Democratic Republic of the Congo: flag, capital, embassy in Russia

In Africa, two states are located, the full name of which is the name of the Congo River. Their full names are: the Republic of the Congo (the capital of Brazzaville), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (the capital of Kinshasa). The article will deal with the second state, which is abbreviated as DRC.

Having unlimited resources in the form of water, forests, minerals, it has an underdeveloped economy and belongs to the extremely unstable states of the world.

Basic data:

1. The area is 2 million 345 thousand km ².
2. The population is 75507000 people (for 2013).
3. The official language is French, and four more languages have the status of national languages (chiluba, huahili, kikongo, lingala).
4. The form of government is a mixed republic.
5. The monetary unit is the Congolese franc, which is equal to 100 centimes.

History of the country

The name of the state is connected with the empire, which existed in the late 14th - early 19th centuries. It was created by a nationality, which still exists, - "Bakongo", which means "people of Congo", that is, "people-hunters".

Not so long ago, the DRC was called Zaire, which in translation means "river". This is due to the largest river system in Africa, the Congo.

The most ancient tribes here were pygmies. Then came the Bakongo, who brought farming. By the 15th century, the Portuguese had appeared on the lands, and the slave trade period had begun. Congolese slaves were used on American plantations. For a long time this was the main income of the Congo.

In the late 19th century Belgians settled in the country, who in 1908 made their colony of the Congo. Independence of the country was in 1960. This was due to the activities of Patrice Lumumba.

From 1960 to 1971, the state was called the Republic of the Congo, from 1971 to 1997 - Zaire, from 1997 to the present time - the DRC.

Geographical position

The state is located in the center of the continent, it is crossed by the equator. There is a small outlet to the Atlantic Ocean. The coastline is 37 km.

The country is rich in water resources in the form of rivers, lakes, marshes. Its main natural property is the energy of rivers. It is located in the zone of the following climatic zones: equatorial, subequatorial. The African rift limits the territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from the eastern side.

Minerals

The country is rich in many minerals. First of all, it is copper, cobalt, iron ore, gold, silver, diamonds, oil, tin, manganese, zinc, uranium. Today, special attention is paid to large reserves of columbite-tantalite.

In the processed form, tantalite is the main component of capacitors. They, in turn, are an indispensable part of most modern devices.

Condensers with tantalite are used for:

• Mobile phones;
• Computer processors;
• Jet engines;
• Night vision devices;
• Audio and video equipment.

With the development of mobile technologies, tantalite fever began in the country. Before that, the largest mines were in Australia, Brazil and Canada. The discovery of significant reserves of tantalite led to the fact that Rwanda and Uganda are fighting for these territories. Since the proceeds from its sale are greater than from diamonds, military and political clashes between the three countries do not stop.

The extraction of tantalite does not stop there. It is illegally transported to Europe, sold on the black market and after processing used in modern devices.

Animal world

Due to the vast territory, the presence of a large number of rivers and lakes, having a large forest area, the Democratic Republic of the Congo boasts a significant diversity of fauna.

Population

The Republic of the Congo is the largest African country in terms of population. It is constantly growing because of the high birth rate. The average life expectancy does not exceed 55 years.

The state contains many nationalities. According to some estimates of the peoples and ethnic groups living in it, more than 200. They speak 700 dialects.

By religion, about 70% of the population are Christians who are divided into Catholics and Protestants. Of no less importance are the traditional African beliefs, as well as Islam.

The majority of the population lives in valleys of rivers, lakes, and also near the capital. The city of Kinshasa is huge and occupies an important place in the economic life of the whole country.

Economic activity

Economic development of the country, although it became better than at the threshold of the 21st century, however remains low. Most of the population is engaged in agriculture and mining.

They grow a large number of crops that are exported. Among them are bananas, palm trees, corn, cocoa, coffee, rice, rubber.

Practically all the manufacturing industry is concentrated in Kinshasa. Therefore, the capital is of great importance. The Democratic Republic of the Congo does not produce finished products, confining itself to raw materials that are sold to countries in Europe and America.

Political structure

For today, the People's Republic of the Congo has a presidential stable system of government. Since 2006, there is a new Constitution that has kept the bicameral system in parliament. At the same time, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, whose flag was renewed, received a mixed form of government.

The president shares the executive power with the prime minister. The regions expanded their powers due to the possibility to elect governors as heads of regional governments.

Since 2007, the current president is Joseph Kabila. His party won the largest number of seats in the Parliamentary elections.

Relations with the Russian Federation

Diplomatic relations between the countries existed since 1960. Then they were called the Republic of the Congo and the USSR. In 1992, the then Zaire recognized in the Russian Federation a successor to the USSR. The following agreements were adopted between the states at different times:

1. On the air communication (1974).
2. About trade (1976).
3. On economic, scientific and technical, cultural cooperation (1976).
4. About maritime navigation (1976).
5. On Cultural Cooperation (1983).

Today, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, whose embassy is in Moscow, maintains an official relationship with the Russian Federation. Agreements have been reached on many issues. Russian companies open subsidiaries in the DRC.

The address of the embassy in Moscow: Leninsky Prospect, house 148, office 25-26.

In addition, there is a consulate of the DRC in Yekaterinburg. It is located along Gogol street, house 15.