Things you did not know about DRCongo

Things you did not know about DRCongo : Democratic Republic of the Congo, country is situated in central Africa. The Democratic Republic of the Congo, as it is officially known, is a landlocked nation with a 25-mile (40-kilometer) coastline on the Atlantic Ocean. Algeria is the largest country on the continent, with this one coming in second. Approximately 320 miles (515 kilometres) from the mouth of the Congo River is the capital city of Kinshasa. Being the biggest city in the region, it functions as the official administrative, commercial, and cultural hub of Central Africa. In order to differentiate it from the other Congo republic, which is officially known as the Republic of the Congo but is frequently referred to as Congo (Brazzaville), the country is frequently referred to by its abbreviation, the DRC, or as Congo (Kinshasa), with the capital appended parenthetically.

Congo obtained independence from Belgium in 1960. The Republic of Zaire was the official name of the nation from 1971 until 1997. Former President Gen. Mobutu Sese Seko changed the name to something he believed to be a more true African name. Similar to the nation’s current name, “Zaire” is derived from a phrase that means “Great River” in certain native African languages. It alludes to the Congo River, which empties into a sizable basin that is primarily in the republic. But unlike Zaire, the term Congo comes from the colonial era, when Europeans connected the river to the Kongo people’s kingdom, who reside at its mouth. The Democratic Republic of the Congo, the nation’s name before to 1971, was restored after Mobutu was overthrown in 1997. After this, the Congo was engulfed in a catastrophic civil war, which ended in 2003 formally but with warfare still raging in the country’s east.

Things you did not know about DRCongo.

Congo is filled with natural resources. It is home to one of Africa’s greatest forest reserves, abundant industrial diamond, cobalt, and copper deposits, and over half of the continent’s hydroelectric potential. The second-biggest nation in Africa is the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia are its nine neighboring nations.

With approximately 250 languages and dialects spoken all around the nation, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is home to more than 200 different ethnic groups. The capital and second-biggest French-speaking city in the world is Kinshasa.

The Congolese people have been involved in an armed battle for more than 20 years since the 1960s. The conflict is the worst since World War II, with over 5.4 million people dying from war-related causes.

Child soldiers have been brutally recruited by Congolese armed groups and army units for a long time. Between January 2012 and August 2013, the UN reports at least 1,000 instances of the recruitment of minors as soldiers.

The Virunga National Park in the Congo is the oldest national park in Africa. Rare mountain gorillas, lions, and elephants can be found there and can be explored on a Congo safari. The UK oil company Soco has started conducting oil prospecting in the park, posing a threat to it at the moment.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, less than 10% of the population currently has access to electricity, and only 1.8% of all roads are paved. Improvements have been pushed for recently, with the World Bank announcing a $1 billion infrastructure programme.

With nearly 21,000 soldiers from almost 50 nations, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is home to the largest peacekeeping deployment in the history of the United Nations.

Things you did not know about DRCongo. Approximately 450,000 Democratic Republic of Congolese refugees are still living in neighbouring countries, notably in Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda, as a result of the continuous insecurity in the country’s east.

Despite having an abundance of gold, tantalum, tungsten, and tin all minerals used in electronics like laptops and cell phones the Democratic Republic of the Congo is one of the world’s most resource-rich nations, but its population is still living in terrible poverty.

We refer to tin, tungsten, tantalum, and gold as “conflict minerals.” Profits from sales are used by armed groups to finance their violent campaigns. By tracking their supply chains, some businesses are increasing their accountability.

Dikembe Mutombo, a former NBA All-Star, was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He established a humanitarian foundation in 1997 with the goal of enhancing the DRC’s citizens’ access to healthcare, education, and general well-being.