CONGO (Congo), Democratic Republic of the Congo (République Democratic du Congo).
General information
Congo is a state in Central Africa. In the west it has access to the Atlantic Ocean (the length of the coastline is 37 km).
It borders on the north with the Central African Republic and Sudan, on the east on Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania, on the south on Zambia and Angola, on the west on the Republic of Congo. Area 2344.8 thousand km 2 (3rd place in Africa after Sudan and Algeria). Population 64.1 million (2008). The capital is Kinshasa. The official language is French; national languages - Kikongo (Congo), Lingala, Swahili, Chiluba (Luba). The monetary unit is the Congolese franc. Administrative division: 11 provinces (table).
Congo is a member of the UN (1960), AU (1963; until 2002 - OAU), IMF (1963), IBRD (1963), WTO (1997).
N.V. Vinogradova.
Political system
Congo is a unitary state. The Constitution was adopted by referendum on December 18-19, 2005. The form of government is a presidential republic.
The head of state is the president, elected by universal secret ballot for a term of 5 years (with the right to one re-election). A Congolese by birth who has reached the age of 30 and has full civil and political rights can be elected president. The President leads the armed forces and heads the government.
The highest legislative body is the bicameral parliament. The lower house is the National Assembly (500 deputies elected by universal suffrage). The upper house is the Senate (108 seats, senators are nominated by the provinces). The term of office of the Senate and National Assembly is 5 years.
Executive power is exercised by the president and the government headed by the prime minister. The Prime Minister (with the approval of a majority of members of Parliament) and ministers are appointed by the President.
Congo has a multi-party system. The leading political parties are the People's Party for Reconstruction and Democracy, the United Lumumbian Party.
Nature
Relief. The central and western parts of the territory are located within the closed inland Congo Basin and the surrounding marginal uplifts. From south to north, and below the city of Kisangani - from east to west, the entire territory of the country is crossed by the Congo River (in the upper reaches - Lualaba). In the middle reaches of the Congo River there are ancient lacustrine-alluvial plains (300-380 m), clearly differentiated by height. The lower level plains (300-310 m) - the lowest areas of the country - have a minimal elevation above the floodplain of the river and its main tributaries, are regularly flooded and are mostly swampy. The plains of the upper level are separated from them by a sharp ledge, when cut through by rivers forming a series of rapids and waterfalls. In general, from the center to the periphery of the Congo Basin, the height of the plains increases. The marginal parts of the depression are occupied by table plateaus 500-600 m high; in the southern part of the country, their heights exceed 1200 m. In the west, the Congo Basin is separated from a narrow strip of the coastal lowland of the Atlantic Ocean by a series of structural-denudation plateaus (Crystal Mountains, Mayombe Mountains), rising from north to south. Cutting through them, the Congo River forms a series of Livingston Falls. In the far north and south of the Congo, basement plains are common, forming the southern slope of the Azande plateau in the north; in the south - the Lunda plateau (region of the Congo-Zambezi watershed). In the southeastern part of the Congo there are block and folded-block mountains of Mitumba, sandstone plateaus of Kundelungu and Manika, separated by wide tectonic depressions.
The eastern outskirts of the country, covering the marginal zone of the East African Plateau, have the most elevated and dissected relief. The East African Rift System stretches along the eastern border of the country. The marginal parts of the system are represented by mountain ranges with a height of 2000-3000 m (mountains Mitumba, Ugoma); The Rwenzori horst massif reaches its greatest height (5109 m - Margherita Peak, the highest point of the Congo). There are active volcanoes in the Virunga Mountains: Nyamlaghira and Nyiragongo. The bottoms of the grabens are occupied by large tectonic lakes (Albert, Edward, Kivu, Tanganyika, Mweru, etc.).
Geological structure and minerals. The territory of the Congo occupies a vast part of the Precambrian African platform. It almost completely covers the Archean craton of the Congo (Central African), as well as fragments of the Late Proterozoic folded structures framing it: the Kibar belt (stabilization age 1.2-1.0 billion years) in the east, the Katanga system in the southeast and the Western Congo system in the west (0.65 billion years). In the extreme southeast is the tip of the Early Proterozoic Bangweulu Craton. In the rear of the Western Congo system there is a block of Early Proterozoic and Archean rocks. The basement of the Congo Craton surfaces in two uplifts in the northeast and central part of the country, separated by the Congo syneclise; formed by a migmatite-granulite-gneiss complex, amphibolites, quartzites and metamorphosed volcanic-sedimentary strata of the Upper Archean. In the southern part of the country, the basement rocks are intruded by a large gabbro-peridotite-anorthosite massif and granite intrusions of Early Proterozoic age. Deposits of iron and gold ores are associated with greenstone belts in the northeastern part of the craton. The most ancient deposits of the craton cover belong to the upper part of the Lower Proterozoic and Upper Proterozoic; they are exposed along the periphery of the Congo syneclise. Higher in the east lie continental coal-bearing and variegated deposits of the Upper Carboniferous - Lower Jurassic (Karoo complex), and in the north and west - terrigenous sediments of the Cretaceous. Continental Cenozoic deposits (Eocene - Pleistocene) are distributed both in the syneclise and along the periphery of the Kasai massif, in the northeastern part of which, as well as on the Kundelungu plateau in the southeast of the country, there are numerous pipes of diamondiferous kimberlites of Cretaceous age.
The Kibar fold belt is composed of an Upper Proterozoic quartzite-schist complex, including blocks of Archean and Proterozoic metamorphic rocks and intruded by Riphean granites (including tin-bearing ones), rare-metal pegmatites and gold-bearing quartz veins. The Katanga and Western Congo fold systems are formed by carbonate-terrigenous strata of the Middle and Upper Riphean with copper and copper-cobalt mineralization. In the far west of the country, on the coast, oil and gas bearing shallow-marine Cretaceous and Cenozoic deposits are widespread, including horizons of phosphorites and salt rocks (evaporites).
Along the eastern border of the Congo stretches the western branch of the East African rift system (grabens of lakes Albert, Edward, Kivu, Tanganyika), which is associated with centers of carbonatite, alkaline and alkali-basaltic volcanism of the late Cenozoic age (volcanic fields of Virunga, South Kivu). To the north of Lake Kivu are the active volcanoes Nyamlaghira and Nyiragongo, as well as the large fumarole field Mai-ya-moto.
Minerals. The country ranks 1st in the world in cobalt ore reserves (32.8% of world reserves, 2005). In Africa, Congo leads in reserves of tin and tungsten ores, ranks 2nd in reserves of copper and zinc ores, 3rd in tantalum ores, and 4th in diamonds (2005). The depths of the Congo contain large reserves of germanium ores. The most important mineral resources also include oil, natural gas, coal, gold and silver ores.
Large stratiform deposits of complex (copper-cobalt, copper-polymetallic) ores are localized in the southeast of Congo, in the Katanga province, where they form the Copper Belt of Central Africa (Musoshi, Ruashi, Tenke-Fungurume, etc. deposits). The ores contain significant quantities of germanium, silver, cadmium, gold, platinum, uranium, etc. (for example, the reserves of germanium in complex copper-zinc ores of the Kipushi deposit are the largest in the world). Important deposits of uranium ores are also located here (Shinkolobwe, Swambo). Tungsten and tin ore reserves are concentrated in hydrothermal (Kalima, Punia, etc.), rare metal pegmatite (Manono, Ezeze, etc.) and placer (Maniema mining district) deposits in the east of the country. In the east of the Congo there is the so-called rare metal heart of Africa - a concentration of complex rare metal pegmatite deposits with large reserves of beryllium, tantalum, niobium, lithium ores (Manono, Kobo-Kobo, Ezeze, Chonka, etc.), rare metal carbonatite deposits (Lueshe, Bingi) with significant reserves of niobium ores, as well as placer deposits of tantalonium bates (for example, the unique Idiba placer). Diamond reserves (mainly technical) are concentrated in primary and placer deposits (Bakwanga, Chimanga, Lubi, Kasai, etc.) in the provinces of Western Kasai and Eastern Kasai.
Small deposits of oil and natural combustible gas (Mibale, Mwambe, Motoba, etc.) are confined to a narrow coastal strip and shelf. The main deposits of hard coal are located in the province of Katanga within two coal basins - Lukuga (in the northeast of the province) and Luena-Lualaba (in the southern part). In the northeastern part of the Congo there are primary deposits of gold ores (Kilo, Moto ore districts, etc.), as well as deposits of iron ores (Ami, Kodo, Tina, etc.). The Kisenge manganese ore deposit (in the southern part) is significant in terms of reserves. In the west of the country there are deposits of bauxite in lateritic weathering crusts, as well as deposits of phosphorites. In many deposits of the Copper Belt of Central Africa, high-quality jewelry and ornamental malachite (the so-called azurmalachite), consisting of alternating layers of azurite and malachite, is found. There are also known deposits of asbestos, mica, barite, sulfur and natural building materials.
Climate. The territory of Congo lies within the equatorial and subequatorial climatic zones. The part of the country located between 3° north latitude and 3° south latitude is characterized by a constantly humid equatorial climate with two maximum precipitation (from March to May and from September to November). In the Congo Basin and the plateaus surrounding it, the average temperatures of the warmest month (March or April) are 26-27°C, the coldest month (July or August) is from 23 to 25°C; daily temperature amplitudes are greater than annual ones, but not higher than 10-15°C. The average annual precipitation is 1500-2000 mm.
In the southern part and in the far north of the Congo, the climate is subequatorial, with rainy summer and dry winter seasons; The duration of the dry season at the northern border of the Congo does not exceed 2-3 months (December - February), in the south it reaches 5-7 months (from April - May to September - October). Annual temperature amplitudes are higher than in equatorial climates; daily amplitudes often exceed 20°C. Maximum temperatures are observed before the onset of the rainy season (up to 28°C in the north; up to 24°C in the south); In winter, average temperatures are around 24°C in the north and 18°C in the south. As you move away from the equator, the average annual precipitation decreases: to 1300-1500 mm in the far north and to 1000-1200 mm in the far south.
In the mountainous regions of the eastern part of the Congo, annual temperature amplitudes are no higher than 1-2°C; At an altitude of 1500 m throughout the year, the average temperature is 20°C and there is high relative humidity. On the windward slopes of the mountains, up to 2500 mm of precipitation falls per year (on the slopes of the Rwenzori massif - up to 4000 mm).
Inland waters. The river network is very dense and full of water. Over 9/10 of the country's territory belongs to the Congo River basin; in the east - a small part of the territory belongs to the Nile River basin.
The largest rivers: Congo and its right (Lufira, Luvoa, Aruvimi, Itimbiri, Mongala, Ubangi) and left (Lomami, Lulonga, Ruki, Kwa) tributaries. In the east, partly within the country, there are large lakes: Albert, Edward, Kivu, Tanganyika, Mweru. In the Congo Basin there are large shallow lakes Mai Ndombe and Tumba.
Annually renewable water resources amount to 900 km/year (25% of all African resources). In terms of water availability (1283 m 3 /person per year), Congo ranks 1st in Africa; in terms of the volume of potential hydropower resources (44 thousand MW) it is one of the leading places in Africa. No more than 1% of available water resources are used for economic purposes (of which 61% is used for municipal water supply, 23% is spent for agricultural needs, 16% is consumed by industrial enterprises).
Soils, flora and fauna. Forests occupy 58% of the country's territory; savannas, woodlands and grasslands - about 25%. Within the Congo Basin is the world's second largest array of undisturbed evergreen equatorial forests (gils). The nature of vegetation depends on the characteristics of moisture and relief. The western, low-lying part of the country in the middle reaches of the Congo River is occupied by swampy, constantly flooded forests; on the slopes of the depression they are replaced by constantly moist evergreen equatorial forests. There are many valuable tree species in the forests: red, yellow, ebony, limba, agba, iroko, which produce high-quality wood, as well as oil palm, copal tree, various rubber plants, etc. The marginal elevations of the north, west and south of the country are characterized by parkland tall grass savannas in combination with gallery forests along river valleys. In the southeast (in the province of Katanga) deciduous savannah forests of miombo are common. In the mountains of the eastern part of the Congo, altitudinal zonation is expressed: mountain moist evergreen forests at the upper forest boundary (3000-3500 m) are replaced by thickets of bamboo, above are Afro-subalpine (with the dominance of tree-like heather) and Afro-alpine (with tree-like godsons and lobelias) altitudes belts
Thick red-yellow ferrallitic soils are developed under the hylaia; under constantly flooded swampy forests there are hydromorphic lateritic gley soils. Under deciduous woodlands, ferrozems were formed, under savannas - red ferrallite soils with a pronounced seasonal drying of the profile, and in places dense surface ferruginous crusts were expressed.
