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DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
formally “Zaire”
“NEW” OFFICIAL NAME
The Democratic Republic of Congo
CAPITAL CITY
Kinshasa, population 3,000,000
Geography
Location:
Central Africa, northeast of Angola
Geographic coordinates:
0 00 N, 25 00 E
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total area:
2,345,410 sq km
land area:
2,267,600 sq km
comparative area:
slightly more than one-fourth the size of US
Land boundaries:
total:
10,271 km
border countries:
Angola 2,511 km, Burundi 233 km, Central African Republic 1,577 km, Congo 2,410 km, Rwanda 217 km, Sudan 628 km, Uganda 765 km, Zambia 1,930 km
Coastline:
37 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone:
boundaries with neighbors
territorial sea:
12 nm
International disputes:
Tanzania-Zaire-Zambia tripoint in Lake Tanganyika may no longer be indefinite since it has been informally reported that the indefinite section of the Zaire-Zambia boundary has been settled; long section with Congo along the Congo river is indefinite (no division of the river or its islands has been made)
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
Terrain:
vast central basin is a low-lying plateau; mountains in east
lowest point:
Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point:
Margherita Peak (Mount Stanley) 5,110 m
Natural resources:
cobalt, copper, cadmium, petroleum, industrial and gem diamonds, gold, silver, zinc, manganese, tin, germanium, uranium, radium, bauxite, iron ore, coal, hydropower potential
Land use:
arable land:
3%
permanent crops:
0%
meadows and pastures:
4%
forest and woodland:
78%
other:
15%
Irrigated land:
100 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
poaching threatens wildlife populations; water pollution; deforestation; 1.2 million Rwandan refugees are responsible for significant deforestation, soil erosion, and wildlife poaching in eastern Zaire
natural hazards:
periodic droughts in south; volcanic activity
international agreements:
party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83; signed, but not ratified - Desertification, Environmental Modification
Geographic note:
straddles Equator; very narrow strip of land that controls the lower Congo river and is only outlet to South Atlantic Ocean; dense tropical rain forest in central river basin and eastern highlands
People
Population:
46,498,539 (July 1996 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years:
48% (male 11,161,347; female 11,124,583)
15-64 years:
49% (male 11,197,097; female 11,783,524)
65 years and over:
3% (male 539,775; female 692,213) (July 1996 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.67% (1996 est.)
Birth rate:
48.1 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Death rate:
16.9 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Net migration rate:
-14.56 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
note:
in 1994, more than one million refugees fled into Zaire to escape the fighting between the Hutus and the Tutsis in Rwanda and Burundi; a small number of these returned to their homes in 1995 despite fear of the ongoing violence; additionally, Zaire is host to about 100,000 Angolan, and about 100,000 Sudanese refugees
Sex ratio:
at birth:
1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.78 male(s)/female
all ages:
0.97 male(s)/female (1996 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
108 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
46.7 years
male:
44.97 years
female:
48.47 years (1996 est.)
Total fertility rate:
6.64 children born/woman (1996 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Zairian(s)
adjective:
Zairian
Ethnic divisions:
over 200 African ethnic groups, the majority are Bantu; four largest tribes - Mongo, Luba, Kongo (all Bantu), and the Mangbetu-Azande (Hamitic) make up about 45% of the population
Religions:
Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant 20%, Kimbanguist 10%, Muslim 10%, other syncretic sects and traditional beliefs 10%
Languages:
French (official), Lingala (a lingua franca trade language), Kingwana (a dialect of Kiswahili or Swahili), Kikongo, Tshiluba
Literacy:
age 15 and over can read and write in French, Lingala, Kingwana, or Tshiluba (1995 est.)
total population:
77.3%
male:
86.6%
female:
67.7%
Government
NOTE: Much of the govermental data shown below refers to the old Zaire, and the reign of the now deposed President Mobuto. It will be updated when details are made available.
Name of country:
conventional long form:
The Democratic Republic of Congo
conventional short form:
??
local long form:
??
local short form:
??
former:
Zaire Belgian Congo Congo/Leopoldville Congo/Kinshasa
Data code:
CG
Type of government:
republic with a strong presidential system
Capital:
Kinshasa
Administrative divisions:
10 regions (regions, singular - region) and 1 town* (ville); Bandundu, Bas-Zaire, Equateur, Haut-Zaire, Kasai-Occidental, Kasai-Oriental, Kinshasa*, Maniema, Nord-Kivu, Shaba, Sud-Kivu
Independence:
30 June 1960 (from Belgium)
National holiday:
Anniversary of the Regime (Second Republic), 24 November (1965)
Constitution:
24 June 1967, amended August 1974, revised 15 February 1978; amended April 1990; new transitional constitution promulgated in April 1994
Legal system:
based on Belgian civil law system and tribal law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch:
chief of state:
President Marshal MOBUTU Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu wa Za Banga (since 24 November 1965) elected for a seven-year term by popular vote; election last held 29 July 1984 (next to be held by 9 July 1997); results - President MOBUTU was reelected without opposition and was recently deposed.
