Outline of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

See also: Index of Democratic Republic of the Congo-related articles

The Democratic Republic of the Congo, often referred to as DR Congo, DRC or RDC, and formerly known or referred to as the Congo Free State, the Belgian Congo, the Congo-Léopoldville, Congo-Kinshasa, and Zaire (or Zaïre in French), is the second most extensive country on the African continent.[1] Though it is located in the Central African UN subregion, the nation is economically and regionally affiliated with Southern Africa as a member of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). It borders the Central African Republic and South Sudan on the north, Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi on the east, Zambia and Angola on the south, the Republic of the Congo on the west, and is separated from Tanzania by Lake Tanganyika on the east.[1] The country enjoys access to the ocean through a forty-kilometre stretch of Atlantic coastline at Muanda and the roughly nine-kilometre wide mouth of the Congo river which opens into the Gulf of Guinea. The name "Congo" (meaning "hunter") is coined after the Bakongo ethnic group who live in the Congo river basin.

Formerly the Belgian colony of the Belgian Congo, the country's post-independence name was the Republic of the Congo until August 1, 1964,[2] when its name was changed to Democratic Republic of the Congo (to distinguish it from the neighboring Republic of the Congo).[3] On October 27, 1971,[2] then-President Mobutu renamed the country Zaire, from a Portuguese mispronunciation of the Kikongo word nzere or nzadi, which translates to "the river that swallows all rivers."[4] Following the First Congo War which led to the overthrow of Mobutu in 1997, the country was renamed Democratic Republic of the Congo. From 1998 to 2003, the country suffered greatly from the devastating Second Congo War (sometimes referred to as the African World War),[5] the world's deadliest conflict since World War II. However, related fighting still continues in the east of the country.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the Democratic Republic of the Congo:

Contents

General reference

Geography of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Main article: Geography of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
 Angola 2,511 km
 Republic of the Congo 2,410 km
 Zambia 1,930 km
 Central African Republic 1,577 km
 Uganda 765 km
 South Sudan 628 km
 Tanzania 459 km
 Burundi 233 km
 Rwanda 217 km

Environment of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Natural geographic features of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Regions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Ecoregions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Main article: Ecoregions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Administrative divisions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Main article: Administrative divisions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Main article: Provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Territories of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Main article: Territories of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Municipalities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Demography of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Main article: Demographics of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Government and politics of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Main article: Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Politics of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Branches of the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Main article: Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Executive branch of the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Legislative branch of the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Judicial branch of the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Foreign relations of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Main article: Foreign relations of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

International organization membership

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a member of:[1]

Law and order in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Main article: Law of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Military of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Main article: Military of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Local government in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

History of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Main article: History of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Timeline of the history of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Current events of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Culture of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Main article: Culture of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Art in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Sports in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Main article: Sports in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Economy and infrastructure of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Main article: Economy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Education in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Main article: Education in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Health in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Main article: Health in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

See also

Democratic Republic of the Congo portal
Africa portal
Main article: Democratic Republic of the Congo

References

  1. ^ a b c "Democratic Republic of the Congo". The World Factbook. United States Central Intelligence Agency. July 3, 2009. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/cg.html. Retrieved July 23, 2009. 
  2. ^ a b "Zaire: Post-Independence Political Development", Library of Congress
  3. ^ Prior to this, the two countries were commonly distinguished by their capitals, with DRC called Congo-Kinshasa and the RC called Congo-Brazzaville
  4. ^ (Peter Forbath, The River Congo, p. 19)
  5. ^ See "Rumblings of war in heart of Africa" by Abraham McLaughlin and Duncan Woodside The Christian Science Monitor 23 June 200 "World War Three" by Chris Bowers My Direct Democracy 24 July 2006

External links

Wikimedia Atlas of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Outlines
  • General reference
  • Culture and the arts
  • Geography and places
  • Health and fitness
  • History and events
  • Mathematics and logic
  • Natural and physical sciences
  • People and self
  • Philosophy and thinking
  • Religion and belief systems
  • Society and social sciences
  • Technology and applied sciences
Articles that include one or more maps are shown in italics.
Lists of topics
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Names and symbols
Politics and
government
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