The level of biological diversity is very high: 11 thousand species of higher plants are known (of which 10% are endemic), 450 species of mammals, about 1150 species of birds (of which 345 species are nesting), over 300 species of reptiles, over 200 species of amphibians and over 100 species of fish. The lowland forests are home to the African forest elephant, forest duikers, okapi, brush-eared and forest pigs, pangolins, various primates (including the pygmy chimpanzee and the western gorilla), etc. In the mountainous regions of the east of the country, endemism of insects and birds is high. The mountain gorilla is also endemic, the largest population of which remains in the Virunga National Park. The hippopotamus is common on marshy shores and its population is declining; crocodiles. Savannas and woodlands are characterized by a wide variety of herbivorous mammals: various species of antelope (topi antelope, oribi, greater kudu, eland, etc.), African buffalo, Burchell's zebra, giraffe, elephant, black and white rhinoceroses, warthog; Carnivores include the lion, cheetah, leopard, striped jackal, spotted hyena, and wild dog.
Condition and protection of the environment. The rate of deforestation is 0.4%, the main reasons for deforestation are commercial logging and agricultural expansion. Hard-to-reach swampy forests in the middle reaches of the Congo River were subject to the least anthropogenic impact; The mountain forests of the eastern part of the Congo, which have the highest population density, have been most modified. The threat of decline in biological diversity is associated with poaching (bush meat accounts for up to 75% of the diet of the rural population of Congo), as well as with the consequences of armed conflicts. 55 species of higher plants, 40 species of mammals and 28 species of birds are threatened with extinction. There is oil pollution in the coastal areas of Congo.
Congo has created 83 protected natural areas, occupying 8.3% of the country's area. The World Heritage List includes the national parks of Virunga (1979), Kahuzi-Biega (1980), Garamba (1980), Salonga (1984) and Okapi National Reserve (1996); all of them have the status of objects in danger. 866 thousand hectares of territory are classified as wetlands of international importance, where nesting and wintering areas of waterfowl are concentrated.
Mountain gorilla in Virunga National Park.
Lit.: Republic of Zaire. M., 1984; Doumenge S. La conservation des ecosystèmes forestiers du Zaire. Gland, 1990.
O. A. Klimanova.
Population
The majority of the population of the Congo (85%) are Bantu peoples (Luba, Kongo, Tala, Mongo, Tetela, Sote, Nandi, Yaka, Chokwe, Pende, Bemba, Lega, Cuba, Luena, Lunda, Teke). In the north and east live peoples speaking the languages of the Ubangi subfamily of the Adamawa-Ubangi languages (7%): Zande, Tbaka, etc. Peoples speaking Nilo-Saharan languages (10.1%) inhabit the northeast (Mangbetu, Lendu , alur).
Natural population growth 3.1% (2008). The birth rate (43 per 1,000 inhabitants) is more than three times higher than the mortality rate (11.9 per 1,000 inhabitants). With a high level of fertility (6.3 children per woman), infant mortality is also high (83.1 per 1000 live births; 2008). The country's population is young: the average age is 16.3 years. In the age structure of the population, the share of children (under 15 years old) is 47.1%, the working age population (15-64 years old) is 50.4%, people 65 years old and older are 2.5% (2008). Average life expectancy is 54 years (men - 52.2, women - 55.8 years; 2008). On average, there are 99 men for every 100 women. Average population density is 27 people/km 2 (2008). The most densely populated areas are in the far west (the average population density in the capital province is over 960 people/km 2, in the province of Bas-Congo 78.4 people/km 2) and in the east of the country (over 92.4 people/km 2 in the province of North Kivu and 67.3 people/km 2 in the province of South Kivu). The lowest population density is in the southeastern province of Katanga (9.8 people/km 2). Urban population is about 32%. Major cities (thousands of people, 2008): Kinshasa (9167), Lubumbashi (1628), Mbuji-Mayi (1474), Kolwezi (932.3), Kisangani (592.2), Boma (508.3), Kananga (507 ,8), Likasi (496.6). Economically active population 15 million people (2006); 65% of workers are employed in agriculture, 19% in the service sector, and 16% in industry. Unemployment rate 85%.
N.V. Vinogradova.
Religion
According to various estimates (2007), from 40 to 55% of the population of the Congo are Catholics, from 20 to 42% are Protestants (Lutherans, Anglicans, Presbyterians, Methodists, Baptists, Mennonites, Pentecostals, etc.), about 10% are adherents of Afro-Christian syncretic cults (mainly Kimbangism), from 5 to 10% are Muslims. There are also adherents of traditional religious beliefs.
On the territory of the Congo there are 6 metropolitanates and 41 dioceses of the Roman Catholic Church, 1 metropolitanate and 1 diocese of the Alexandrian Orthodox Church. Most Protestant organizations are united by the Church of Christ in the Congo (founded in 1942).
Historical sketch
Congo from ancient times to independence. Stone tools discovered in the upper reaches of the Kasai, Lualaba, and Luapula rivers indicate the settlement of the Congo in the Early Paleolithic era and date back to the Acheulean era. The so-called Middle Stone Age is characterized by the Tumba culture (a variety of the Sango culture; 55-45 thousand years ago), the Lupembe culture (30-15 thousand years ago), etc. The Late Stone Age is represented by sites of the Chitol culture (15-3 thousand years ago) on the Bena Chitole plateau (Katanga province) and in the vicinity of the city of Kinshasa. The earliest evidence of metal working (meteoric iron; mid-5th century BC) is found in the province of Katanga; presumably, one of the oldest centers of ferrous metallurgy in Africa existed here.
The autochthonous population of the Congo is considered to be the Pygmies, San (Bushmen) and Khoi-Koin (Hottentots). At the beginning of the 1st millennium AD they were driven into forested areas by the Bantu peoples. At the beginning of the 9th century, the first political entities belonging to the Kisale culture appeared in the north of Katanga province. In the 13th-16th centuries, state formations (sometimes called empires and kingdoms) were formed on the territory of the Congo: Kongo, Matamba, Ngoyo, Cuba, Luba, Lunda, Kasongo.
The first Europeans to visit the Congo were the Portuguese, led by D. Kahn, in the 1480s. In the 16th century, the left bank of the Congo River became a major area of the Portuguese slave trade. The penetration of Europeans met stubborn resistance from the local population. In 1491, the ruler of the Congo state, with the support of the Portuguese, dealt with Africans who opposed forced Christianization. In 1703, an anti-European movement arose in the Congo (the so-called Antonian heresy), which aimed to restore a unified state under the rule of a strong ruler. In 1706 the movement took the form of an open armed uprising. At the beginning of 1709 it was suppressed by the Congolese nobility. The development of the slave trade and constant civil strife became the cause of decentralization and the gradual decline of the states of the region.
At the end of the 19th century, the territory of the Congo became an object of rivalry between European states. In 1876, the Belgian King Leopold II organized under his chairmanship the International African Association (in the 1880s it received the name International Association of the Congo; IAC). In 1878, the Belgian company “Committee for the Study of the Upper Congo” was created. In subsequent years, royal emissaries concluded a series of treaties with local leaders that allowed Leopold II to establish control over the left bank of the Congo River. The Berlin Conference of 1884-85 recognized Leopold II as the sovereign of the captured territories, which were called the “Independent State of the Congo” (ISC). In fact, the conquest of the NGK lands was completed only at the end of the 19th century (see Tetela rebellion of 1895, 1897-1900, 1900-08; “War against the Arabs and Swahili” 1892-94).
Natural rubber has become the main export industry of the oil and gas complex. Leopold II transferred about 50% of the total area of the oil and gas complex into ownership or concession to private companies, which received a monopoly on the exploitation of rubber plants, as well as the right to impose duties on the local population and collect taxes in kind, including in the form of rubber. In 1890, construction of the railway began. Due to difficult climatic conditions, the first line Matadi - Leopoldville, 435 km long, was opened only in 1898 (its construction was completed in 1909). In 1888, a colonial army, the Force Publique, was created in the NGK, and conscription was introduced in 1894.
The economic development of the Congo was carried out by Africans, who were severely punished for non-payment of taxes or refusal to perform labor duties. At the beginning of the 20th century, a campaign was launched in the European press against the abuses of the regime of Leopold II. 11/15/1908 Leopold II was forced to sign a decree on the transformation of the NGK into a colony of Belgium - the Belgian Congo (BC).
During the 1st World War, colonial troops of the British Army, together with British and French allies, took part in military operations in the area of Lake Tanganyika, in Cameroon, on the border with Rwanda-Urundi. During this period, large European companies increased the extraction of minerals in the BC. Subsoil development was accompanied by the development of the mining industry, transport system, energy, and the formation of large industrial centers in the provinces of Katanga, Kivu and in the city of Leopoldville (now the city of Kinshasa).
In the 1920-30s, the rise of the national liberation movement began in BC, numerous religious and political movements and sects appeared (Kimbangism, the secret society of “leopard people”, etc.). In 1946, Africans won the right to form trade unions. In the late 1940s - early 1950s, various cultural and educational organizations were formed, and then political parties demanding independence for the BC. In 1958, the National Movement of the Congo (NDC) party was created, led by P. Lumumba, and in 1959, the Alliance of the Bakongo People (ABAKO) party was created under the leadership of J. Kasavubu (based on an educational organization that had been operating since 1950). In 1959, an anti-colonial uprising broke out in Leopoldville, which soon spread to many parts of the country. Attempts by the ruling circles of Belgium to extinguish the uprising through partial reforms failed. At the Brussels Round Table Conferences in 1960, the Belgian government announced the granting of BC independence.
Congo after independence. On June 30, 1960, the Belgian King Baudouin I proclaimed the formation of the independent Republic of the Congo (ROK). J. Kasavubu was elected its president, and P. Lumumba was elected prime minister. Lumumba's independent policy aroused discontent among supporters of maintaining close contacts with the former metropolis. As a result of the anti-government military mutiny on July 5, 1960, Lumumba was actually removed from power, and about 10 thousand Belgian soldiers were brought into the Republic of Kazakhstan. Taking advantage of the difficult internal political situation, the leaders of the ethno-regional parties M. K. Tshombe and A. Kalonji announced the creation of independent states in the province of Katanga and in the southern part of the province of Kasai. On September 5, 1960, by presidential decree, Lumumba was officially deprived of the post of prime minister and was soon killed. On September 14, 1960, the Chief of the General Staff of the Congolese National Army, Colonel S. S. Mobutu, with the support of Belgium and the United States, carried out a coup d'etat. Power was in the hands of a temporary body - the College of General Commissioners.
P. Lumumba and Belgian Prime Minister G. Eyskens sign the act of independence of the Congo. Leopoldville. 30.6.1960.
Supporters of P. Lumumba announced the formation of their own government in the city of Stanleyville (now Kisangani). In November 1960, it was headed by A. Gizenga, who served as Deputy Prime Minister in the Lumumba government. In August 1961, a new government of the Republic of Kazakhstan was formed, headed by S. Adula. In an effort to resolve the internal political crisis, Adula included Gizenga in the government (deputy prime minister, removed from the government in 1962). In 1962-63, South Kasai and Katanga were reunited with the ROK. On August 1, 1964, the country's constitution came into force, establishing a federal structure of the state. The ROK was renamed the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Government policy has not led to stabilization of the situation. In October 1963, supporters of P. Lumumba created the National Liberation Council, which became the governing body of the rebel movement. In April 1964, the People's Liberation Army was formed, which by August took control of 2/3 of the country's territory. In September 1964, the rebels proclaimed the formation of the People's Republic of the Congo with its capital Stanleyville. In November 1964, during Operation Red Dragon, carried out with the support of the military forces of Great Britain, Belgium and the United States, the rebel republic was destroyed.