head of government:
Prime Minister Leon KENGO wa Dondo (since 14 June 1994) elected by the High Council of the Republic
cabinet:
National Executive Council, appointed by mutual agreement of the president and the prime minister
Legislative branch:
unicameral
parliament:
a single body consisting of the High Council of the Republic and the Parliament of the Transition with membership equally divided between presidential supporters and opponents
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)
Political parties and leaders:
sole legal party until January 1991 - Popular Movement of the Revolution (MPR); other parties include Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS), Etienne TSHISEKEDI wa Mulumba; Democratic Social Christian Party (PDSC); Union of Federalists and Independent Republicans (UFERI); Unified Lumumbast Party (PALU), Antoine GIZENGA; Union of Independent Democrats (UDI), Leon KENGO wa Dondo
International organization participation:
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, CEEAC, CEPGL, ECA, FAO, G-19, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador TATANENE Manata
chancery:
1800 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone:
[1] (202) 234-7690, 7691
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Daniel H. SIMPSON
embassy:
310 Avenue des Aviateurs, Kinshasa
mailing address:
Unit 31550, APO AE 09828
telephone:
[243] (12) 21533 through 21535
FAX:
[243] (88) 43805, ext. 2308 or 43467
Economy
Economic overview:
Zaire's economy has continued to disintegrate, although Prime Minister KENGO has had some success in slowing the rate of economic decline. While meaningful economic figures are difficult to come by, Zaire's hyperinflation, chronic large government deficits, and plunging mineral production have made the country one of the world's poorest. Most formal transactions are conducted in hard currency as indigenous bank notes have lost almost all value, and a barter economy now flourishes in all but the largest cities. Most individuals and families hang on grimly through subsistence farming and petty trade. The government has not been able to meet its financial obligations to the IMF nor put in place the financial measures advocated by it. Although short-term prospects for improvement remain doubtful, improved political stability would boost Zaire's long-term potential to effectively exploit its vast mineral and agricultural resources.
GDP:
purchasing power parity - $16.5 billion (1995 est.)
GDP real growth rate:
-7.4% (1995 est.)
GDP per capita:
$400 (1995 est.)
GDP composition by sector:
agriculture:
NA%
industry:
NA%
services:
NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
12% monthly average (1995 est.)
Labor force:
14.51 million (1993 est.)
by occupation:
agriculture 65%, industry 16%, services 19% (1991 est.)
Unemployment rate:
NA%
Budget:
revenues:
$479 million
expenditures:
$479 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1996 est.)
Industries:
mining, mineral processing, consumer products (including textiles, footwear, cigarettes, processed foods and beverages), cement, diamonds
Industrial production growth rate:
-20% (1993)
Electricity:
capacity:
2,830,000 kW
production:
6.2 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
133 kWh (1993)
Agriculture:
coffee, sugar, palm oil, rubber, tea, quinine, cassava (tapioca), palm oil, bananas, root crops, corn, fruits; wood products
Illicit drugs:
illicit producer of cannabis, mostly for domestic consumption
Exports:
$419 million (f.o.b., 1994)
commodities:
copper, coffee, diamonds, cobalt, crude oil
partners:
US, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, UK, Japan, South Africa
Imports:
$382 million (c.i.f., 1994)
commodities:
consumer goods, foodstuffs, mining and other machinery, transport equipment, fuels
partners:
South Africa, US, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK
External debt:
$11.3 billion (December 1993 est.)
Economic aid:
recipient:
ODA, $NA
Currency:
1 zaire (Z) = 100 makuta
Exchange rates:
new zaires (Z) per US$1 - 10,618 (October 1995), 1,194 (1994), 3 (1993); zaire (Z) per US$1 - 645,549 (1992), 15,587 (1991)
note:
on 22 October 1993 the new zaire, equal to 3,000,000 old zaires, was introduced
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Transportation
Railways:
total:
5,138 km (1995); note - severely reduced trackage in use because of civil strife
narrow gauge:
3,987 km 1.067-m gauge (858 km electrified); 125 km 1.000-m gauge; 1,026 km 0.600-m gauge
Highways:
total:
145,000 km
paved:
290 km
unpaved:
144,710 km (1991 est.)
Waterways:
15,000 km including the Congo, its tributaries, and unconnected lakes
Pipelines:
petroleum products 390 km
Ports:
Banana, Boma, Bukavu, Bumba, Goma, Kalemie, Kindu, Kinshasa, Kisangani, Matadi, Mbandaka
Merchant marine:
none
Airports:
total:
217
with paved runways over 3 047 m:
4
with paved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m:
3
with paved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m:
15
with paved runways 914 to 1 523 m:
2
with paved runways under 914 m:
82
with unpaved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m:
17
with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m:
94 (1995 est.)
Communications
Telephones:
34,000 (1991 est.)
Telephone system:
domestic:
barely adequate wire and microwave radio relay service in and between urban areas; domestic satellite system with 14 earth stations
international:
satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 10, FM 4, shortwave 0
Radios:
3.87 million (1992 est.)
Television broadcast stations:
18
Televisions:
55,000 (1992 est.)
Defense
Branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force, National Gendarmerie, paramilitary Civil Guard, Special Presidential Division
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49:
10,025,536
males fit for military service:
5,108,385 (1996 est.)
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $46 million, 1.5% of GDP (1990)
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