)note: median age at first birth among women 25-29, 473 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est. ), 40.53 births/1,000 population (2021 est. )1,010.3 (2015 est. As it straddles the Equator, it has territories in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Congo Airways, the flag carrier of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. National elections were held in November 2011 and disputed results allowed Joseph KABILA to be reelected to the presidency. The Democratic Republic of the Congo sanctions regime The Democratic Republic of the Congo (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 came fully into … Where possible travellers should avoid travel from altitudes less than 1,200m to altitudes greater than 3,500m in a single day. 'I lost my unborn child and wife on the same day' Video, 'I lost my unborn child and wife on the same day', Why a US photographer says 'sorry for the war' Video, Why a US photographer says 'sorry for the war', The birds on the balcony that found TikTok fame. – Source: Britannica, BBC News. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world. )arable land: 3.1% (2018 est. ), conventional long form: Democratic Republic of the Congoconventional short form: DRClocal long form: Republique Democratique du Congolocal short form: RDCformer: Congo Free State, Belgian Congo, Congo/Leopoldville, Congo/Kinshasa, Zaireabbreviation: DRC (or DROC)etymology: named for the Congo River, most of which lies within the DRC; the river name derives from Kongo, a Bantu kingdom that occupied its mouth at the time of Portuguese discovery in the late 15th century and whose name stems from its people the Bakongo, meaning "hunters", name: Kinshasageographic coordinates: 4 19 S, 15 18 Etime difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)note: the DRC has two time zonesetymology: founded as a trading post in 1881 and named Leopoldville in honor of King Leopold II of the Belgians, who controlled the Congo Free State, the vast central African territory that became the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1960; in 1966, Leopoldville was renamed Kinshasa, after a village of that name that once stood near the site, 26 provinces (provinces, singular - province); Bas-Uele (Lower Uele), Equateur, Haut-Katanga (Upper Katanga), Haut-Lomami (Upper Lomami), Haut-Uele (Upper Uele), Ituri, Kasai, Kasai-Central, Kasai-Oriental (East Kasai), Kinshasa, Kongo Central, Kwango, Kwilu, Lomami, Lualaba, Mai-Ndombe, Maniema, Mongala, Nord-Kivu (North Kivu), Nord-Ubangi (North Ubangi), Sankuru, Sud-Kivu (South Kivu), Sud-Ubangi (South Ubangi), Tanganyika, Tshopo, Tshuapa, history: several previous; latest adopted 13 May 2005, approved by referendum 18-19 December 2005, promulgated 18 February 2006amendments: proposed by the president of the republic, by the government, by either house of Parliament, or by public petition; agreement on the substance of a proposed bill requires absolute majority vote in both houses; passage requires a referendum only if both houses in joint meeting fail to achieve three-fifths majority vote; constitutional articles, including the form of government, universal suffrage, judicial independence, political pluralism, and personal freedoms, cannot be amended; amended 2011, civil law system primarily based on Belgian law, but also customary and tribal law, accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction, citizenship by birth: nocitizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of the Democratic Republic of the Congodual citizenship recognized: noresidency requirement for naturalization: 5 years, 18 years of age; universal and compulsory, chief of state: President Felix TSHISEKEDI (since 24 January 2019)head of government: Prime Minister Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde KYENGE (since 15 February 2021); Deputy Prime Ministers Jose MAKILA, Leonard She OKITUNDU, Henri MOVA Sankanyi (since February 2018)cabinet: Ministers of State appointed by the presidentelections/appointments: president directly elected by simple majority vote for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 30 December 2018 (next to be held in December 2023); prime minister appointed by the presidentelection results: Felix TSHISEKEDI elected president; percent of vote - Felix TSHISEKEDI (UDPS) 38.6%, Martin FAYULU (Lamuka coalition) 34.8%, Emmanuel Ramazani SHADARY (PPRD) 23.9%, other 2.7%; note - election marred by serious voting irregularities, description: bicameral Parliament or Parlement consists of:Senate (108 seats; members indirectly elected by provincial assemblies by proportional representation vote; members serve 5-year terms) National Assembly (500 seats; 439 members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote and 61 directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote; members serve 5-year terms)elections: Senate - last held on 19 January 2007 (follow-on election has been delayed) National Assembly - last held on 30 December 2018election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PPRD 22, MLC 14, FR 7, RCD 7, PDC 6, CDC 3, MSR 3, PALU 2, other 18, independent 26; composition - men 103, women 