Democratic Republic of the Congo (D.R.C.).

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  • Source:
    Background Notes on Countries of the World 2003. Oct2003 Congo, p1-14. 14p.
  • Additional Information
    • Subject Terms:
      CONGO (Democratic Republic) politics & government; ECONOMIC history
    • Subject Terms:
      CONGO (Democratic Republic)Report Available
    • Abstract:
      This article provides information on Democratic Republic of Congo. 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. The country's only outlet to the Atlantic Ocean is a narrow strip of land on the north bank of the Congo River. The population of D.R.C. was estimated at 56 million in 2002. As many as 250 ethnic groups have been distinguished and named. 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 the 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. Multi-party elections in the D.R.C. have not been held since 1960. A transitional constitution was adopted on April 4, 2003. The legislature does not have the power to overturn the government through a vote of no confidence. The judiciary is independent, the president has the power to dismiss and appoint judges. The president is head of a 35-member cabinet of ministers. Sparsely populated in relation to its area, D.R.C. is home to a vast potential of natural resources and mineral wealth. Agriculture is the mainstay of the Congolese economy accounting for 56.3% of gross domestic product in 2002. The main cash crops include coffee, palm oil, rubber, cotton, sugar, tea, and cocoa.