Democratic Republic of the Congo
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The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a large central-African nation which straddles equator and borders nine other African nations. It has a narrow strip of land that controls the lower Congo River and is its only outlet to South Atlantic Ocean. There is dense tropical rain forest in central river basin and eastern highlands. Its western border lies within the Albertine Rift (the western branch of Africa's Great Rift System) and takes in several of Africa's Great Lakes.
The major environmental issues in the Democratic Republic of the Congo include: poaching which threatens wildlife populations; water pollution; deforestation; refugees responsible for significant deforestation, soil erosion, and wildlife poaching; and the mining of minerals (coltan - a mineral used in creating capacitors, diamonds, and gold) causing environmental damage.
Established as a Belgian colony in 1908, the Republic of the Congo gained its independence in 1960, but its early years were marred by political and social instability. Col. Joseph Mobuto seized power and declared himself president in a November 1965 coup. He subsequently changed his name - to Mobuto Sese Seko - as well as that of the country - to Zaire. Mobuto retained his position for 32 years through several sham elections, as well as through the use of brutal force. Ethnic strife and civil war, touched off by a massive inflow of refugees in 1994 from fighting in Rwanda and Burundi, led in May 1997 to the toppling of the Mobuto regime by a rebellion backed by Rwanda and Uganda and fronted by Laurent Kabila. He renamed the country the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), but in August 1998 his regime was itself challenged by a second insurrection again backed by Rwanda and Uganda. Troops from Angola, Chad, Namibia, Sudan, and Zimbabwe intervened to support Kabila's regime. A cease-fire was signed in July 1999 by the DRC, Congolese armed rebel groups, Angola, Namibia, Rwanda, Uganda, and Zimbabwe but sporadic fighting continued. Laurent Kabila was assassinated in January 2001 and his son, Joseph Kabila, was named head of state. In October 2002, the new president was successful in negotiating the withdrawal of Rwandan forces occupying eastern Congo; two months later, the Pretoria Accord was signed by all remaining warring parties to end the fighting and establish a government of national unity. A transitional government was set up in July 2003. Joseph Kabila as president and four vice presidents represented the former government, former rebel groups, the political opposition, and civil society. The transitional government held a successful constitutional referendum in December 2005 and elections for the presidency, National Assembly, and provincial legislatures in 2006. Kabila was inaugurated president in December 2006. The National Assembly was installed in September 2006. Its president, Vital Kamerhe, was chosen in December. Provincial assemblies were constituted in early 2007, and elected governors and national senators in January 2007.
Geography
Location: Central Africa, northeast of Angola
Geographic Coordinates: 0 00 N, 25 00 E
Area: 2,345,410 km2 (2,267,600 km2 land and 77,810 km2 water)
arable land: 2.86%
permanent crops: 0.47%
other: 96.67% (2005)
Land Boundaries: 10,730 km. Border countries: Angola 2,511 km (of which 225 km is the boundary of Angola's discontiguous Cabinda Province), Burundi 233 km, Central African Republic 1,577 km, Republic of the Congo 2,410 km, Rwanda 217 km, Sudan 628 km, Tanzania 459 km, Uganda 765 km, Zambia 1,930 km
Coastline: 37 km
Maritime Claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: boundaries with neighbors
Natural Hazards: periodic droughts in south; Congo River floods (seasonal); in the east, in the Great Rift Valley, there are active volcanoes
Terrain: Vast central basin is a low-lying plateau; mountains in east. Its lowest point is the Atlantic Ocean (0 metres) and its highest point is Pic Marguerite on Mont Ngaliema (Mount Stanley) (5,110 metres)
Climate:Tropical; hot and humid in equatorial river basin; cooler and drier in southern highlands; cooler and wetter in eastern highlands; north of Equator - wet season (April to October), dry season (December to February); south of Equator - wet season (November to March), dry season (April to October)
Government
Government Type: Republic
Capital: Kinshasa
Independence Date: 30 June 1960 (from Belgium)
Legal System: a new constitution was adopted by referendum 18 December 2005; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
International Environmental Agreements
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is party to international agreements on: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, and Wetlands. It has signed, but not ratified an agreement on Environmental Modification
People and Society
Population: 66,514,506
Age Structure:
0-14 years: 47.1% (male 15,711,817/female 15,594,449)
15-64 years: 50.4% (male 16,672,399/female 16,875,468)
65 years and over: 2.5% (male 674,766/female 985,607) (2008 est.)
Population Growth Rate: 3.236% (2008 est.)
Birthrate: 43 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death Rate: 11.88 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net Migration Rate: 1.24 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Life Expectancy at Birth: 53.98 years (2008 est.)
Total Fertility Rate: 6.28 children born/woman (2008 est.)
Languages: French (official), Lingala (a lingua franca trade language), Kingwana (a dialect of Kiswahili or Swahili), Kikongo, Tshiluba
Literacy: 67.2% (male: 80.9% - female: 54.1% [2001 est.])