5, percent of women 4.6% National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PPRD 62, UDPS 41, PPPD 29, MSR 27, MLC 22, PALU 19, UNC 17, ARC 16, AFDC 15, ECT 11, RRC 11, other 214 (includes numerous political parties that won 10 or fewer seats and 2 constituencies where voting was halted), independent 16; composition - men 456, women 44, percent of women  8.8%; total Parliament percent of women 8.1%;note - the November 2011 election was marred by violence including the destruction of ballots in 2 constituencies resulting in the closure of polling sites; election results were delayed 3 months, strongly contested, and continue to be unresolved, highest courts: Court of Cassation or Cour de Cassation (consists of 26 justices and organized into legislative and judiciary sections); Constitutional Court (consists of 9 judges)judge selection and term of office: Court of Cassation judges nominated by the Judicial Service Council, an independent body of public prosecutors and selected judges of the lower courts; judge tenure NA; Constitutional Court judges - 3 nominated by the president, 3 by the Judicial Service Council, and 3 by the legislature; judges appointed by the president to serve 9-year non-renewable terms with one-third of the membership renewed every 3 yearssubordinate courts: State Security Court; Court of Appeals (organized into administrative and judiciary sections); Tribunal de Grande; magistrates' courts; customary courts, Christian Democrat Party or PDC [Jose ENDUNDO]Congolese Rally for Democracy or RCD [Azarias RUBERWA]Convention of Christian Democrats or CDCEngagement for Citizenship and Development or ECiDe [Martin FAYULU]Forces of Renewal or FR [Mbusa NYAMWISI]Lamuka coalition [Martin FAYULU] (includes ECiDe, MLC, Together for Change, CNB, and, Nouvel Elan)Movement for the Liberation of the Congo or MLC [Jean-Pierre BEMBA]Nouvel Elan [Adolphe MUZITO]Our Congo or CNB ("Congo Na Biso") [Freddy MATUNGULU]People's Party for Reconstruction and Democracy or PPRD [Henri MOVA Sakanyi]Social Movement for Renewal or MSR [Pierre LUMBI]Together for Change (Ensemble") [Moise KATUMBI]Unified Lumumbist Party or PALU [Antoine GIZENGA]Union for the Congolese Nation or UNC [Vital KAMERHE]Union for Democracy and Social Progress or UDPS [Felix TSHISEKEDI], ACP, AfDB, AU, CEMAC, CEPGL, COMESA, EITI (compliant country), FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, PCA, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, chief of mission: Ambassador Francois Nkuna BALUMUENE (since 23 September 2015)chancery: 1100 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 725, Washington DC 20036telephone: [1] (202) 234-7690 through 7691FAX: [1] (202) 234-2609representative office: New York New York, chief of mission: Ambassador Michael A. News + More Are African countries preventing corruption and prosecuting related crimes? )government consumption: 12.7% (2017 est. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a centralized constitutional republic. It is located to the east of the Prime Meridian in the Eastern Hemisphere. Do Not Travel to Democratic Republic of the Congo due to COVID-19. USAID; Posted 26 … ), total population: 61.43 yearsmale: 59.66 yearsfemale: 63.25 years (2021 est. )$5.35 billion (31 December 2016 est. Office Information. )municipal solid waste recycled annually: 704,876 tons (2005 est. The UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) has operated in the region since 1999 and is the largest and most expensive UN peacekeeping mission in the world. It is the second largest country on the continent; only Algeria is larger. ), 18.1% of GDP (2017 est. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (French: République démocratique du Congo), commonly referred to as DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa or the DRC, is a country in central Africa. Economic Complexity # permalink to section. Within the Democratic Republic of the Congo, majority of suspected cases (58%) are above the age of five; however, the case fatality ratio for children under the age of five is higher at 4.2% (80 deaths/1,907 suspected cases) as compared to 3.4% in cases over the age of five (91 deaths/2,687 suspected cases). What is the row over Boris Johnson's flat about? DR Congo … ), total: 4,620subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: less than 1 (2018 est. ), total: 16.7 yearsmale: 16.5 yearsfemale: 16.8 years (2020 est. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has the highest estimated number of food-insecure people worldwide, with 27.3 million people who … Oxfam to investigate misconduct claims against staff in DRC. Conference of NGOs (CoNGO), a membership association of non-governmental organizations. Introduction Between conflict, poverty, malnutrition and frequent disease outbreaks, humanitarian needs in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are among the highest in the world. In addition, an estimated 3.9 million Congolese were internally displaced as of October 2017, the vast majority fleeing violence between rebel group and Congolese armed forces. ), electrification - total population: 9% (2019)electrification - urban areas: 19% (2019)electrification - rural areas: 0.4% (2019), 2% of total installed capacity (2016 est. 1870s - Belgian King Leopold II sets up a private venture to colonise Kongo. )$708.2 million (31 December 2016 est. Democratic Republic of the Congo . 