Democratic Republic of the Congo

Democratic Republic of the Congo République démocratique du Congo  (French) Repubilika ya Kôngo ya Dimokalasi  (Kongo) Republíki ya Kongó Demokratíki  (Lingala) Jamhuri ya Kidemokrasia ya Kongo  (Swahili) Ditunga dia Kongu wa Mungalaata  (Luba-Katanga)
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: "Justice – Paix – Travail" (French) "Justice – Peace – Work"
Anthem: Debout Congolais  (French) "Arise, Congolese"
Location of  Democratic Republic of the Congo  (dark green)
Capital and largest city	Kinshasa 4°19′S 15°19′E / 4.317°S 15.317°E / -4.317; 15.317
Official languages	French & Swahili
Recognised national languages	Lingala Kikongo Tshiluba
Ethnic groups	See Ethnic groups section below
Demonym(s)	Congolese
Government	Unitary semi-presidential republic
• President	Félix Tshisekedi
• Prime Minister	Judith Suminwa Tuluka
Legislature	Parliament
• Upper house	Senate
• Lower house	National Assembly
Formation
• Colonised	17 November 1879
• Congo Free State	1 July 1885
• Belgian Congo	15 November 1908
• Independence from Belgium	30 June 1960[1]
• Admitted to the United Nations	20 September 1960
• Renamed to Democratic Republic of Congo	1 August 1964
• Republic of Zaire	29 October 1971
• Fall of Mobutu	17 May 1997
• Current constitution	18 February 2006
Area
• Total	2,345,409 km2 (905,567 sq mi) (11th)
• Water (%)	3.32
Population
• 2021 estimate	95,894,118[2][3] (16th)
• Density	34.83/km2 (90.2/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)	2017 estimate
• Total	$67.988 billion[4]
• Per capita	$785[4]
GDP (nominal)	2017 estimate
• Total	$40.415 billion[4]
• Per capita	$446[4]
Gini (2006)	44.4[5] medium
HDI (2018)	0.470[6] low · 176th
Currency	Congolese franc (CDF)
Time zone	UTC+1 to +2 (WAT and CAT)
Driving side	right
Calling code	+243
ISO 3166 code	CD
Internet TLD	.cd

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (French: République démocratique du Congo), commonly referred to as DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa or the DRC, is a country in central Africa. It was known as Zaïre from 1971 to 1997. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world. With a population of over 71 million,^[1] the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the nineteenth most populous nation in the world, the fourth most populous nation in Africa, as well as the most populous Francophone (French-speaking) country.

DRC borders the Central African Republic and South Sudan to the north; Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi in the east; Zambia and Angola to the south; the Republic of the Congo, the Angolan exclave of Cabinda, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. It is separated from Tanzania by Lake Tanganyika in the east.^[1] The country has access to the ocean through a 40-kilometre (25 mi) stretch of Atlantic coastline at Muanda and the roughly 9 km wide mouth of the Congo River which opens into the Gulf of Guinea. It has the second-highest total Christian population in Africa.

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} Central Intelligence Agency (2014). "Democratic Republic of Congo". The World Factbook. Langley, Virginia: Central Intelligence Agency. Archived from the original on 18 May 2020. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
2. ↑ "World Population Prospects 2022". population.un.org. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
3. ↑ "World Population Prospects 2022: Demographic indicators by region, subregion and country, annually for 1950-2100" (XSLX). population.un.org ("Total Population, as of 1 July (thousands)"). United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3} "Democratic Republic of the Congo". International Monetary Fund.
5. ↑ "GINI index". World Bank. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
6. ↑ "2018 Human Development Report". United Nations Development Programme. 2018. Archived from the original on 14 September 2018. Retrieved 14 September 2018.