tanzania; to the southeast by Zambia; and to the southwest by Angola. To the west are the country’s short Atlantic coastline, the Angolan exclave of Cabinda, and Congo (Brazzaville). By area, the DRC is the second-largest country in Africa, and the 11th-largest in the world. It is named after the Congo River, which flows throughout the country. The Congo River is the world's deepest river and the world's second-largest river by discharge.

The capital, Kinshasa, is located on the Congo River about 320 miles (515 km) from its mouth. It is the largest city in central Africa, and it serves as the country’s official administrative, economic, and cultural center. The country is often referred to by its acronym the DRC, or called Congo (Kinshasa) (with the capital added in parenthesis), to distinguish it from the other Congo Republic -officially called the Republic of the Congo, often referred to as Congo (Brazzaville).

There are over 250 dialects spoken throughout the country, with French as their national language, but Lingala is widely spoken by a population of close to 90 million. Kinshasa is the second-largest French-speaking city in the world after Paris.

Over 200 ethnic groups reside side-by-side in DRC.

DRC has the oldest national park in Africa – Virunga National Park, founded in 1925. This park is home to rare mountain gorillas, lions and elephants.

The country is one of the top mineral-rich countries in the world, among these you can find gold, tantalum, tungsten, and tin deposits, all essential minerals used in the production of electronics such as cell phones and laptops.. It enjoys a vibrant agricultural sector that employs two-thirds of the population, with cassava, yams, rice and maize as their main crops, though coffee is DRC's third-most important export after copper and crude oil. They also also export rubber and timber, and refined copper and unwrought alloys are the highest-earning exports. According to reports, DRC exported US$14.1 billions worth of goods around the world in 2020. This is a 96.3 percent increase since 2016, and a 5.5 percent gain from 2019 to 2020.

Facts about the country:

Name: République démocratique du Congo (French)

Repubilika ya Kôngo ya Dimokalasi (Kituba)

Republíki ya Kongó Demokratíki (Lingala)

Jamhuri ya Kidemokrasia ya Kongo (Swahili)

Ditunga dia Kongu wa Mungalaata (Luba-Lulua)

Motto: "Justice – Paix – Travail" (French) "Justice – Peace – Work".

National Anthem: Debout Congolais (French) "Arise, Congolese".

Capital and largest city: Kinshasa.

Official language: French

Recognised national languages: Kikongo ya leta, Lingala, Swahili and Tshiluba

Religion (2020): No official religion, population practices- 95.0% Christianity, 54.9% Catholicism, 40.1% Other Christian denominations, 2.5% Traditional faiths, 1.5% Islam, 1.0% Others / None.

Government: Unitary semi-presidential republic.

• President Félix Tshisekedi.

• Prime Minister Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde.

Coat of Arms

Legislature: Parliament.

• Upper house Senate.

• Lower house National Assembly.

Formation: more information on the country's history can be found in its WIKI page.

• Colonised November 17th, 1879.

• Congo Free State July 1st, 1885.

• Belgian Congo November 15th, 1908

• Independence from Belgium June 30th, 1960

• Admitted to the United Nations September 20th, 1960.

• Named Democratic Republic of the Congo August 1st, 1964.

• Republic of Zaire October 27th, 1971.

• First Congo War May 17th, 1997.

• Current constitution February 18th, 2006.

Area: more information on the country's geographical facts can be found in its WIKI page.

• Total 2,345,409 km2 (905,567 square miles).

• Water (%) 3.32.

Kinshasa

Population:

• 2022 estimate Neutral increase, 108,407,721

• Density 46.3/km2 (119.9/sq mi)

Urban-Rural Population Urban: (2018) 44.5% • Rural: (2018) 55.5%

Population Projection as of 2030 138,749,000

Literacy: Percentage of population age 15 and over literate, Male: (2016) 89% • Female: (2016) 66%

Life Expectancy At Birth: Male: (2019) 58.9 years • Female: (2019) 62.3 years.

Also Known As:

République du Congo • Congo-Kinshasa • République Démocratique du Congo • Republic of the Congo • DRC

Monetary Unit: Congo franc (FC).

Gni Per Capita (U.S. Dollars): (2020) 550.

GDP (nominal): 2022 estimate,

• Total Increase $128.54 billion.

• Per capita Increase $660.

Congolese money

Largest cities:

1 Kinshasa (Kinshasa province) pop. 15,628,000

2 Mbuji-Mayi (Kasai-Oriental) pop. 2,765,000

3 Lubumbashi (Haut-Katanga) pop. 2,695,000

4 Kananga (Kasaï-Central) pop. 1,593,000

5 Kisangani (Tshopo) pop. 1,366,000

6 Bukavu (South Kivu) pop. 1,190,000

7 Tshikapa (Kasaï) pop. 1,024,000

8 Bunia (Ituri) pop. 768,000

9 Goma (North Kivu) pop. 707,000

10 Uvira (South Kivu) pop. 657,000

Stay tuned for more information on the Congolese people and their culture, and more places and their people in future posts. Our area is blessed to be called home by many people of many cultures, and they deserve to be acknowledged.