Democratic Republic O The Congo: Country in Central Africa, capital Kinshasa

The Democratic Republic o the Congo (French: République démocratique du Congo), umwhile Zaire, is a naition locatit in Central Africae, wi a short Atlantic coastline (37 km). It is the third lairgest kintra in Africae bi aurie efter Sudan an Algerie an the 12t lairgest in the warld. The Democratic Republic o the Congo – wi its population o nearly 71 million, – is the aichteent maist populous naition in the warld, an the fowert maist populous naition in Africae, as well as the maist populous offeecially Francophone kintra.

Democratic Republic o 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)
Banner Coat of arms
Motto: "Justice – Paix – Travail" (French) "Juistice – Peace – Wirk"
Anthem: Debout Congolais  (French) "Arise, Congolese"
Location o  Democratic Republic o the Congo  (dark green)
Caipital and largest city	Kinshasa 4°19′S 15°19′E / 4.317°S 15.317°E / -4.317; 15.317
Offeecial leids	French
Recognised naitional leids	Lingala Kikongo Swahili Tshiluba
Demonym(s)	Congolese
Govrenment	Unitar semi-presidential republic
• Preses	Félix Tshisekedi
• Prime Meenister	Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde
Legislatur	Parliament
• Upper house	Senate
• Lower house	Naitional Assemmly
Formation
• Colonized	17 November 1879
• Congo Free State	1 Julie 1885
• Belgian Congo	15 November 1908
• Independence frae Belgium	30 Juin 1960
• Renamed tae Democratic Republic o the Congo	1 August 1964
• Republic o Zaire	29 October 1971
• Faw o Mobutu	17 Mey 1997
• Current constitution	18 Februar 2006
Aurie
• Total	2,345,409 km2 (905,567 sq mi) (11t)
• Water (%)	3.32
Population
• 2016 estimate	78,736,153 (16t)
• Density	34.83/km2 (90.2/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)	2017 estimate
• Total	$67.988 billion
• Per capita	$785
GDP (nominal)	2017 estimate
• Tot	$40.415 billion
• Per capita	$446
Gini (2006)	44.4 medium
HDI (2015)	0.435 law · 176t
Currency	Congolese franc (CDF)
Time zone	UTC+1 to +2 (WAT an CAT)
Drivin side	right
Cawin code	+243
ISO 3166 code	CD
Internet TLD	.cd

In order tae distinguish it frae the neighborin Republic o the Congo tae the wast, the Democratic Republic o the Congo is aften referred tae as DR Congo, DROC, DRC, or RDC (frae its French abbreviation), or is cawed Congo-Kinshasa efter the caipital o Kinshasa (in contrast tae Congo-Brazzaville for its neighbor). It an aa borders the Central African Republic an Sudan tae the north; Uganda, Rwanda, an Burundi in the east; Zambie an Angolae tae the sooth; the Atlantic Ocean tae the wast; an is separatit frae Tanzanie bi Loch Tanganyika in the east. The kintra haes access tae the ocean through a 40-kilometre (25 mi) stretch o Atlantic coastline at Muanda an the roughly nine-kilometer-wide mouth o the Congo River which opens intae the Gulf o Guinea.

The Democratic Republic o the Congo wis umwhile, in chronological order, the Congo Free State, Belgian Congo, Congo-Léopoldville, Congo-Kinshasa, an Zaire (Zaïre in French). Though it is locatit in the Central African UN subregion, the naition is economically an regionally affiliatit wi Soothren Africae as a member o the Soothren African Development Community (SADC).

The Seicont Congo War, beginnin in 1998, devastatit the kintra, involved seiven foreign airmies an is sometimes referred tae as the "African Warld War". Despite the signin o peace accords in 2003, fechtin continues in the east o the kintra. In eastren Congo, the prevalence o rape an ither sexual violence is described as the wirst in the warld. The war is the warld's deadliest conflict since Warld War II, killin 5.4 million fowk.

Though it is locatit in the Central African UN subregion, the naition is an aw economically an regionally affiliatit wi Soothren Africae as a member o the Soothren African Development Community (SADC).