3.4% (2017 est. 2. Read the Department of State’s COVID-19 page before you plan any international travel. )925.99 (2014 est. ), -0.78 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est. )forest: 67.9% (2018 est. ), total subscriptions: 42,166,976subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 42.77 (2019 est. Between 2012 and 2014, more than 119,000 Congolese refugees returned from the Republic of Congo to the relative stability of northwest DRC, but more than 540,000 Congolese refugees remained abroad as of year-end 2015. Resident Representative for Democratic Republic of the Congo Gabriel Leost Resident Representative . Radio is the leading medium. Our activity in Democratic Republic of the Congo. Democratic Republic of the Congo, country located in central Africa. Congo (loa), a voodoo spirit. International condemnation finally forced Leopold to cede the land to Belgium, creating the Belgian Congo.The Republic of the Congo gained its independence from Belgium in 1960, but its early years were marred by political and social instability. Compare with caret-down. The new president also came from a political dynasty, as his father Étienne was opposition leader and later prime minister under the dictator Mobutu Sese Seko in the 1980s and 1990s. ), poaching threatens wildlife populations; water pollution; deforestation (forests endangered by fires set to clean the land for agricultural purposes; forests also used as a source of fuel); soil erosion; mining (diamonds, gold, coltan - a mineral used in creating capacitors for electronic devices) causing environmental damage, particulate matter emissions: 37.62 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est. ), Congolese francs (CDF) per US dollar -1,546.8 (2017 est. DRC also concluded its program with the IMF in 2015. )note: data are in 2010 dollars, 21.3% of GDP (2019 est. It was known as Zaïre from 1971 to 1997. There is a point of elevation in this country higher than 2,500 metres. Altitude illness in Democratic Republic of the Congo. This was the first transfer of power to an opposition candidate without significant violence or a coup since the DRC's independence. The DRC, particularly in the East, continues to experience violence perpetrated by more than 100 armed groups active in the region, including the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), and assorted Mai Mai militias. )21.6% of GDP (2017 est. 2019 - Officials declare opposition candidate Felix Tshisekedi the winner of December's presidential election. Congo Airlines, a former airline. )expenditures: 5.009 billion (2017 est. ), 19.9 years (2013/14 est. 'I lost my unborn child and wife on the same day' Video'I lost my unborn child and wife on the same day', Why India's Covid crisis matters to the whole world, Why a US photographer says 'sorry for the war' VideoWhy a US photographer says 'sorry for the war', The US embassy blast victims who fear being forgotten, Family meal wins international food photo contest, Chile's pop export Mon Laferte on repression and injustice, Kuwaiti woman's murder spurs demands for change, BBC Worklife: The jobs 'crushing' young workers, The birds on the balcony that found TikTok fame. ), urban population: 45.6% of total population (2020)rate of urbanization: 4.53% annual rate of change (2015-20 est. Congolese citizenship can be acquired in three ways; by deriving citizenship from at least one Congolese parent, through naturalization, or through marriage. Voters popularly elect the president and the lower house of parliament (National Assembly). He subsequently changed his name - to MOBUTU Sese Seko - as well as that of the country - to Zaire. Rival opposition candidate Martin Fayulu accused him of cutting a deal with the government, whose own candidate Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary finished third.Mr Tshisekedi succeeded Joseph Kabila, who had become president when his own father Laurent was assassinated in 2001. HAMMER (since 22 December 2018)telephone: [243] 081 556-0151embassy: 310 Avenue des Aviateurs, Kinshasa, Gombemailing address: Unit 2220, DPO AE 09828FAX: [243] 81 556-0175, sky blue field divided diagonally from the lower hoist corner to upper fly corner by a red stripe bordered by two narrow yellow stripes; a yellow, five-pointed star appears in the upper hoist corner; blue represents peace and hope, red the blood of the country's martyrs, and yellow the country's wealth and prosperity; the star symbolizes unity and the brilliant future for the country, leopard; national colors: sky blue, red, yellow, name: "Debout Congolaise" (Arise Congolese)lyrics/music: Joseph LUTUMBA/Simon-Pierre BOKA di Mpasi Londinote: adopted 1960; replaced when the country was known as Zaire; but readopted in 1997. He subsequently changed his name - to Zaire of Africa, and lies on the Atlantic.! Note: data are in 2010 dollars, 21.3 % of GDP ( 2019 est 's.. 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