Democratic Republic of Congo: Introduction

Capital: Kinshasa

Population

Total Population: 65,965,795

Annual Growth Rate: 2.7%

Density: 29 Inhabitants/km²

Urban Population: 35.2%

Population of main cities including suburbs: Kinshasa (8,600,000); Lubumbashi (1,300,000); Mbuji-Mayi (1,200,000); Kananga (720,000); Kisangani (700,000).

Ethnic Origins: Over 200 African ethnic groups of which the majority are Bantu; the other are soudanese, nilotic and pygmies; the four largest tribes - Mongo, Luba, Kongo (all Bantu), and the Mangbetu-Azande (Hamitic) make up about 45% of the population.

Official Language: French

Other Languages Spoken: Lingala (a lingua franca trade language), Kingwana (a dialect of Kiswahili or Swahili), Kikongo, Tshiluba

Business Language(s): English

Religion: Roman Catholic (50%), Protestant (20%), Kimbanguist (10%), Muslim (10%)) Other indigenous beliefs (10%).

Literacy Rate: 67.2%

Local Time:

It is %T:%M %A In Kinshasa
It is %T:%M %A In Lubumbashi

Exchange Rate on :

National Currency: Congolese Franc (CDF)

Country Overview

Area: 2,344,860 km²

Type of State: Democratic Republic.

Type of Economy: Low-income economy.
The economy is dominated by the unofficial sector; enormous mining potential, hardly exploited; the per capita GDP is the lowest in the world.

HDI*: 0.239/1

HDI (World Rank): 168/169

Note: (*) The HDI, Human Development Index, is an Indicator Which Synthesizes Several Data Such as Life Expectancy, Level of Education, Professional Careers, Access to Culture etc.

F° | C°

27°

Low: 23° | High: 33°

Humidity: 74% | Wind: 27 km/h
Sunrise: 6:03 am | Sunset: 6:21 pm

Kinshasa, Source: Yahoo Weather

Telecommunication

Telephone Code:
To Make a Call From the Democratic Republic of Congo, Dial 00
To Make a Call to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Dial +243

Internet Suffix: .cd

Telephone Lines: 0.1 per 100 Inhabitants

Internet Users: 0.5 per 100 Inhabitants

Access to Electricity: 6% of the Population

Foreign Trade in Figures

Foreign Trade Indicators	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
Imports of Goods (million USD)	2,892	3,400	4,300	3,800	4,500
Exports of Goods (million USD)	2,705	3,100	4,400	3,500	5,400
Imports of Services (million USD)	762	1,441	1,853	1,658	2,497
Exports of Services (million USD)	169	200	326	414	291

Source: WTO - World Trade Organization - Last Available Data.

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