On November 24, 1965, as a result of a coup d'etat, S.S. Mobutu came to power and banned the activities of all political parties and organizations (the only party allowed was the People's Movement of the Revolution party, created in 1967). The army command carried out a number of administrative reforms aimed at strengthening the power of the central government (the number of provinces was reduced, provincial assemblies were transformed into provincial councils with advisory voting rights, provincial governments were abolished, executive power in the provinces was transferred to governors). At the turn of the 1960s and 70s, an official doctrine was adopted, called “genuine Zairian nationalism.” The main national goals were declared to be the achievement of economic independence of the country and the rejection of European socio-economic and political institutions. On October 27, 1971, the DRC was renamed the Republic of Zaire (RZ). Mobutu's government, however, failed to achieve a significant change in the structure of the economy, which continued to be based on the export of raw materials. In the mid-1970s, a protracted socio-economic and internal political crisis began in the Republic of Kazakhstan.
In 1982, members of the Republic of Kazakhstan parliament criticized the regime of personal power of the president and formed the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS) party. In 1990, Mobutu announced the introduction of a multi-party system, but already in 1993 he began brutal persecution of opposition political organizations.
In 1996, armed groups of Rwandan Hutus invaded the eastern regions of the country. Their destruction of the local Tutsis (Banyamulenge), carried out with the tacit consent of the government of the Republic of Kazakhstan, provoked the outbreak of a civil war (the so-called 1st Congolese War 1996-97). The Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo-Zaire (ADCOZ), led by L. D. Kabila, opposed the Mobutu government. Tutsis joined the rebels, accusing the government of the Republic of Kazakhstan of conniving with the Hutus.
In May 1997, ADSO forces entered Kinshasa, Mobutu was overthrown, power passed to Kabila, and the country returned to its previous name - the DRC. The new president immediately removed former Tutsi allies from the government structures. In the summer of 1998, he authorized the expulsion of all foreign military and civilian officials (mostly Tutsi) from the country and disbanded Tutsi-staffed units of the Congolese army. Kabila's policies led to a new civil war (the so-called 2nd Congo War of 1998-2002), in which the states bordering the DRC were drawn into it.
On the side of the government forces were Angola, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and armed detachments of Rwandan and Burundian Hutu. They were opposed by the military-political Congolese Rally for Democracy, the Movement for the Liberation of the Congo, as well as the military forces of Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda. In July 1999, a ceasefire agreement was signed in Lusaka (Zambia). To monitor its implementation, the UN Security Council established the UN Mission in the DRC (MONUC) on November 30, 1999. However, neither the rebels nor the states neighboring the DRC fulfilled the terms of the agreement.
In early 2001, L. D. Kabila was assassinated. His son, J. Kabila, became the president of the country. In July 2002 in the city of Pretoria (South Africa) a peace agreement was signed between the DRC and Rwanda, in September 2002 in the city of Luanda (Kenya) - between the DRC and Uganda. On April 2, 2003, negotiations between the government of the DRC, political parties and opposition armed groups (the so-called Inter-Congolese Dialogue) ended, during which agreements were reached on a political settlement of the Congolese crisis. During the transition period, the leadership of the country was entrusted to J. Kabila and his deputies - A. Yerodiou, A. Z. Ngoma, as well as to representatives of the armed opposition - J. P. Bemba and A. Ruberva. During the 2nd Congo War, approximately 4 million people died.
In 2004, a multi-party system was introduced in the country; in December 2005, a new Constitution of the DRC was adopted, which provided for a change in the administrative-territorial division of the country from February 2009. The 2006 presidential elections (held in two rounds) ended in victory for J. Kabila. In the parliamentary elections, the most successful were the pro-presidential People's Party for Restoration and Democracy and the United Lumumbian Party.
In March 2007, an operation began in Kinshasa to disarm the paramilitary guards of the leader of the Union in Support of the Nation (USN) J. P. Bemba, J. Kabila’s main rival in the presidential elections. Bemba's guards offered armed resistance to government forces, which became the cause of another internal political crisis. Bemba was forced to leave the country. On May 24, 2008, on the basis of a warrant from the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Bemba was detained in Brussels on charges of crimes against humanity committed by him in the territory of the Central African Republic from October 2002 to March 2003. At the end of August 2008 in eastern Congo (the provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu) Clashes began between government troops and the forces of General L. Nkunda.
Diplomatic relations between the USSR and the Congo were established on July 7, 1960. During the reign of S.S. Mobutu, bilateral relations practically did not develop. Since the late 1990s, the government of the DRC has advocated the establishment of close political cooperation with Russia, primarily within the framework of international organizations. The Russian Federation supports the efforts of MONUC for a political settlement of the Congolese crisis.
Lit.: Vinokurov Yu. N., Orlova A. S., Subbotin V. A. History of Zaire in modern and contemporary times. M., 1982; Ndaywel è Nziem I. Histoire générale du Congo: de l’héritage ancien à la république démocratique. R., 1998; Countries of Africa 2002. Directory. M., 2002; Vinokurov Yu. N. Democratic Republic of the Congo. Power and opposition. M., 2003; République Démocratie du Congo (RDC) 2006-2007. R., 2007; Mova Sakanyi N., Ramazani Y. De L.-D. Kabila à J. Kabila. La vérité des faits! R., 2008.
G. M. Sidorova.
Farm
The DRC is an agricultural country with the most powerful economic potential among the states of Tropical Africa. Since the mid-1970s, the economy has been in a state of deep crisis, which is aggravated by chronic internal political instability. Shadow business, illegal development of natural resources and their export abroad have become widespread. Almost 60% of the state budget is formed from external sources - donor assistance and loans coming from individual states (EU countries, USA, China) and international organizations (IMF, World Bank, etc.). Trends towards a way out of the protracted crisis emerged only in the mid-2000s. Real GDP growth in 2008 was 6.3%. The restoration of industrial capacities (including energy facilities), agricultural production, transport infrastructure, and poverty reduction were declared priority areas of economic activity.
GDP volume is 18.8 billion dollars (at purchasing power parity; 2007); per capita 300 dollars.
Human Development Index 0.411 (2005; 168th among 177 countries in the world). In the structure of GDP, agriculture accounts for 55%, services - 34%, industry - 11%. By the beginning of 2008, external debt amounted to $11.5 billion, the inflation rate was 20%.
Industry. Mining (based on the richest mineral resource base) and primary processing of mineral raw materials provide 10.4% of GDP (2007) and about 80% of foreign exchange earnings. The most important role is played by the extraction of cobalt ores (in terms of metal - 22 thousand tons in 2005; Katanga province) and copper (92 thousand tons; Katanga province), diamonds (30.3 thousand carats; provinces of Western Kasai and Eastern Kasai, Equateur, Bas-Congo, Eastern, Maniema), gold (4.2 tons; Eastern province), silver (53.6 tons), zinc (15 thousand tons), tin (2.8 thousand tons; Katanga, Maniema, North Kivu and South Kivu), Germany (2.5 tons), tantalum. Oil deposits (coastal areas and shelf zone) and coal (Katanga province) are also being developed. Leading state companies: Gécamines, MIBA, OKIMO.
The DRC occupies a leading position in Tropical Africa in terms of energy potential (about 100 thousand MW). Electricity production 7.3 billion kWh, consumption 5.3 billion kWh (2005). The bulk of the electricity is generated at the Inga hydroelectric complex on the Congo River (installed capacity 39 thousand MW; managed by the state company Snel), which includes the Inga 1 and Inga 2 hydroelectric power stations; By 2010, it is planned to complete the construction of the Inga 3 hydroelectric power station.
The manufacturing industry is represented by chemical enterprises (production of fertilizers, plastics, sulfuric acid, paint and varnish products, etc. in Kinshasa, Kolwezi, Kalemie, Likasi, Lubumbashi), textile (Kinshasa, Kisangani, Lubumbashi, Kalemie, Bukavu), leather and footwear, food ( including flour milling, oil milling, brewing), wood processing (factories in Boma, Matadi, Lemba, Kindu, Lukolela, Nkolo, Nyoki, Mushiye) industries, production of building materials (Lubudi, Lukala, Kimpesa, Kabemba, Shinkolobwe). In Kinshasa, the main industrial center, there are also car assembly, shipbuilding, ship repair, and metalworking enterprises.
Agriculture. About 3% of the country's territory is cultivated, pastures occupy about 6%. Large plantation farms produce mainly export products, small subsistence peasant farms with a low level of agricultural technology and mechanization (provide employment for 60% of the population) produce products for domestic consumption. The most important crops: oil palm (for the production of palm oil), as well as (collection, thousand tons, 2005) sugar cane (1800), coffee (32), cotton (9), cocoa (7), hevea (3.5), tea (3). For domestic consumption they grow (harvest, thousand tons, 2005): cassava (15,000), plantain (1193), corn (1155), peanuts (364), rice (315), potatoes (92), sorghum (54), millet (37). Also grown (thousand tons): papayas (220), mangoes (203), pineapples (195), oranges (180), avocados (62.6). Cattle breeding is limited due to the widespread prevalence of trypanosomiasis. Livestock (thousand heads, 2004): goats 4016, pigs 957, sheep 899, cattle 758; poultry about 20 million. The annual fish catch is about 220 thousand tons.
Forest resources are poorly used, although logging volumes are growing at the beginning of the 21st century (65.2 thousand m 3 in 2006). Valuable wood species (teak, ebony) are of particular export importance. A significant part of logging is carried out by the national company SOCEBO and a subsidiary of the German Danzer Group - SIFORCO.
Transport. Transport development of the territory is low. The length of roads is 153.5 thousand km, including 2.8 thousand km with hard surface (2004). The length of railways is 5.1 thousand km (2006); Most of it is concentrated in the province of Katanga and is intended for the transportation of mineral raw materials. Rail connections to Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), Lobito (Angola), Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and South Africa. In 1997, the DRC's railways were nationalized. The total length of river routes is about 15 thousand km (2005). Major ports: Banana, Boma, Bumba, Matadi, Kinshasa, Mbandaka, Kisangani, Kindu. The length of oil pipelines is 71 km, gas pipelines are 62 km (2007). There are 237 airports (of which 26 have paved runways). International airports in Kinshasa, Lubumbashi, Bukavu, Goma, Kisangani.
International trade. The value of merchandise exports is $1.6 billion, imports are $2.3 billion (2006). The main export items are diamonds, copper, oil, cobalt, timber, and agricultural products. Main trading partners (2006): Belgium (29.4% of value), China (21.1%), Brazil (12.3%), Chile (7.8%), Finland (7.2%), USA ( 4.9%), Pakistan (4.9%). Machinery and equipment, including mining equipment, vehicles are imported; fuel, food, mainly from South Africa (17.7% of the cost), Belgium (10.9%), France (8.5%), Zimbabwe (8.1%), Zambia (6.9%), Kenya ( 6.8%), Ivory Coast (4.4%).
Lit.: Mutamla L. Redresser l’economie du Congo-Kinshasa. R., 2003; Tumba V. M. Le développement du Congo: promesses, faillites et défis. Kinshasa, 2006; République démocratique du Congo: 2008. R., 2007.
N.V. Vinogradova.
Armedstrength
The Armed Forces (AF) of the Congo consist of regular armed forces and the Republican (civil) Guard. Regular armed forces (about 134.5 thousand people; 2008) include the Ground Forces (ground forces), the air force and the navy. Military annual budget $181 million (2007).
The Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces is the head of state - the President.
The main part of the Armed Forces is the Army (about 111.23 thousand people). The combat structure of the Army includes brigades (1 motorized infantry, 14 infantry and 1 presidential guard), 2 commando regiments, artillery and anti-aircraft divisions, and other units. The Army is armed with up to 50 main and 40 light tanks, over 50 infantry fighting vehicles, 20 infantry fighting vehicles, 138 armored personnel carriers, 159 towed field artillery guns (including 10 anti-tank guns), about 330 mortars, 57 MLRS, and over 50 anti-aircraft artillery mounts. The Air Force (2.54 thousand people) is organized into squadrons, has 5 combat aircraft, about 40 helicopters (including 4 combat ones). The Navy (6.7 thousand people, including marines) includes 3 patrol boats and over 20 combat boats; base points - Kinshasa, Boma, Matadi (on Lake Tanganyika). The Republican (civil) Guard (about 14 thousand people) consists of a tank regiment and 3 infantry brigades. Weapons and military equipment are mainly of Chinese, French and American origin.
Regular aircraft are recruited on a voluntary basis. Training of non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel - in training centers and schools for the types of armed forces, officers - in national educational institutions, but mainly abroad. Mobilization resources (men) are about 11.3 million people, including 6.4 million people fit for military service.
