The Democratic Republic of The Congo (formerly Zaire) is a country in central Africa. It has a total area of 2,345,410 km2. The climate is tropical; hot and humid in the equatorial river basin; cooler and drier in the southern highlands; cooler and wetter in the eastern highlands; north of the Equator the wet season is April to October, the dry season is December to February; south of the Equator the wet season is November to March, the dry season is April to October. The terrain is a vast central basin is a low-lying plateau; mountains in east. Natural resources are cobalt, copper, cadmium, crude oil, industrial and gem diamonds, gold, silver, zinc, manganese, tin, germanium, uranium, radium, bauxite, iron ore, coal and hydropower potential. The religion is 50% Roman Catholic, 20% Protestant, 10% Kimbanguist, 10% Muslim, 10% other syncretic sects and traditional beliefs. The official language is French with Lingala, Swahili, Kingwana, Kikongo and Tshiluba also spoken. The land was given the name Zaire by Portugese explorers arriving in the 15th century. In 1885 the land was
established as the Congo Free State by the Belgian king Leopold II. In 1908 the country became a colony of the Belgian Congo and in 1960 independent. In 1964 the country changed its name to the Democratic Republic of The Congo, and in 1971 after years of civil war changed its name to Zaire. In 1997 the government was ovethrown and the country reverted its name to the
Democratic Republic of The Congo. Research Democratic Republic of The Congo
Abbreviations
Gazetteer
Research Democratic Republic of The Congo