The democratic republic of Congo is the third largest country on the African continent and is also known as the Congo Free State, Belgian Congo, and Congo-Leopoldville. The capital of the country is Kinshasa.
It shares its borders with the Central African Republic and Sudan to the north, Uganda, Rawanda and Burundi to the east, Zambia and Angola on the south, and the Republic of Congo on the east.
Etymology of DR Congo:-
The DR Congo is known by the several names. Until the country got independence it was known by the name Congo and after that Zaire under the rule of the president Mobutu. After the first Congo war, the country again renamed as the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1997.
History of DR Congo:-
During the second millennium BC some people were found on the Northern and the North- Western parts of Central Africa developing the arboriculture based on the oil palm. The first villages in the DR Cong known by the name Imbonga-Tradition were established in 2600 BC due to which the Urewe culture became popular. The iron production in Central Africa became independent after the Neolithic Expansion. In early days Bantu language is spoken by the villagers.
The Congo became a colony under the rule of Sir Henry Morton Stanley in 1870 when the European exploration and administration takes place. In 1885 the Leopald who was the chairman of the Association Internationale Africaine ruled the country and give the name as Congo Free State. He worked on the railway project which starts from the coast and reaches its destination to Kinshasa. He also forces the people to sell the rubber with which he builds the buildings in Brussets and Ostend to get name and fame for him and the country. The Force Publique was also called to force the people to sell rubber as a result of which many people lost their lives and some have to suffer from diseases.
When the famous writers wrote about the crucial period of Congo then Belgian government came in form and took over the charge. At this time from the name Congo Free State, it became the Belgian Congo.
The parliamentary elections were held in May 1960 in which the Lumumba became the Prime Minister and the Joseph Kasavubu was elected as the president. Parti Solidaire Africain and Parti National Du Peupel are some of the other parties which are also established under these elections. When the two colonies namely the Belgian Congo and the Moyen Congo achieved their independences they are known by the capital cities because after independence both of them have the same name i.e. Republic of Congo. In 1966 the countrys name again changed to Democratic Republic of Congo by Joseph Mobutu and in 1977 it was known by the name Republic of Zaire.
Due to some crisis the conflicts between the lumumba and kasavubu takes place and as a result of which kasavubu dismissed lumumba from the office. Mobutu takes the advantage of this crisis and ready his soldiers to kidnap lumumba on 17th January 1961.
After that one party system was established and Mobutu became the head of the state under which the corruption was at its peak. In 1971 he again changed the name of the country to the Republic of Zaire and the Congo river was known by the name River Zaire.
Politics and government in DR Congo:-
The system in the country consists of the bicameral legislature with a Senate and National assembly. The president is the head of the country and also the commander-in –chief of the armed forces.
In February 2006 the constitution of the third republic was established in which the executive powers are headed by the president and the judicial powers are headed by the prime minister whereas the legislative powers remain bicameral. Under this constitution the Supreme Court is also divided into the three new constitutions.
Geography of DR Congo:-
The democratic Republic of Congo is situated between 4 degree 19 minutes south latitude and 15 degree 19 minutes east longitude. It has an area of 2,345,408 square kilometers. The country also has to suffer with the highest frequency of the thunderstorms. Due to the highest rainfall in the country, the country is known as the second largest rain forest country in the world.
The whole economics and transportation of the country depends upon the Congo River and its tributaries. It is also surrounded by the plateaus, mountains and grasslands. The Great Rift valley is a major exporter of the minerals to the country which in turn helps in mining and in Congos Katanga region cobalt, copper, radium, coal, diamonds, germanium, uranium etc. are found in large quantities.
Currency in Congo:-
Congolese Franc is the currency which is basically used by the people of the country.
Economy of Congo:-
Due to the first and second world war the economy of the country starts declining and as a result of which many people have to lost their lives and various diseases like small pox also occurs. Also the foreign investors take their steps back as they have a doubt of fruitful results which in turn causes the lack of infrastructure.
The population of the country is largely affected due to the insufficiency of the diet. When in 2002 the International monetary fund and world bank had a meeting with the government then the conditions of the country starts improving.
After that the country became the largest producer of the cobalt, copper and diamonds and it has the deposits of tantalum which is used in computers and mobile phones.
Demographics of Congo:-
Around 62.6 million people are residing in this country and due to the ethnic groups the languages which are usually spoken by the people are French but sometimes Kongo, Tshiluba, Swahili and Lingala are also spoken by them.
Women in this country have to depend on others. As there is the majority of Christians residing in this country therefore Christianity is the major religion followed by the people and the Roman Catholic Church is the largest church in the country.
Culture in Congo:-
Despite for the struggle of independence and first and second Congo wars the culture of the country is rich. The most famous music of the country is sui generis. Mostly the musicians sing the songs in the lingala language. Fashion designers like Cheri samba and Odette krempin are very much famous among the youth.
The famous national parks of this country are the garumba, the salonga, and virunga and in all these parks the bonobo chimpanzee is famous among the animals. The meat which is eaten by the animals is bushmeat but there is a lack of it as the condition of the people of the country is very poor. |