V. D. Nesterkin.
Healthcare
In the Congo, per 100 thousand inhabitants there are 11 doctors, 53 paramedical personnel, 2 pharmacists (2004). Total expenditure on health care is 4.2% of GDP (2005) (budget financing - 18.7%, private sector - 81.3%) (2003). The most common infections: bacterial and amoebic dysentery, hepatitis A, malaria, trypanosomiasis, schistosomiasis. The main causes of death in the adult population: dysentery, AIDS, lung diseases, malaria (2004).
V. S. Nechaev.
Sport
The Congo Olympic Committee was founded in 1963 and recognized by the IOC in 1968. DRC athletes have been participating in the Olympic Games since 1968; did not take any prizes, the best result was 16th place in the men's marathon M. Kalombo (Atlanta, 1996). The most popular sports: athletics, boxing, basketball, football.
The Football Federation was founded in 1919 (in FIFA since 1964). National football team - winner of the African Cup (1968 and 1974); TP Mazembe (Lubumbashi) won the African Champions Cup (1967 and 1968) and the African Cup Winners' Cup (1980); Vita club (Kinshasa) - winner of the African Champions Cup (1973). The largest stadium in the city of Kinshasa is the Stade de Martire (80 thousand seats). The most famous athletes: football players - M. Kazadi (the best goalkeeper in the history of the country), Ch. Bwanga (the best football player in Africa, 1973), L. Lua-Lua (played for the English clubs Newcastle and Portsmouth), S. Nonda (top scorer in the history of the national team - 19 goals, finalist of the 2004 UEFA Champions League as part of the Monaco team); basketball player D. Mutombo; boxer A. Wamba (world champion according to the World Boxing Council in the 1st heavy weight category in 1991-94); athlete G. Kikaya (bronze medalist at the 2004 World Indoor Championships, holder of the African record in the 400 m run).
P. I. Andrianov.
Education. Scientific and cultural institutions
The education system is administered by the Ministry of Primary, Secondary and Vocational Education and the Ministry of Higher Education. The education system includes (2007): preschool education for children from 3 to 5 years of age (optional), compulsory 6-year primary education for children from 6 years of age, 6-year secondary education, higher education. There are state schools and missionary schools, which are subsidized by the state. Preschool education covers 14% of children, primary education - 95%, secondary education - 32%, higher education - 1%. The literacy rate of the population over the age of 15 is 67%. The main universities, scientific institutions, libraries and museums are located in the city of Kinshasa, including the University of the Congo (1954), the National Library (1932), and the National Museum. There are also universities in Lubumbashi (1955, modern status since 1981), Kisangani (1963, modern status since 1981), Mbuji-Mayi (1990), Goma (1993), etc.; pedagogical institutes - in Lubumbashi, Kikwit, Goma, Mbanza-Ngungu, etc.; technical institutes - in Kikwit, Lubumbashi, etc.; several agricultural and commercial institutes. Among the non-state universities are Catholic universities: in Bukavu, Butembo; Protestant University in Lubumbashi. National Museums: in Kananga, Lubumbashi.
Lit.: Education in the Democratic Republic of Congo: priorities and options for regeneration. Wash., 2005.
Facilitiesmassinformation
Weekly newspapers are published: “L'Avenir” (since 1996; circulation 3 thousand copies, in French, Swahili and Lingala, Kinshasa), “Le Potentiel” (since 1982; 2.5 thousand copies), “Le Phare” (since 1983; 2.5 thousand copies), “L'Observateur”, “La République”, “Elima” (since 1928; 1 thousand copies; all in French, Kinshasa), “Mjumbe” (since 1963, city of Lubumbashi) and others. Radio broadcasting since 1936, television since 1966. Broadcasting of television and radio programs is carried out by the state corporation “Radio-Télévision Nationale Congolaise” (founded in 1945, modern name and status since 1997), etc. National News Agency - Agence Congolaise de Presse (ACP; since 1960).
Literature
Literature of the Congo began to take shape in the 1920s, developing in French. Literature in the Luba, Kongo, Lingala, etc. languages, which appeared at the beginning of the 20th century thanks to the efforts of missionaries (mainly religious and educational books), did not receive further development. The first writer of the Congo was Abbot S. Kaose, the author of a hymn about the Christian martyrs of Uganda. In the 1930s and 1940s, imitation of the literature of the French Enlightenment was combined with the use of folk poetics. In 1945, the magazine “The Voice of the Congolese” (“La Voix du Congolais”) was founded. D. Mutombo's stories appear (“Victory of Love,” 1943; “Our Ancestors,” 1948), dedicated to the conflict between the traditional way of life and European innovations. Traditionalist themes, mixed with elements of kimbangism, distinguished the works of P. Lomami-Chibambe (story “Crocodile”, 1948). In the 1970s, prose began to develop intensively; the main place in it was occupied by works of educational orientation, criticizing archaic life, ignorance, superstition, as well as the costs of rapid modernization of society: the novel “Two Lives, New Time” by N. Mbala (1970), the story “Bandoki the Sorcerer” (1971), “ Postcard" (1974), "Seven Brothers and a Sister" (1975) by B. Zamengi. The novel “Son of the Tribe” by P. Ngandu Nkashama (1973) recreates the life of an African village. The short story genre became widespread (I. L. Mudaba and others). For the novels “Giambatista Vico” (1975), “Wandering” (1979) by J. Ngala, “Between the Waters. God, Priest, Revolution" (1973), "The Magnificent Scoundrel" (1976) V. Y. Mudimba is characterized by a synthesis of the mythological consciousness of traditional society and the novel technique of the 20th century; their main themes are the African intellectual’s search for his place, the problems of self-identification of Africans. In the 1980s and 90s, Ngandu Nkashama’s expressionistic works stood out: the novels “The Curse” (1983), “Bright Sun over the Ethiopian Highlands” (1991), “Old Man Marie” (1994), as well as the story “Whites in Africa” (1988), "A Servant in Pretoria" (1990).
Congolese dramaturgy has its roots in oral folk art and traditional folk theatre. At the initial stage, the genres of historical (using folklore plots) and everyday plays prevailed. The plays “Ngombe”, “The Fifteenth” by A. Monjita (both 1957), “Genevieve, Martyr of Idiofa” by L. R. Bolamba (1967) depict the country’s colonial past. The dramaturgy of the last decades of the 20th century (“At the mercy of the current, or the collapse of landmarks” by S. Sansa, 1976, etc.) is marked by the influence of French existentialism and European avant-garde literature.
The leading genre of Congo poetry is a poem bearing the imprint of folk poetics. In the poems “First Experiments” (1947), “Esanzo. A Song for My Homeland” (1955) by L. R. Bolamba, intended for oral recitation, retains the rhythm and imagery of folk art. The poetry of the 2nd half of the 20th century (J.B. Katacandang Le Ossambala and others) consists mainly of political, love and nature-descriptive lyrics. At the end of the 20th and beginning of the 21st century, due to political instability, the literary process in the Congo was almost completely interrupted.
Lit.: Lyakhovskaya N.D. Poetry of West Africa. M., 1975; she is the same. Literature of Zaire // French-language literature of Tropical Africa. M., 1989; Cape M. Roman Africain et traditions. R., 1982.
N. D. Lyakhovskaya.
Architecture and fine arts
Rock paintings (possibly from the Neolithic era) have been preserved in the Congo. The art of the peoples of the Congo has long been developed: wooden sculpture; production of wooden and earthenware (including cups of the Kuba and Mangbetu peoples in the form of a human head), jewelry made of wood, iron and copper (including elegant wooden combs with stylized decorated compositions), furniture, weapons; weaving products (mats, bags, baskets) from raffia palm fibers that have a velvety texture and a two-color geometric pattern (the so-called Kasai velvet); painting the walls of houses with geometric patterns or symbolic designs. In 1964, workshops of arts and crafts were organized (the main centers are Kinshasa, the provinces of Katanga, North Kivu and South Kivu). Folk housing is dominated by wicker or adobe huts without windows, typical for many African countries, round or rectangular in plan, with conical or helmet-shaped roofs covered with grass and branches; in some areas, walls are painted with colorful geometric designs or symbolic signs.
At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, numerous cities emerged (the port of Matadi, Kinshasa, Mbandaka, etc.). In plan, they had a rectangular street network (Lubumbashi), a radial and fan pattern (Boma), or a combination of different types of layout (Kinshasa). Until the mid-20th century, urban development was dispersed and low-rise.
Multi-storey buildings with concrete and steel structures were erected according to the designs of Belgian architects, in particular C. Laurens, whose buildings determined the appearance of Kinshasa. A group of European architects led by J. Elliott worked in the province of Katanga, and architects F. Charbonnier and A. Laprada worked in Lubumbashi. Their buildings are characterized by contrasts of open and closed spaces, light and shadow. After the declaration of independence (1960), blocks of standard houses for workers were built, and urban improvement was carried out.
Professional fine art began to develop in the 1st half of the 20th century. At the end of the 1940s, easel painters appeared (M. Diouf, Ch. Mwenze Mongolo), “primitivists” (landscape painter A. Monjita, portrait painter A. Kiabelua); a group of artists who created bright decorative compositions in which plants and animals were woven into a intricately colorful pattern (Pili-Pili, Lai, Kayongonda, etc.). Masters E. Makoko, F. Nzuala, F. Lulanda and others decorated ceramic products (dishes, etc.) with designs inspired by the Poto-Poto school. Motifs of protest against colonialism appeared in the works of individual masters (B. Mensah). The sculptor B. Konongo created a gallery of contemporaries; E. Malongo, D. Buesso, Lijolo worked in the spirit of traditional plastic arts. Among the painters, J. Ndamau, L. Zoave, and E. Gouvey stood out.
Lit.: Olderogge D. A. Art of the peoples of West Africa in museums of the USSR. L.; M., 1958; Olbrechts F. M. Les arts plastiques du Congo Belge. Brux., 1959; Lebedev Yu. D. Art of Western Tropical Africa. M., 1962; Art of the peoples of Africa. M., 1975; Curtis A., Schildkrout E. African reflections: art from northeastern Zaire. Seattle; N.Y., 1990; Touya L. Mami Wata la sirène et les peintres populaires de Kinshasa. R., 2003.
Music
The oldest monuments of musical culture in the Congo (archaeological finds of musical instruments) date back to the 8th-9th and 12th-14th centuries. The Portuguese traveler D. Lopes in 1578 described military music (featuring kettledrums, gongs and signal trumpets made from elephant tusks) and singing accompanied by a hair-stringed lute; By the end of the 16th - beginning of the 17th century, information about singing in funeral rites, love, war and hunting songs dates back. Ceremonial drums (a symbol of power) were used in court music, and drums and trumpets were used in family ceremonies and initiation rituals. The most archaic layer of traditional music of the Congo is the vocal tradition of the Mbuti pygmies. Among other peoples of the Congo, playing various idiophones (including gongs, slotted drums), membranophones, lamellaphones (over 20 types), zithers, etc. is widespread; among the Pende and Ekonda (a subgroup of the Mongo) complex choral polyphony is found. In rural areas of the Congo, a welcoming ritual with music and elements of drama has long been practiced; under the regime of General S.S. Mobutu (1965-97) it was used as the basis for official "Music of Cultural Revitalization" events.
