facts about democratic republic of congo

21 Diverse Facts about Democratic Republic of Congo

Looking to boost your knowledge of the world? Why not start off with these 21 fun facts about Democratic Republic of Congo!

  1. Democratic Republic of the Congo (not to be confused with Republic of the Congo) is a vast country in Central Africa.
  2. Due to its long name, Democratic Republic of the Congo is often referred to as DRC.
  3. It shares a border with Central African Republic to the north, South Sudan to the northeast, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania to the east, Zambia to the southeast, Angola to the southwest and Republic of the Congo to the west. It also has a very small coastline along the Atlantic Ocean to the west.
Flag of the DRC

Flag of the DRC

  1. The international dialling code is +243
  2. This naturally beautiful country has an area of 905,365 square miles (2,344,855 square kilometers)…
  3. …this makes it the second largest country in Africa!
  4. DRC’s population was 89.56 million in 2020.
  5. The capital city is called Kinshasa; it covers an area of 3,847.5 square miles (9,965 square kilometers) and has a population of 11.86 million (2017).
  6. The terrain here is mostly low lying plateau with mountains in the east.
  1. Should you fancy a Ray Mears style trek through the DRC jungle, head for the coordinates 2.8800° S, 23.6560°
  2. Whilst you’re visiting, make sure you don’t take any pictures of the locals; it is believed to remove their spirit, so they may not be too happy!
  3. Residents here enjoy a topical climate with wet and dry seasons split above and below the equator – north of the equator has a dry season from December to February and wet from April to October, whilst south of the equator is the opposite, how strange!
Bulambika, democratic republic of congo

Bulambika, DRC

  1. The average life expectancy here is 60.68 years (2019).
  2. Several species of animal are endemic to DRC, including the Bonobos and Eastern Lowland Gorilla.
  3. The official currency of this country is the Congolese Franc.
  4. French is the official language of DRC, however, around 700 native languages and dialects including Lingala, Kingwana, Kikongo and Tshiluba are also spoken here.
  5. There are around 250 different ethnic groups in DRC!
  6. Despite not being one of the richest countries in the world, DRC actually has a space program!

interesting facts about the DRC

  1. DRC grows coffee and sugar and produces palm oil, rubber and wood products.
  2. The country’s industry consists of mining, diamonds, mineral processing and consumer products.
  3. DRC exports diamonds, copper, crude oil, coffee and cobalt.

Do you know any fun facts about the Democratic Republic of Congo?  Share them in the comments below!

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This page was last modified on July 26, 2023. Suggest an edit

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