US Aid Southern Africa DG Assessment - Final English Report.pdf (application/pdf Object) Democracy and Governance Assessment | Democracy International. The CIA World Factbook_Congo. Democratic Republic of the Congo. Coordinates: The Democratic Republic of the Congo (French: République démocratique du Congo), sometimes referred to as DR Congo, DRC, Congo-Kinshasa, Congo-Zaire, DROC,[5][6] or RDC, is a country located in the African Great Lakes region of Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world. With a population of over 75 million,[1] the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the nineteenth most populous nation in the world, the fourth most populous nation in Africa, as well as the most populous officially Francophone country. The Second Congo War, beginning in 1998, devastated the country and is sometimes referred to as the "African world war" because it involved nine African nations and twenty armed groups.[7][8] Despite the signing of peace accords in 2003, fighting continued in the east of the country in 2007.
Etymology[edit] The name "Democratic Republic of the Congo" was the official name of the country from 1964–71. History[edit] Republic of the Congo. Coordinates: The Republic of the Congo (French: République du Congo), sometimes referred to as Congo Republic[3] or Congo-Brazzaville, is a country located in Central Africa. It is bordered by Gabon, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Angolan exclave of Cabinda. The region was dominated by Bantu-speaking tribes, who built trade links leading into the Congo River basin. Congo-Brazzaville was formerly part of the French colony of Equatorial Africa.[1] Upon independence in 1960, the former colony of French Congo became the Republic of the Congo. The People's Republic of the Congo was a Marxist-Leninist single-party state from 1970 to 1991. Multi-party elections have been held since 1992, although a democratically elected government was ousted in the 1997 Republic of the Congo Civil War.
History[edit] The Republic of the Congo received full independence from France on August 15, 1960. Government and politics[edit] Human rights[edit] Economy[edit]