Missionary activity in the 1920s to 1950s led to the spread of Western-style choral singing; The choir “Aborigines of Elizabethville” of the Mission of St. Benedict (created in 1937 by priest A. Lamoral) became famous. In 1944, in Elisabethville (now Lubumbashi), the cantata “The Glory of Belgium” by J. Kivele (accompanied by drums) was performed. In 1953, near the city of Kamina, under the leadership of priest G. Haazen, the “Luba Mass” was performed, accompanied by drums (it used melodies of the Luba and other peoples of the Congo), which later served as a style model for the creation of Christian-African music in the country. In 1988, the “Zairean rite” of the Catholic mass was established in the Congo. Religious Christian music has become widespread in cities and accompanies wedding and funeral ceremonies. Since the mid-20th century, secular musical life has been developing in cities. Since the 1930s, the guitar has become popular. Brass bands were used at city weddings and funerals from the 1930s through the 1960s. Mixed popular styles that came from West Africa, including highlife (from Ghana), and the maringa song-dance, spread to Kinshasa. Latin American music and dance styles (rumba, cha-cha-cha, charanga, patachanga, mambo, merengue) gave a new impetus to the development of urban popular music in the mid-20th century; vocal and instrumental ensembles consisting of guitar, saxophone, clarinet and flute became widespread. In 1953 the ensemble “African Jazz” was created, in 1956 - the ensemble “O. Congo Jazz" (its founders are J. S. Essu, E. Nganga, M. Boyibanda). In the 2nd half of the 20th century, the style of Congolese rumba was formed with many local varieties: mokonyon (based on tetela dances, introduced in 1977 by the singer S. Vembadio and his ensemble “Viva la Musica”), kvasa (derived from the mass dance of the Congo people, introduced in 1986 by the ensemble “Bakuba Empire”), ekonda sakade (1972, singer L. Bembo, ensemble “Stukas”), sundana (1992, ensemble “Swede-Swede”) (the last two are based on the dances of the Mongo people). In the last quarter of the 20th century, street ensembles of guitars and drums (among the performers were 3. Langa-Langa), dance performances with elements of atalaku comedy, became widespread; Since the end of the 20th century, the guitar has once again occupied a central position in Congolese popular music.
At the end of the 19th century, the traditional music of the Congo was studied by E. Tordey, V. Overberg, and since the 1950s - Congolese musicologists and ethnographers K. Turnbull, L. Verwilgen, J. N. Make, A. Merriam.
Lit.: Lonoh M. Essai de commentaire sur la musique congolaise moderne. Kinshasa, 1969; Bemba S. Cinquante ans de musique du Congo-Zaïre 1920-1970: de Paul Kamba à Tabu-Ley. R., 1984; Manda T. Terre de la chanson: la musique zaïroise, hier et aujourd’hui. Louvain-la-Neuve, 1996.
A. S. Alpatova.
DanceAndtheater
Numerous folk ensembles of the Congo preserve the ancient dance traditions of various nationalities and ethnic groups. The dance is a complex polyrhythmic complex. As a rule, it is very energetic, accompanied by clapping, exclamations, clicking of the tongue, and striking of the palms against the body. The dancer is “accompanied” not only by the tam-tam drum, but also by his entire costume - the ringing of bracelets and rings, the rustling of grass from which skirts and bandages on arms and legs are woven. During the dances, masks are used that represent all kinds of life situations, parody specific people, and depict spirits. The repertoire of Congolese dance groups is very diverse and closely related to ethnicity: Kimbunda - dances of the Bunda Didiofa tribe from the Bandundu province (kaful is dedicated to the leader of the tribe; engen - the birth of a child; lazar - victory in court); shaba - dances of the region of the same name in the province of Katanga (mbuje - the dance of a messenger to the leader for an invitation to a wedding; kiemba - a dance that gives pleasure to water monsters); kimongo - dances of the province of Equateur (kimongo - performed on the river in a pirogue to appease the spirits of the Mongo ancestors, performed in the presence of the leader; ekonda - dance of warriors). The dances of the pygmies are also symbolic: the iyaya sings of a successful hunt and the discovery of an area rich in game; mpongo loilo - a successful eagle hunt; kebo - the most ancient pygmy dance, performed around the leader of the tribe; Bolanga - warrior dance during the funeral of a leader.
One of the most popular folk ensembles in the 2000s was the group “Young Singers and Dancers from Masina” led by B. Mavinga (founded in 1985 in the province of Bandundu). The repertoire consists of traditional songs and dances of various ethnic groups of the Congo (preference is given to the folklore of the Suku and Yaka peoples).
The emergence of dramatic theater in the Congo as an independent art form began with the arrival of the Belgian colonialists at the end of the 19th century. This process took place against the background of the displacement of pagan traditions and the introduction of Christianity. Missionaries and French teachers staged short plays in schools for didactic purposes. Theater life intensified at the end of the 2nd World War, when a significant number of Europeans appeared in the Belgian Congo. In the large cities of the country - Leopoldville (now Kinshasa) and Elisabethville (now Lubumbashi) European-style troupes appeared. In 1955, the Congolese playwright A. Mongita headed the group “Lifoko” (“Ligue folklorique du Congo”; existed until the mid-1960s). His troupe staged small skits based on fairy-tale and everyday stories, performed on city stages, and traveled to remote areas with programs that included song and dance folklore, acrobatics and clownery.
In 1957, a Committee of People's Performances was organized in Leopoldville with the participation of directors from Brussels. In the early 1960s, the African Theater Union was founded. In 1965, a group of actors emerged from its composition and formed the “Theater of Twelve”. They set as their goal the development of a national theater based on the study of European culture. In 1967, the National Academy of Music and Dramatic Art was established in Kinshasa, which served as the basis for the creation of the National Institute of Arts (1971). School, university and amateur theaters appeared. The theaters “Mvondo” (Katanga province), “Mil” (Matadi city, Bas-Congo province), “La Colline Theater” (Kinshasa), etc., organized in the 2nd half of the 1960s, enjoyed great success.
In 1969, playwright M. Mikanza, who founded the “Little Black Theater” in the city of Kikwit (Bandundu province) in 1967, was invited to the capital to create the National Theater (officially existing since 1973). Despite the unfavorable political and social situation of the 1990s and early 2000s, Congo's theatrical art continues to develop in two main directions - classical and folk. The classical direction is represented by: the National Theater, the Theater Company of the National Institute of Arts, as well as private companies in Kinshasa - “Intrigues” (1982), “Marabou” (1984), “M” Mazhiskyul (1987), “Ecurie Maloba” (1988 ), “There-There” (1990). Among the folk groups: “Salongo” (1974), “Theater Plus Masumu” (1988), “Simba” (1998), all in Kinshasa. Genres such as drama, comedy, and political satire have developed. Current issues became central to the playwrights and directors - polygamy, healthcare, corruption of officials, the activities of religious sects, the state of the environment, etc. In the 2000s, the most popular group in Kinshasa was P. Chibanda, a master of presenting folk tales, known for his humorous stories. Among the choreographic groups in Kinshasa, the most famous is Studio Kabako. Theatrical and choreographic groups also exist in the cities of Lubumbashi, Matadi, Mbuji-Mayi, etc. Every year on January 20, National Theater Day is celebrated, arts and folklore festivals are held, in which numerous dance groups take part. The theaters are united in the National Theater Federation (created in 1980 in Kinshasa).
Lit.: Mongita L. “Témoignage d’un pionnier” in le théâtre zai’rois: dossiers du premier festival de théâtre. Kinshasa, 1977; Mikanza M. La création théâtrale. Kinshasa, 1979; Midzgor ski D. Art du Spectacle Africain. Kinshasa, 1980; Lvova E. S. Ethnography of Africa. M., 1984.
The surface of the Democratic Republic of the Congo resembles a huge dish, slightly inclined towards the Atlantic Ocean: in the middle (the lowest part of the territory) there is the Congo depression, and at the edges there is a closed ring of hills. The bottom of the depression is a swampy plain formed by the Congo River and its tributaries, and is bordered by an amphitheater of terraces and plateaus with a height of 500 to 1000 m. In the southwest, the depression is separated from the ocean by the South Guinea Upland. In the south of the depression, near the watershed of the Congo and Zambezi rivers, the heights are even higher - 1200–1500 m. In the southeast, the flat-topped massifs of the Mitumba mountains, the Manika and Kundegungu plateaus rise. The eastern part of the country - the outskirts of the East African Plateau - is the most elevated. Here, a system of deep depressions of the East African Rift Zone stretches in a giant arc from north to south, in which the chain of the Great African Lakes is located: Mobutu-Sese-Seko, Edward, Kivu, Tanganyika, Mweru. The mountain ranges surrounding the depressions rise up to 2-3 thousand meters, especially the snow-capped Rwenzori massif with the third highest peak in Africa - Margherita Peak (5109 m) stands out. Between lakes Eduarda and Kivu there is the Virunga massif with high seismicity: it includes more than 100 volcanoes. The highest of them, Karisimbi (4507 m), has already died out, but the Nyiragongo (3450 m) and Nyamlaghira volcanoes have erupted many times over the last century (one of the most powerful eruptions occurred in 1977).
The Democratic Republic of the Congo has the densest river network in Africa. The rivers, fed by rain and underground springs, are rich in water and abound in rapids and waterfalls. The largest and most famous waterfalls are the picturesque multi-stage “Staircase of Venus” waterfall on the Isakhe River (Upper Zaire), Guillaume Falls on three branches of the Kwango River, the 340-meter Kaloba Waterfall on the Lovoi River, the seven-stage Stanley Falls (upper reaches of the Congo), as well as a cascade of 70 Livingston Falls in the lower Congo near the ocean. Many rivers in the upper reaches flow in narrow gorges among rocks up to 400 m high, forming turbulent rapids (for example, Port d'Anfer - "Hell's Gate" - in the upper reaches of the Congo near the city of Kongolo), but in the middle and lower reaches they are calmer and navigable .
The climate of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is predominantly equatorial, constantly humid, in the southern half and northern outskirts it is subequatorial. Average air temperatures are 25–28 °C, but daily differences reach 10–15 °C. Precipitation in the equatorial zone amounts to 1700–2200 mm per year, with especially heavy rainfall from March to May and from September to November. Equatorial showers during these months are strong, but short-lived (usually in the afternoon). Further from the equator (to the south and north) dry periods are more pronounced: in the north from March to November, in the south - from October–November to March–April. There is less precipitation - up to 1200 mm. In the mountains it is cooler and there is more precipitation - up to 2500 mm.
Flora and fauna
More than half of the territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is covered with evergreen tropical rainforests, in which about 50 especially valuable tree species and hundreds of others grow. As you move away from the equator, forests become sparser and grow mainly along river valleys. Sometimes the crowns of trees close over a narrow river bed, forming a green tunnel or gallery, which is where their name comes from - gallery forests. In the south and far north, tall grass savannas with sparsely growing trees (the so-called park savanna) predominate. In the mountains at low altitudes, the vegetation is the same as on the plains, but conifers (podocarpus, junipers) and tree ferns appear in the forests; at an altitude of 3000–3500 m, thickets of bamboo and tree-like heather predominate, and higher up the alpine meadows begin.
The fauna of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is extremely diverse: the equatorial forests of the central basin are inhabited by lemurs and monkeys, small antelopes, warthogs, and okapi (an ungulate related to giraffes, but with a shorter neck and the color of the back of the body reminiscent of a zebra). In one of the national parks - Kahuzi-Biegu - you can see mountain gorillas. The savannah is inhabited by antelopes, gazelles, giraffes, elephants, rhinoceroses (including the rare white rhinoceros), lions, leopards, and hyenas. Lots of lizards, turtles and snakes (many of them, like the black and green mambas, are very poisonous). Among the birds found in open spaces are ostriches, bustards, and guinea fowl, and in the forests - peacocks, parrots, hoopoes, and woodpeckers. Rivers and lakes abound in fish - there are up to a thousand species. Almost 15% of the territory is occupied by nature reserves and national parks, the most famous of which are Virunga, Upemba, Garamba, Northern Salonga and Southern Salonga.
Population
By population – 78,736,153 people. (2016) - The Democratic Republic of the Congo is one of the five most populous African countries, but the distribution of inhabitants across the territory is uneven: the forests are practically uninhabited, and the population density of the eastern lake region is a hundred times higher. The ethnic composition of the population is very complex: more than 200 peoples and small ethnic communities live here. Most of them belong to the Bantu language group (Bakombo, Bapende, Bayaka and others). The Bantu are predominantly agricultural peoples; cattle are raised only in the eastern, tsetse fly-free areas. Bantu are skilled artisans, famous for metal products, wood carvings (figurines of the Bakuba people, Bapende masks), inlaid musical instruments, etc. In the north of the country live the Azande and other peoples of the Adamau-eastern subgroup, who have also largely preserved their traditional culture and famous for the art of pottery, the manufacture of throwing ping knives, and the construction of fortifications. The next largest group of peoples, the Nilotes, living on the border with Uganda and Sudan, are primarily engaged in cattle breeding. Pygmy tribes live in the equatorial forests.
