# Democratic Republic o the Congo

| Democratic Republic o the Congo *République démocratique du Congo*  (French) *Repubilika ya Kôngo ya Dimokalasi*  (Kongo) *Republíki ya Kongó Demokratíki*  (Lingala) *Jamhuri ya Kidemokrasia ya Kongo*  (Swahili) *Ditunga dia Kongu wa Mungalaata*  (Luba-Katanga) |
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Coat of arms

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| **Motto:**"Justice – Paix – Travail" (French) "Juistice – Peace – Wirk" |
| **Anthem:Debout Congolais*  (French) "Arise, Congolese" |
| Location o  Democratic Republic o the Congo  (dark green) |
| Caipital and largest city | Kinshasa ﻿ / ﻿ |
| Offeecial leids | French |
| Recognised naitional leids | * Lingala
* Kikongo
* Swahili
* Tshiluba
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| Demonym(s) | Congolese |
| Govrenment | Unitar semi-presidential republic |
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| • Preses  | Félix Tshisekedi |
| • Prime Meenister  | Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde |
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| Legislatur | Parliament |
| • Upper house | Senate |
| • Lower house | Naitional Assemmly |
| Formation |
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| • Colonized  | 17 November 1879 |
| • Congo Free State  | 1 Julie 1885 |
| • Belgian Congo  | 15 November 1908 |
| • Independence frae Belgium  | 30 Juin 1960 |
| • Renamed tae Democratic Republic o the Congo  | 1 August 1964 |
| • Republic o Zaire  | 29 October 1971 |
| • Faw o Mobutu  | 17 Mey 1997 |
| • Current constitution  | 18 Februar 2006 |
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| Aurie |
| • Total | 2,345,409 km2 (905,567 sq mi) (11t) |
| • Water (%) | 3.32 |
| Population |
| • 2016 estimate | 78,736,153 (16t) |
| • Density | 34.83/km2 (90.2/sq mi) |
| GDP (PPP) | 2017 estimate |
| • Total | $67.988 billion |
| • Per capita | $785 |
| GDP (nominal) | 2017 estimate |
| • Tot | $40.415 billion |
| • Per capita | $446 |
| Gini (2006) | 44.4 medium |
| HDI (2015) |  0.435 law · 176t |
| Currency | Congolese franc (CDF) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 to +2 (WAT an CAT) |
| Drivin side | right |
| Cawin code | +243 |
| ISO 3166 code | CD |
| Internet TLD | .cd |

Territorial Organization
File:Erritoires du Republique Democratique du Congo(1).pngTerritorial Organization 2
The **Democratic Republic o the Congo** (French: *République démocratique du Congo*), umwhile **Zaire**, is a naition locatit in Central Africae, wi a short Atlantic coastline (37 km). It is the third lairgest kintra in Africae bi aurie efter Sudan an Algerie an the 12t lairgest in the warld. The Democratic Republic o the Congo – wi its population o nearly 71 million, – is the aichteent maist populous naition in the warld, an the fowert maist populous naition in Africae, as well as the maist populous offeecially Francophone kintra.

In order tae distinguish it frae the neighborin Republic o the Congo tae the wast, the Democratic Republic o the Congo is aften referred tae as **DR Congo**, **DROC**, **DRC**, or **RDC** (frae its French abbreviation), or is cawed **Congo-Kinshasa** efter the caipital o Kinshasa (in contrast tae Congo-Brazzaville for its neighbor). It an aa borders the Central African Republic an Sudan tae the north; Uganda, Rwanda, an Burundi in the east; Zambie an Angolae tae the sooth; the Atlantic Ocean tae the wast; an is separatit frae Tanzanie bi Loch Tanganyika in the east. The kintra haes access tae the ocean through a 40-kilometre (25 mi) stretch o Atlantic coastline at Muanda an the roughly nine-kilometer-wide mouth o the Congo River which opens intae the Gulf o Guinea.

The Democratic Republic o the Congo wis umwhile, in chronological order, the Congo Free State, Belgian Congo, Congo-Léopoldville, Congo-Kinshasa, an Zaire (*Zaïre* in French). Though it is locatit in the Central African UN subregion, the naition is economically an regionally affiliatit wi Soothren Africae as a member o the Soothren African Development Community (SADC).

The Seicont Congo War, beginnin in 1998, devastatit the kintra, involved seiven foreign airmies an is sometimes referred tae as the "African Warld War". Despite the signin o peace accords in 2003, fechtin continues in the east o the kintra. In eastren Congo, the prevalence o rape an ither sexual violence is described as the wirst in the warld. The war is the warld's deadliest conflict since Warld War II, killin 5.4 million fowk.

Though it is locatit in the Central African UN subregion, the naition is an aw economically an regionally affiliatit wi Soothren Africae as a member o the Soothren African Development Community (SADC).