Water
Total Renewable Water Resources: 1,283 cu km (2001)
Freshwater Withdrawal (domestic, industrial, agricultural):
total: 0.36 cu km/yr (53%/17%/31%)
per capita: 6 cu m/yr (2000)
Agriculture
Agricultural Products: coffee, sugar, palm oil, rubber, tea, quinine, cassava (tapioca), palm oil, bananas, root crops, corn, fruits; wood products
Irrigated Land: 110 sq km (2003)
Resources
Natural Resources: cobalt, copper, niobium, tantalum, petroleum, industrial and gem diamonds, gold, silver, zinc, manganese, tin, uranium, coal, hydropower, timber.
Energy
| Production | Consumption | Exports | Imports | Reserves | |
| Electricity | 7.341 billion kWh (2005) | 5.272 billion kWh (2005) | 1.8 billion kWh (2005) | 6 million kWh (2005) | |
| Oil | 19,750 bbl/day (2005) | 11,000 bbl/day (2005 est.) | 20,750 bbl/day (2004 est.) | 8,220 bbl/day (2006 est.) | 187 million bbl (1 January 2006 est.) |
| Natural Gas | 0 cu m (2005 est.) | 0 cu m (2005 est.) | 0 cu m (2005 est.) | 0 cu m (2005) | 950.5 million cu m (1 January 2006 est.) |
| Source: CIA Factbook | |||||
Health
Prevalence Rate of HIV/AIDS in Adults: 4.2% (2003 est.)
Conflict
International Disputes:
Heads of the Great Lakes states and UN pledged in 2004 to abate tribal, rebel, and militia fighting in the region, including northeast Congo, where the UN Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC), organized in 1999, maintains over 16,500 uniformed peacekeepers; members of Uganda's Lords Resistance Army forces continue to seek refuge in Congo's Garamba National Park as peace talks with the Uganda government evolve; the location of the boundary in the broad Congo River with the Republic of the Congo is indefinite except in the Pool Malebo/Stanley Pool area; Uganda and DROC dispute Rukwanzi island in Lake Albert and other areas on the Semliki River with hydrocarbon potential; boundary commission continues discussions over Congolese-administered triangle of land on the right bank of the Lunkinda river claimed by Zambia near the DROC village of Pweto
Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (country of origin): 132,295 (Angola); 37,313 (Rwanda); 17,777 (Burundi); 13,904 (Uganda); 6,181 (Sudan); 5,243 (Republic of Congo). Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs): 1.4 million (fighting between government forces and rebels since mid-1990s; most IDPs are in eastern provinces) (2007)
Economy
The economy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo - a nation endowed with vast potential wealth - is slowly recovering from two decades of decline. Conflict, which began in August 1998, dramatically reduced national output and government revenue, increased external debt, and resulted in the deaths of more than 3.5 million people from violence, famine, and disease. Foreign businesses curtailed operations due to uncertainty about the outcome of the conflict, lack of infrastructure, and the difficult operating environment. Conditions began to improve in late 2002 with the withdrawal of a large portion of the invading foreign troops. The transitional government reopened relations with international financial institutions and international donors, and President KABILA has begun implementing reforms, although progress is slow and the International Monetary Fund curtailed their program for the DRC at the end of March 2006 because of fiscal overruns. Much economic activity still occurs in the informal sector, and is not reflected in GDP data. Renewed activity in the mining sector, the source of most export income, boosted Kinshasa's fiscal position and GDP growth. Government reforms and improved security may lead to increased government revenues, outside budget assistance, and foreign direct investment, although an uncertain legal framework, corruption, and a lack of transparency in government policy are continuing long-term problems.
GDP (Purchasing Power Parity): $18.84 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (Official Exchange Rate): $10.14 billion (2007 est.)
GDP-real growth rate: 6.3% (2007 est.)
GDP-per capita (PPP): $300 (2007 est.)
GDP-composition by sector:
agriculture: 55%
industry: 11%
services: 34% (2000 est.)
Population Below Poverty Line: NA%
Industries: mining (diamonds, gold, copper, cobalt, coltan zinc), mineral processing, consumer products (including textiles, footwear, cigarettes, processed foods and beverages), cement, commercial ship repair
Exports: diamonds, copper, crude oil, coffee, cobalt
Export Partners: Belgium 24.1%, China 22.3%, Brazil 12.8%, US 10%, Finland 7.4%, France 7%
Imports: foodstuffs, mining and other machinery, transport equipment, fuels
Import Partners: South Africa 17.6%, Belgium 10.9%, Zimbabwe 8%, France 7.3%, Zambia 6.8%, Kenya 6.8%, US 4.4%, Cote d'Ivoire 4.4% (2006)
Economic Aid Recipient: $1.828 billion (2005)
Currency: Congolese franc (CDF)
Ports and Terminals: Banana, Boma, Bukavu, Bumba, Goma, Kalemie, Kindu, Kinshasa, Kisangani, Matadi, Mbandaka.
Further Reading