Congo Kinshasa
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (D.R.C.) includes the greater
part of the Congo River basin, which covers an area of almost 1
million square kilometers (400,000 sq. mi.). The country's only
outlet to the Atlantic Ocean is a narrow strip of land on the north
bank of the Congo River.
The vast, low-lying central area is a basin-shaped plateau sloping
toward the west and covered by tropical rainforest. This area is
surrounded by mountainous terraces in the west, plateaus merging
into savannas in the south and southwest, and dense grasslands
extending beyond the Congo River in the north. High mountains are
found in the extreme eastern region.
D.R.C. lies on the Equator, with one-third of the country to the
north and two-thirds to the south. The climate is hot and humid in
the river basin and cool and dry in the southern highlands. South of
the Equator, the rainy season lasts from October to May and north of
the Equator, from April to November. Along the Equator, rainfall is
fairly regular throughout the year. During the wet season,
thunderstorms often are violent but seldom last more than a few
hours. The average rainfall for the entire country is about 107
centimeters (42 in.).
The population of D.R.C. was estimated at 66 million in 2008. As
many as 250 ethnic groups have been distinguished and named. Some of
the larger groups are the Kongo, Luba, and Anamongo. Although 700
local languages and dialects are spoken, the linguistic variety is
bridged both by the use of French and the intermediary languages
Kikongo, Tshiluba, Swahili, and Lingala.
About 70% of the Congolese population is Christian, predominantly
Roman Catholic. Most of the non-Christians adhere to either
traditional religions or syncretic sects. Traditional religions
include concepts such as monotheism, animism, vitalism, spirit and
ancestor worship, witchcraft, and sorcery and vary widely among
ethnic groups; none is formalized. The syncretic sects often merge
Christianity with traditional beliefs and rituals. The most popular
of these sects, Kimbanguism, was seen as a threat to the colonial
regime and was banned by the Belgians. Kimbanguism, officially "the
church of Christ on Earth by the prophet Simon Kimbangu," now claims
about 3 million members, primarily among the Bakongo tribe of
Bas-Congo and Kinshasa. In 1969, it was the first independent
African church admitted to the World Council of Churches.
Before independence in 1960, education was largely in the hands of
religious groups. The primary school system was well developed at
independence; however, the secondary school system was limited, and
higher education was almost nonexistent in most regions of the
country. The principal objective of this system was to train
low-level administrators and clerks. Since independence, efforts
have been made to increase access to education, and secondary and
higher education have been made available to many more Congolese.
According to estimates made in 2000, 41.7% of the population had no
schooling, 42.2% had primary schooling, 15.4% had secondary
schooling, and 0.7% had university schooling. At all levels of
education, males greatly outnumber females. The largest state-run
universities are the University of Kinshasa, the University of
Lubumbashi, and the University of Kisangani. The elite continue to
send their children abroad to be educated, primarily in Western
Europe. |
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The area known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo was populated
as early as 10,000 years ago and settled in the 7th and 8th
centuries A.D. by Bantus from present-day Nigeria. Discovered in
1482 by Portuguese navigator Diego Cao and later explored by English
journalist Henry Morton Stanley, the area was officially colonized
in 1885 as a personal possession of Belgian King Leopold II as the
Congo Free State. In 1907, administration shifted to the Belgian
Government, which renamed the country the Belgian Congo. Following a
series of riots and unrest, the Belgian Congo was granted its
independence on June 30, 1960. Parliamentary elections in 1960
produced Patrice Lumumba as prime minister and Joseph Kasavubu as
president of the renamed Democratic Republic of the Congo. |
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