Largest cities
The capital of the country is Kinshasa (about 12 million inhabitants) - the economic center of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the largest transport hub. The city center has a completely European appearance. The Cathedral of St. stands out against the background of modern buildings. Anna, built in 1919 in the neo-Gothic style and surrounded by a park with a complex of buildings of the same style. A beautiful view of the city and its surroundings opens from Mount Ngaliema. There are many hotels in the city, the most original of which is Okapi, consisting of one-story houses connected by covered galleries. The main port of the Democratic Republic of the Congo - Matadi - is located on the rocky bank of the Congo River. The port city of Boma was the capital of the medieval Songo Empire. The town of Likasi, located in a valley, is picturesque, home to several scientific institutes and a mineralogical museum. One of the oldest cities is Kisangani, founded by G. Stanley in 1883. Other major cities are Ngungu, Lubumbashi, Kolwezi, Kananga, Mbuji-Mayi, Bukavu, Mbandaka, Bandundu.
Material from the Free Encyclopedia
 |
|
| Capital: | Kinshasa |
| Square: | 2,345,000 km 2 |
| Population: | 75,500,000 people |
| Currency: | Congolese franc (CDF) |
| Language: | French |
| Movement: | right-handed |
| Telephone code: | +243 |
| Visa for the Russian Federation: | required |
The second largest country in Africa after Algeria and the poorest country in the world. It used to be called Zaire, which is why many people now call it “Congo-Zaire”, so as not to confuse it with the other Congo with its capital in Brazzaville.
Congo-Zaire is one of the most inconvenient countries in the world to travel to. There are almost no roads, there is very little transport, and where there is transport, it goes extremely slowly, rebels and soldiers are roaming the forests, there are a lot of thieves and bandits in the capital, there are closed areas in the country where passes are required, and even to the main part countries, obtaining a visa can be difficult. Therefore, only experienced travelers should go to the DR Congo and only if they have plenty of time.
Geographical location and relief
The country is located on the equator. The equator line here has the greatest length compared to other equatorial countries - more than 1300 km. The Congo reaches the ocean only in a small 37-kilometer section adjacent to the right bank of the Congo River. Moreover, on both sides of this coastline are the territories of Angola: to the south is the main Angolan land, to the north is the Angolan enclave of Cabinda, which the Luanda authorities will not allow to secede.
The center and north-west of the country is occupied by the vast depression of the Congo River, on the periphery of which there is a plateau belt. Along the eastern border of the DRC from South Sudan to Zambia there is a zone of mountain ranges, where in the zone of the Great African Rift (tectonic plate fracture) the most beautiful Great Lakes are located: Albert, Edward, Kivu, Tanganyika, Mweru.
The richest mineral deposits are mainly located in the eastern part of the country. The DRC occupies one of the leading places in the world in reserves of cobalt, copper, germanium, gold, diamonds, and uranium.
The river network is dense and rich in water; 90% of the territory belongs to the Congo River catchment. There are many rapids and waterfalls on the rivers; the cascade of the famous Livingston Falls cuts off the Congo fairway from the Atlantic, and only in the interior of the country do the rivers form a single system of navigable routes, due to the lack of roads remaining the only means of communication between the capital and the interior.
The length of such routes is thousands of kilometers, among the largest connecting waterways: Congo, Kasai, Ubangi. Active shipping exists on Lake Tanganyika. The Congo is a constantly full-flowing river due to the simultaneous flow of it and its tributaries in two hemispheres. Rains occurring in May-September above the equator in the northern hemisphere and showers in October-April below the equator in the young hemisphere feed the river with water all year round, stably maintaining a high water level in it.
The climate is equatorial and subequatorial, constantly humid in the rain forest belt in the center of the country, variablely humid and dry in the zone of wooded and sparse savannah in the province of Katanga (southeast). The average temperature of the warmest months of December and February is 30-35 degrees Celsius, the coolest months of July and August are 20-25. In the mountainous eastern regions the climate is cooler. Precipitation in the equatorial zone is 1700-2200 mm, in the south - 1000-1200 mm. More than half of the country's territory is occupied by rugged, sparsely populated equatorial jungles.
Story
The Congo was in the past a Belgian colony; it gained independence on June 30, 1960. The 1960s were marked by the internal political struggle of pro-Soviet forces led by the first Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba and former pro-Western colonialists led by President J. Kasavubu and Chief of the General Staff Mobutu.
After the assassination of P. Lumumba in January 1961 and the brief rule of J. Kasavubu’s group, the authoritarian regime of Mobutu (1967-1997) was established in the country. In May 1997, Laurent-Désiré Kabila, a former ally of P. Lumumba and leader of the opposition Union of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of the Congo, came to power in the country, leading the armed struggle against the Mobutu regime and enjoying military support from neighboring Rwanda.
With the beginning of the rule of L. D. Kabila in the DRC, interethnic and clan contradictions intensified, turning into open armed struggle. The central government was opposed by two large military-political associations: the Congolese Rally for Democracy and the Movement for the Liberation of the Congo. The country was divided into three zones. After the assassination of L. D. Kabila as a result of a conspiracy on January 26, 2001, his son, Major General J. Kabila, was appointed president of the country. The civil war in the DRC lasted until 2002 and is estimated to have killed 3 million people.
The mediation of the UN, African Union, and South Africa played an important role in ending this war. In December 2002, in Pretoria, the leaders of the warring factions signed an agreement on a transition period in the country (2002-2006), after which presidential elections should be held in the DRC. However, despite the signing of a truce between rebel groups, numerous disparate gangs continue to operate in the east of the country, and periodic outbreaks of violence occur, often of a spontaneous and unpredictable nature. In general, the situation with gangs in the east of the DRC is reminiscent of the situation in Chechnya from 1997-2003 with all the accompanying bouquet of lawlessness.
Economic situation
The economic situation in the country continues to be difficult: the country is in debt, 90% of the deficit state budget is used for trips of officials to the richest countries of the West, or for their own needs. Very high level of corruption.
Minimum macroeconomic indicators are achieved mainly through the mining of diamonds, rare earth metals, and logging. The situation in industry remains extremely difficult due to worn-out equipment and lack of investment.
The social sphere is characterized by an extremely low level of development. Social policy and social programs are absent as such. The problems of health care and sanitation in cities and towns, unemployment and homelessness, the rise in crime and sexual violence are still not resolved.
According to the UN, the country remains one of the poorest on the planet - 167 out of 177 on the UN Human Development Index. GDP per capita in 2005 - 90 US dollars. Maternal and child mortality are high, the vast majority of the population is not covered by medical care, primary and secondary education.
The humanitarian situation also remains difficult. The number of refugees and displaced persons due to the civil war (1997-2002) is 2.7 million people. Their return to their homeland creates additional sources of tension associated with a lack of transport, supplies of medicine and food. Repatriation often leads to new conflicts caused by opposition from the local population.
Internal political situation
Remains quite tense. There is a significant lag in the implementation of the main goals of the transition period and the preparation of elections. In 2004-2005, this gave the opposition a reason to hold thousands of rallies and demonstrations, which invariably turned into riots and pogroms.
Intractable contradictions and mistrust remain in the structures of power. Periodically escalating disagreements threaten the transition period and the fragile peace. In 2004, there were two coup attempts.
The military-political situation remains tense in the Ituri district of the Eastern Province, as well as the border provinces of South and North Kivu, where clashes on ethnic grounds continue and armed gangs operate. The Congolese army, which is in its infancy, is unable to solve the problems of gangs by force.
Population
Peoples
Over 95% of the DRC's population belongs to the Bantu people. The languages of intertribal communication, in addition to French, are Lingala, Kikongo, Chiluba, and Swahili. There are more than 200 nationalities and ethnic groups in the country, the largest of them are the Congo, Cuba, Luba, and Lunda. The population of the country is estimated only approximately (a census has never been carried out) at 60 million people. Largest cities: Kinshasa (about 9 million), Lubumbashi (1 million), Matadi, Kananga, Kisangani, Mbuji-Mayi. Cities have high levels of unemployment and street crime. The highest population density is in the east and in the Atlantic province of Bas-Congo.
Languages
The official state language of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is French, inherited from the former metropolis of Belgium. The colonial legacy is manifested in the fact that the existing system of government and administration in the Congo, jurisprudence and legislation were at one time entirely copied from Belgian models, and continue to exist in an almost unchanged form today. Accordingly, this means linguistic copying of Belgian realities and phenomena in the Congolese refraction. Although, in general, it cannot be said that the Belgian version of French is used in the Congo, most Congolese do not know this European language well enough to shine with knowledge of the intricacies of its territorial variants. There are, however, features that the French language adopted on African soil, first of all, this concerns the names of a number of animals, herbs, objects and objects of national history and culture. French is used for public administration, business, newspapers and books.
Knowledge of French: in the capital and large cities among civil servants, the intelligentsia, and the educated stratum is excellent; many studied in Europe. Ordinary people know Hugo's language less well. In villages, knowledge of French is either minimal or non-existent. Nobody knows English. Local residents speak their own languages, which, according to the number of tribes, number more than two hundred, except for the northeastern Nilotic tribes and Azande, all languages belong to the Bantu family. Among the most common are Chiluba, Kikongo, but only two languages - Swahili and Lingala - are used as a linga franca (for interlingual communication). Swahili is spoken in the eastern provinces of the Congo, Lingala in the western and in the capital, plus this language is also used in the southern part of the neighboring state - the Republic of the Congo.
The popular language Lingala historically arose among tribes of fishermen and hunters who inhabited the area where the Kasai River flows into the Congo River. Later, with the formation of a colonial mercenary army from among local residents by Belgium, the sphere of use of the language expanded and took hold in the capital Leopoldville (Kinshasa). The first dictionaries and grammars were compiled by Belgian missionaries to translate the Bible. Domestic linguistics took up Lingala only in the 70s; in 1983, the Russian Language publishing house published a Lingala-Russian dictionary with a grammatical appendix. Russian dictionaries for Kikongo and Chiluba have never been compiled. For a foreigner, the Lingala language sounds a little rough, especially since, due to the anatomical features of the speech apparatus, Africans have very loud voices. Scope of application - everyday situations, shopping, and also when swearing and arguing. Lingala has many borrowings from French, so due to Gaulish inclusions in speech, a visitor at first does not understand whether this language is French. Lingala is also used for services and sermons in Christian churches, several newspapers and books are published, radio stations broadcast, and you can occasionally hear it on TV. There is no literature in Lingala. A foreigner is addressed in both French and Lingala, in the first case they say Monsieur, Madame (variation - Monsieur le blanc - Mr. white), in the latter mundelli - white man. This is the last word you will hear most often during your journey.
Religions
Catholic nun in DR Congo
The overwhelming majority of the population of the DRC profess the Christian faith; the influence and share of the Catholic Church of the Congo is very great, which does not prevent numerous Protestant denominations and sects from existing and thriving. Those spotted include Adventists, Baptists, Pentecostals, Mormons, Tabernacles, music (rock and roll) churches and a number of others. The affiliation of many churches is difficult to determine right away, since they have unusual names: Church of Christ Bread of Life, Church of Christ in the Congo, etc. There is also their own home-grown church of the Kimabangists, who believe in the divine mission of Simon Kimbangu - the prophet of Jesus Christ in the Congo. Simon gained fame as a martyr during the growth of the anti-colonial movement in the 50s; there are many mythical and mystical legends about him: according to one of them, the train on which the Belgians escorted him to prison stood for two days - the drivers could not move.
In Kinshasa and Lubumbashi there are Orthodox churches under the Alexandria Metropolitan Greek Orthodox Church, the parishioners are Greek immigrants living in the Congo.
Despite Christianization, traditional beliefs in the power of nature, spirits and sorcerers remain. In remote places, animism and animation of objects remain, and idols are present. In general, all churches and services have a clear African tint; spiritual work on oneself and prayers are often superficial and purely symbolic. The liturgy includes a lot of collective and choral singing and dancing, which sometimes turns into a banal disco. The Africanization of religion has so far only been avoided with difficulty by the Catholic Church, where the order of the sacraments and services is strictly observed. In many churches, sermons are read in local languages, in Catholic churches - only in French. Clergymen enjoy great authority among the population.
There are surprisingly few Muslims among the Congolese; they are in a marginal position, which does not contribute to the spread of this religion. There are several mosques in the capital and major cities, attended by members of the large Lebanese diaspora, as well as people from North Africa.
