
DR Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is a former Belgian colony in the centre of the African continent. DR Congo is a vast country with immense economic resources and, until recently, has been at the centre of what some observers call “Africa’s world war”, with widespread civilian suffering. The war claimed up to six million lives, either as a direct result of fighting or because of disease and malnutrition. It has a population of 79 million and an area 2.34 million sq km. Its major languages are French, Lingala, Kiswahili, Kikongo and Tshiluba.