Democratic Republic of Congo

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Congo, Democratic Republic of

Official name: Democratic Republic of the Congo

Capital city: Kinshasa

Internet country code: .cd

Flag description: 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

National anthem: “Debout Congolaise!” (Arise Congolese!)

National motto: Justice - Paix - Travail (Justice, Peace, Work)

Geographical description: Central Africa, northeast of Angola

Total area: 905,063 sq. mi. (2,345,410 sq. km.)

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)

Nationality: noun: Congolese (singular and plural); adjective: Congolese

Population: 65,751,512 (July 2007 CIA est.)

Ethnic groups: More than 200 African ethnic groups; the Bantu family (Mongo, Luba, Kongo) and Mangbetu-Azande (Hamitic) comprise about 45% of the population

Languages spoken: French (official), Lingala, Kingwana (a dialect of Kiswahili or Swahili), Kikongo, Tshiluba

Religions: Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant 20%, Kimbanguist 10%, Muslim 10%, other (including indigenous and syncretic faiths) 10%

Legal Holidays:

Christmas Day	Dec 25
Day of the Martyrs for Independence	Jan 4
Heroes' Day	Jan 16; Jan 17
Independence Day	Jun 30
Labor Day	May 1
Liberation Day	May 17
New Year's Day	Jan 1
Parents' Day	Aug 1

References in periodicals archive ?

Uganda has recently witnessed three cases of a family returning from an Ebola-affected area in the Democratic Republic of Congo. No Ebola cases have been detected in Burundi, but the threat has become increasingly real with two newly confirmed cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo's province of South Kivu, which shares a border with Burundi.

Ebola: EU announces new funds to strengthen preparedness in Burundi

Moise Katumbi, described by The Economist as "probably the second most powerful man in the Democratic Republic of Congo after the president, Joseph Kabila", is the scion of a Greek Sephardic Jew, Nissim Soriano, and a Congolese princess.

Will Congo's Next President be Jewish?

"It was a pleasure and honour to be able to show these to Madame Kafenge Nanga and her delegation.' William Hughes and his Institute remain largely unknown in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the visit was facilitated by Newportbased Congolese writer and poet, Norbert Mbu-Mputu, who is seeking to re-evaluate the historical relationships between Wales and Congo as part of a project backed by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Historic Congo link recalled; DELEGATION VIEWS ARCHIVE ON COLWYN BAY INSTITUTE

A year later, the organisation produced a blistering report on abuse in the Democratic Republic of Congo, followed by efforts to improve training and enforcement.

Peacekeeping Horror Stories

Millicom International Cellular (STO:MIC)(Nasdaq:MICC) on Monday announced the signing of an agreement for the sale of its Tigo business in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to Orange S.A.

Millicom divests of Democratic Republic of Congo business to Orange for USD160m

That is why we decided to assess the use of ICT in the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences of the University of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Lack of ICT literacy for freshman students of the university of Kinshasa: a huge obstacle to distance learning

SOUNDBITE (French) Ignace Gata Mavita wa Lufuta, Permanent Representative of the Democratic Republic of Congo to the UN:

Specter of violence can erupt again DRC, Martin Kobler

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO Possible loss of customers 36% Brand risk 31% Minimal/no impact 23% Shareholder backlash 19% Possible boycott 8% Not sure 28% Source: Pwc Note: Table made from bar graph.

Conflict minerals

All proceeds from the fundraiser will go to fund specific projects in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Westboro benefit for Rwanda is May 3

Congolese M23 rebels fighters travel on trucks in Rushuru, Democratic Republic of Congo August 3, 2013 as deadline set by UN peacekeepers for rebels in the volatile eastern Democratic Republic of Congo to lay down their weapons passed on Thursday, with the fighters facing force if they fail to disarm.

Congo, M23 sign peace deal in Kenya

Turner (a Democratic Republic of Congo country specialist for Amnesty International USA) attempts to unpack the complexities of ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo and assess the contributions of the multiple domestic and international actors to the wars.

Congo

In a statement to SUNA, the Director of the Bilateral and Regional Administration at the Foreign Ministry, Ambassador Abdul-Mahmoud Abdul-Halim, said that the summit has discussed the situation at the two regions, especially the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Sudan Participates at Joint Summit of Great Lakes and South African Countries in Pretoria