Customs and mentality
The country has its own specifics and exoticism, but there are no striking special customs that could be mentioned. What is important for a foreigner to remember? Congolese are characterized by a heightened sense of patriotism and resentment towards strangers, but do not show such feelings towards their homeland. “Sacred cows” are the flag, the anthem, the portrait of the president, and in general all state symbols. It is not recommended to show obvious disrespect for these items. Also, do not write on banknotes, tear them or crumple them, or make notes or inscriptions on them with a pen or pencil. By your behavior and words, express loyalty and approval to the country and the people inhabiting it, even if you do not currently feel such good feelings towards the people around you.
The attitude towards foreigners, meaning white Europeans, is twofold. In the capital it is often negative, but generally peaceful (there are exceptions), in the provinces the attitude is normal, for many of them a “mundelli” is a person from another world, so many show interest and curiosity. Walking along the streets, you can often hear harsh statements addressed to yourself, judging by the intonation - not friendly. They pay attention and point their fingers often. It is impossible to unambiguously determine the attitude towards Russians; for Congolese there are whites, Belgians and French, no one else exists. 99% have never heard of Russia.
An inherent feature of the Congo is a stupid and completely irrational ban on photography. There is no reasonable explanation for this, but when you try to take a picture, almost everyone who is nearby appears, even those who are not affected at all. Many Europeans take photographs of their favorite places, both in the city and in nature, either on the go from a car, or after making sure that no one is nearby. Taking photographs, for example, of city landscapes while outside of a car is simply unsafe. If you take pictures of nature, for example, by the side of the road, then indignant screams will be heard from every car passing by. The appearance of a camera in the hands of a white European is perceived especially negatively and nervously by the military and police, since the DR Congo is a 100% police country, people in uniform feel full power over other people. In sixty percent of cases, they will simply extort money for the pictures taken; in the remaining forty percent, their behavior is unpredictable. In Congo, almost any object is considered “strategic”, including drainage pipes running under the road, police and military guard almost everything, especially in Kinshasa. It is strictly not recommended to photograph the airport, port, train station, bridges, the Congo River - the state border runs along it (!), central streets, government buildings and similar objects, the military and police themselves, especially with weapons, etc.
And in general, we must remember that the Congolese are characterized by xenophobia and closedness from the outside world, extreme selfishness and stupidity, and therefore often have a hostile attitude towards foreigners. Although you will also come across sincere and kind people all the time while traveling.
Visa
To enter the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Russian citizens require a visa, which is usually expensive, but is easily issued. Despite the fact that Congo has diplomatic relations with more than 50 countries, and Kinshasa hosts more than 50 embassies of these countries, the Congolese embassy is a rare occurrence due to the fact that the Congolese simply do not have the money to maintain their diplomatic missions around the world.
Today, Congolese embassies exist in the following countries: Russia, Japan, China, USA, Germany, France, Great Britain, Belgium, Italy, Spain. From African countries: Kenya, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Zambia, South Africa, Angola, Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, Nigeria. There are no DRC embassies in Uganda, Rwanda, or Burundi.
To obtain a Congolese visa, you do not need to present the standard bourgeois package of documents, consisting of an invitation, an air ticket, medical insurance, vaccinations (a certificate of vaccination against yellow fever is asked only upon arrival at the Kinshasa airport), a certificate of absence of HIV-AIDS, the presence of a husband and wife - children, salary certificates from place of work, bank statements, confirmation of ownership of real estate in Russia. The only condition for obtaining a Congolese visa is the availability of money, a clear price - 100 (Moscow, Angola, Brazzaville, Dar es Salaam, Brazzaville, almost everywhere) dollars. Until recently, a visa in Moscow cost $91, they took cash in foreign currency if the applicant paid with a hundred dollar bill, change was not given under the pretext of a lack of small change.
Now the price has been established and amounts to 100 dollars for a monthly visa, 180 for a two-month visa, and so on on a “flexible” scale of fees. A transit visa, as a rule, is rarely issued; a regular entry-exit visa is issued.
While in the country, you can “extend” if your visa has not expired by contacting the DRC General Directorate for Migration - Direction Generale de Migration, which has branches in all major cities of the country. In Kinshasa - on the central street, Boulevard 30 June, near the buildings of the Regideso city water utility and the UN Mission Losonia. But it’s worth warning in advance that this is a hemorrhoidal business, it’s expensive, the rates usually fluctuate around $100 and up to plus infinity. The necessary documents that will be required from you are an application or a recommendation from a resident of the Congo. In principle, you can replace a recommendation from a Congolese with a recommendation from the Russian embassy, but then you will also have to present a certificate of good behavior (Certificat de bonnes vie et moeurs) and a certificate of citizenship (Certificat de nationalite). As an extension, a new visa is pasted in, usually at embassies they put a mastic stamp, so you need to carefully consider whether it is worth continuing your route to the Congo, and whether it is necessary to spend an extra page if the journey is still long. There are usually two stages of extension - first for seven days, then for a longer period. But in any case, it will cost so much that it won’t seem like much.
You cannot “legalize” by entering the country without a visa. Local officials are very “zealous” about their laws, and are extremely fond of their violations by foreigners, despite the fact that their own people violate Congolese legislation everywhere. Therefore, you should avoid any form of illegal presence in the Congo, otherwise there is a high risk of heavy fines or imprisonment. And in general, due to widespread corruption, there is a very high probability of a repetition of the situation with S. Lekai, when, under any plausible pretext of “violating” the rules for the stay of foreigners in the country, they will openly extort money from you or put you in jail, for which they will then bill you for your stay ( !). In addition, the “rescue” capabilities of the Russian Embassy on the territory of a country equal in size to Yakutia are extremely limited, which also needs to be taken into account.
Usually a visa for the Democratic Republic of the Congo is issued without problems, even if your passport already contains visas from various otherwise undesirable countries (Libya, Algeria, Iran, Syria, etc.), but over the past ten years the Congo has had very tense relations with its eastern neighbors Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi due to their hidden participation in the bloody civil conflict that continues in the eastern provinces of the DRC. The presence of visas from these countries in a passport may raise unnecessary questions and suspicions of espionage, and even refusal of issuance in the event of another spontaneous aggravation of relations.
The Congolese Embassy in Moscow is located in an ordinary nine-story building at Simferopolsky Boulevard, 7A (metro station Nakhimovsky Prospekt) in ordinary three-room apartments numbered 49 and 50. To get there, it is advisable to call in advance by phone 113-83-48, 791-69-086 -086 or 792-62-671-029 and make an appointment, otherwise you may not find anyone. At the entrance, the guard will write you down in the ledger, after which they will let you into the courtyard, the embassy is located on the first floor in the third entrance, you will also need to explain your identity through the intercom. The embassy employs people who studied in Russia and know Russian, so if you don’t know French, there will be no problems. A DRC visa in Moscow also costs $100, but obtaining it in Russia is inconvenient, since after its issuance you are expected to immediately enter the Congo, and if you do not fly there by plane, this automatically entails the visa being expired.
Attention! In 2004-2005, a situation of dual power developed at the DRC embassy as a result of internal disputes. As a result of illegal actions, the first secretary, Mrs. Fani Muiki, assumed the functions of ambassador, after which the “alternative” embassy, located on Bolshaya Gruzinskaya Street, immediately began trading in diamonds, issuing “left” visas to foreigners, passports to its citizens and diplomatic license plates for cars of everyone . V. Lysenko’s message that he “wooed ladies from this embassy” means that he tried to get a visa at a false embassy, which could then lead to negative consequences. In December 2004, three Russian citizens, having received illegal visas from Fanny Muiki in Moscow, were detained at Kinshasa airport and deported back on the same day. In connection with the recent appointment of a new Ambassador of the DRC to Russia (November 2005), the situation with the two embassies should be resolved, however, it must be taken into account that only a visa that will bear a fax stamp and signature of the head of the DRC diplomatic mission, Moise Kabaku Mutshal, will be considered legal. There were rumors that F. Muiki planned to escape from Russia to one of the European countries.
Hit
Border crossings
The DRC has thousands of kilometers of border with nine states, the border is not guarded and to this day remains transparent, every day it is crossed in various places by bandits, smugglers, traders of “blood” diamonds, as well as completely peaceful hunters, fishermen, local tribes, for whom the state border remains a purely conventional concept - the invisible line dividing the habitats of the tribes is much more important. Despite the complete lack of control over cross-border migration by the authorities and police, in order to avoid serious problems, illegal border crossing is not recommended. There are several international border crossings for law-abiding free travelers.
With Angola
Matadi / Noki - the only normally functioning border crossing between the two allied countries today - serves cross-border trade and cargo flows from the port of Matadi to Luanda and back. It opened in 2003 after the signing of a peace agreement between the warring parties in the DRC and the normalization of the situation in the country, as well as the establishment of the authority of the central government of Angola over the northern province of Zaire. Operating mode unknown. There are no other legal crossings between Congo and Angola. In the future, with the restoration of the Dilolo-Lobito railway line, it is possible to open a passage between the inland provinces of the DRC and Angola; at present, the Dilolo-Teixeira de Soza checkpoint operates extremely irregularly due to the turbulent situation along the eastern border of Angola. Locals use the crossing, but the possibility of foreigners crossing the border there is unclear.
There is anecdotal and unverified information about the existence and operation of the crossing between the DRC and the Angolan enclave of Cabinda. Most likely, this crossing exists semi-officially, which in any case does not deter the local population from using it.
With Zambia
The only legal crossing, Kasumbalesa/Chililabombwe, serves the border crossing with a heavy flow of trucks carrying copper ore exports from Congo's Katanga province to Zambia. Open on weekdays. Interesting for those who want to enter southeastern Congo from Zambia, otherwise unattainable. At the border crossing there are extremely corrupt customs and police, corrupted by control over the mafia export of natural resources from the DRC. Therefore, there may be an unhealthy interest in white travelers. The crossing is open to citizens of third countries. There is no passenger traffic between the two countries, freight traffic is spontaneous and unpredictable, complicated by the loss of railway tracks and rolling stock in the Congo. The local population actively uses rare freight trains and locomotives for transportation.
With the Republic of the Congo
The only and very busy border crossing between the two Congos is the ferry crossing across the Congo River between the capitals Kinshasa and Brazzaville. The river port of Kinshasa is called Beach Ngobila and is located in the center: the landmark is the “calling card” of the city - the tall multi-storey brown building “Sizakom”, from which you walk along the main boulevard June 30 towards the destroyed monument, where there is a market and a hangout place for the disabled. The lane from the market to the left will lead to the port gate. To get inside, you need to buy a ticket or say something to the guard like “I forgot my passport at immigration control” or “I’m from the protocol service and I’m going to meet the French ambassador, who is supposed to arrive from Brazzaville.” The guards will hang around, check your documents, but then let you through. You can tell them about your international nature. If you have a ticket in hand, there will be no problems with entry. The ticket is purchased at the ticket office located to the left of the gate. When purchasing a ticket, be careful with the name of the boat and the money, ask the cashier when the boat you need departs. They have such information and most often they themselves will tell you what you can use to leave in the near future. At the cash registers you will immediately be surrounded by a crowd of assistants who will want to profit from you selfishly, do not give them anything and do not pay attention, their calculation is based on the fact that all white people are suckers and they need to help in this mess for a modest fee. People in white coats with numbers are port employees and, on occasion, you can use their services (number 3 - Jacques, always serves Russians at the crossing, for a dollar he will help you with buying a ticket and going through immigration), all the rest are leftists and dubious personalities, if not If you want Gilyarovsky's glory, don't communicate with them. The crossing is served by several boats, the speed and comfort of which determine the cost of the ticket. Canot rapide (Fast boat) - costs 19 dollars, TransVip - 25. People's barge costs 15, but you can also get it for free. To do this, you need to wait until two minutes are left before the barge departs, after which the police part and the maddened crowd storms the ferry, screaming with joy that they managed to so cleverly install the police. There is a chance to get on the ferry with the crowd, where no one will ask about the availability of a ticket. There is no clear schedule even for VIP boats, so you always have to wait 1-2 hours for departure. Immigration is located in the inner area in a white building, go inside through the passage from the river, along the corridor and to the left: in a room littered with dusty folders and ledgers sits an immigration officer who will check your visas, write down your identification data and put an exit stamp. With waiting in line, it will take at most 15 minutes. Then you need to go to the next door, present your ticket and passport to another customs officer and sign up for the “manifest” (a list of passengers traveling by water transport). This procedure may take up to an hour. The officer will collect departing passports and hand them to you before boarding the boat. Reject any requests for additional payment for services, they will still do everything for free!
The port itself is a rather seedy place, where people with disabilities in wheelchairs are concentrated, traveling on discounted tickets to buy scarce goods to Brazzaville and back, and heaps of people scurrying around with bales. The police who beat offenders with whips treat whites correctly. There are a lot of thieves, so you need to keep an eye on things, fights often break out - stay away from them. Also, do not communicate with soldiers in black uniforms and burgundy berets - the special presidential guard are the biggest scumbags. Don't react to their remarks in any way, they will lose interest in you. You can go behind bars from the pier itself and wait for departure there. Illegal crossings are possible on other sections of the water border with the Republic of Kazakhstan, on pirogues, by agreement with their owners for a certain fee.
From CAR
Water crossing on the Ubangi River between the Central African capital of Bangui and the Congolese village of Zongo. Served by private owners of boats and boats, there is no exact information about the cost of moving and the procedure for obtaining immigration stamps. The crossing is used to transport goods from the Central African Republic to the Congo.
With Tanzania
There is no land border; the two states are separated by Lake Tanganyika, through which shipping is not tied to schedules; there are no regular ferry services. There are occasional steamships between Kalemi (Albertville) and Ujiji, as well as UN barges carrying refugees from Tanzania to the Congo. There are regular connections from Bujumbura to Zambia, but these flights carefully avoid landing on the Congolese coast. Until recently, a German motor ship built in 1901 sailed on the lake, then it was decommissioned, but there are still rare hard-working ships on Tanganyika.
With Uganda
There are several semi-official border crossings that are closed during the next aggravation of relations between countries or due to the deterioration of the military situation on the border. Congo's border with these countries is porous and only guarded in sections, there are hundreds of paths along which many people go to work every day in the neighboring country, the use of such paths by foreigners is not encouraged.
A crossing with Uganda is open in the village of Kasindi, which is connected by a broken road to the city of Beni (about 60 km), on the Ugandan side the quality of the coverage is much better. This road is passable only for jeeps, trucks, cyclists and pedestrians. The crossing is open to citizens of third countries; both a DRC visa and a Ugandan visa are issued at the border, the cost is $50. Border guards, customs officers, soldiers and other services extort money heavily. There is a tourism office here - they require a contribution for tourism development.
There are two more transitions. The northern route through Arua has not been explored - it is not recommended to go there due to the military situation in northern Uganda and southern Sudan. The third is in the south, in the southernmost corner of Uganda, near the border with Rwanda.
With Rwanda and Burundi
There is a crossing with Rwanda near the city of Bukavu, which local residents also actively use. A visa for both Rwanda and the DRC is also issued on the spot; its cost ranges around $50.
It is possible that a similar transition from Burundi exists in the area of Uvira and Bujumbura, which, however, requires additional verification.
With South Sudan
There is no official transition; the Congolese-Sudanese border area is one of the most unstable in the country, caused both by fighting in southern Sudan and in the northeast of the DRC. Armed rebel-bandit groups regularly infiltrate across the border in both directions, which does not add security to the area.
By plane
There are several air transport centers in the Congo: Kinshasa, serving mainly Europe and the country's largest cities, and Goma-Bukavu, focused primarily on Uganda and Rwanda.
There are regular flights from Kinshasa:
- to Paris (Tuesday-Thursday-Friday, arrival in Kinshasa at 17.30, departure at 21.30, the cost of a ticket to Moscow with a transfer in Paris, if taken round-trip as a discounted option - 1500-1700 dollars), served by Air France, office the company's representative office in Kinshasa, where it is best to check in without any hassle and drop off your luggage on the day of departure (from 9.00 to 14.00, then only at the airport) - the first floor of the Memling Hotel, for Russian citizens a French transit visa is not required;
- to Brussels (Monday-Thursday-Friday-Saturday-Sunday, ticket price 1300-1500 dollars, departure from Kinshasa at 20.50, 21.35 or 22.05 from the day of the week, check-in ends an hour before departure, stopover in Douala or Yaounde), served by the airline Sabena-Brussels Airlines, company representative office in Kinshasa - in the city center on the central street Boulevard 30 June, building 33, www.flySN.com, for Russian citizens a Belgian transit visa is not required,
to Nairobi (all days except Wednesday, arrival at 10.00 or 11.00, departure at 12.00 or 13.00), also a good option for flying to Russia - Kinshasa - Nairobi - Dubai - Moscow-Domodedovo, ticket cost about $1,500, served by Kenya Airways, the company's representative office in Kinshasa is the first floor of an administrative building, near the Belgian Embassy on the Boulevard 30 June, this flight is actively used by Congolese, since in this case they do not need to obtain French or Belgian transit visas that are mandatory for them. As an option, a route via Amsterdam is possible, which does not affect the ticket price;
- to Luanda (Wednesday and Saturday, arrival at 16.00, departure at 18.30, but this is the most unreliable flight - five to six hour delays are the norm), served by TAAG-Angola Airlines, company representative office in Kinshasa - first floor of a residential building on Boulevard 30 June, in front of the yellow post office building, hung with antennas, you need to register at the representative office for the flight two days before departure, the airport tax, which must be paid, is $20;
- as well as to Lagos, Cotonou, Johannesburg, Douala.
Flights from Goma, Bukavu, Beni to the east are carried out by AN aircraft and Belgian DC by small private airlines that do not have representative offices in Kinshasa; the price of tickets to Kampala and Kigali is expensive and ranges from 250 to 400 dollars. There are many cargo flights, it is possible to get on them by agreement.
Transport
Map of roads, railways and waterways
Transport is one of the main problems for the DRC; the lack of a coherent infrastructure and an unbroken network of roads and railways in the country impedes the free movement of people and goods and hinders economic development. There is no ground passenger transportation as such; there are no intercity buses or long-distance trains in the DRC; the movement of people is carried out mainly by personal automobiles, as well as by air.
Automobile transport
The road network is not a single whole; traffic density rarely decreases as you move away from cities. Hitchhiking is common among the local population, although such a word has never been heard here. Foreign hitchhikers are rare. The main mode of transportation is MAN trucks. The specificity of commodity-money relations and the economy in the DRC (as in many African countries) leads to the fact that many people producing agricultural products in villages (cassava, fufu grass, sweet potato, pondu, maize, rice, palm oil, charcoal) ), carry out trips to the nearest large cities in the old MAN and Mercedes type trucks they own to sell the goods they produce. The main flow of such vehicles goes to Kinshasa, where there is a consistently high demand for cheap food products, as well as to Lubumbashi, Kananga, Kisangani, Kikwit and Bukavu. They bring back industrial goods and imported food products for their own consumption and resale in the provinces. On the roads you can often see similar crazy trucks loaded in three or four tiers, with yellow canisters of palm oil, barrels of gasoline, plastic chairs and other rubbish tied to the back and sides with wire or twine. On top of the cargo on a tarpaulin there are usually 20 to 50 people, mostly residents of the same or nearby villages, for whom this is an opportunity to go to the city. Due to obvious overload, accidents are frequent: axles and springs break, inner tubes burst. Often such accidents lead to significant casualties; newspapers then report the death toll, sometimes reaching 40 people. All trucks are potential moneymakers.
Currently there are several roads suitable for travel.
Highway No. 1 Matadi - Kinshasa - Kikwit. Previously, until the 1980s, it was a continuous road from the ocean to Lubumbashi, where sections of asphalt alternated with dirt roads. The road was built back in the colonial era by the Belgians and functioned effectively; after 1960, no repair or restoration work was carried out; everything they could squeezed out of the road until it fell into the state of desolation in which it remains today. Now the section after Kikwit is impassable even for trucks and SUVs. Currently, the Matadi-Kinshasa section is covered with fairly high-quality asphalt, along which the 500 kilometers separating these cities can be covered by car in one daylight. Until 2000, the road, like the others, was in a ruined state, until the World Bank provided a large tranche for its rehabilitation. With the help of Italian and Chinese contractors, the road was restored, with the exception of the remaining short sections of dirt road. Route No. 1 connects the capital of the DRC, Kinshasa, with the port cities of the province of Bas-Congo - Matadi, Boma (there is an active Marshal Mobutu bridge across the Congo - the only one in the country), and goes to the border crossing with Angola. Due to the good quality of the road surface, there is a consistently good flow of vehicles, with many long-haul trucks and container ships transporting sea-delivered cargo from Matadi inland. Many locals use hitchhiking (see above); a free traveler with luck can cover the distance in one day, if not, in two if not. The road mostly passes through hilly terrain with beautiful scenery and breathtaking switchbacks reminiscent of a roller coaster. The Kinshasa-Kikwit section is in a much more neglected state. The first 150 kilometers of asphalt after Kinshasa to the east are in good condition, after which holes and huge potholes appear in the surface, instead of the side of the road there is a half-meter track, the road narrows and two trucks have difficulty passing each other. At a distance of 200 km from Kinshasa, the asphalt disappears and the road is two tracks, along which even trucks have difficulty driving. During the rainy season, driving becomes a real challenge.
Highway No. 2 Mbuji-Mayi - Bukavu. The road does not currently exist, but is only a project. Previously, this road existed, was marked on all maps, but very quickly fell into disrepair, and for thirty years it has not been completely passed by anyone. In May 2005, again with money from the World Bank, the restoration of this route was started, which should connect the diamond capital of Mbuji-Mayi with Bukavu. Judging by the pace of work, it will take a very long time to restore it: in 2005, only 50 kilometers were built. The first stage of restoration is the M.-Mayi - Kasongo section, the second stage is Kasongo - Bukavu. Construction will last indefinitely, although a work period of 18 months was initially envisaged (an unrealistic period for the Congo). It is planned that when the road is built, the average speed of movement on it will be about 45 km/h, the length of the route will be 520 kilometers.
The remaining roads are in much worse condition, disconnected and impassable. Many of them cannot even be called national highways, although they may bear that name.
Direction Lubumbashi - border with Zambia. There is no asphalt, and there are occasional private passenger vehicles, as well as frequent trucks transporting copper and tin ore to Zambia. The situation with hitchhiking in the area has not been studied.
Direction Kisangani - Bukavu: The previously existing dirt road is completely broken, no one drives on it. Only walking is possible. The situation with the direction Kisangani - Bunia looks exactly the same. In Kisangani, a city cut off from the outside world, there is no road transport as such; local residents travel by bicycle.
In the east of the country, in the vicinity of many cities (Beni, Bukavu, Goma, Kalemi), there are local roads within 20-30 kilometers, then they disappear, and with them the traffic.
The real problem remains banditry on the roads and extortions. In 100% of cases, bribes are extorted by the military or police, who install homemade barriers and barriers along the route, from which illegal fees are collected for the right to travel. A foreigner can easily become the target of armed robbery or robbery. So be extra careful.
Railway transport
Arrival of the Lubumbashi - Kindu train
Despite the fact that the DRC ranks second in Africa after Egypt in terms of the length of railways (4,700 km), railway transport links are the least developed and are of little use for free travel. There is no passenger transportation at all. With rare exceptions, all of Congo's railways were built during the colonial era by the Belgians and were intended to export natural resources from the richest areas. Due to this, railways, like roads, do not represent a single system; sections are disconnected, remote from each other, and have different gauges and technical equipment. After 1960, there was virtually no network development.
The DRC has the following railways:
Kinshasa - Matadi. The length of the section is 360 kilometers. There are no passenger services, although freight trains still operate. Locals actively use empty carriages for travel, sometimes traveling the entire route, which, however, is fraught with the risk of getting stuck at some siding. The road is picturesque and passes through extremely rough terrain.
Great Lakes Railroad- a much busier junction, consisting of several sections connecting Lubumbashi, the port of Kalemi on Tanganyika, Kamina, the Zambian border. Traffic is only for goods; with the exception of small sections, the road is not electrified, so travel on the roofs of cars is actively practiced. There are much more freight trains than on the Kinshasa-Matadi line; they mainly carry ore and timber for export.
A railway from Lubumbashi through Tenque to Angola exists, but operates only as far as the Angolan border, as it has been in ruins since the outbreak of the Angolan civil war in 1975. The plans for its restoration currently being discussed will not be implemented for a very long time due to the scale of the task and the problem of finding investments. Isolated sections of the railways in the northeast do not function due to a state of complete collapse, and are therefore not suitable for travel.
Kinshasa is the only city where some semblance of commuter passenger service remains in two directions - towards N'Djili International Airport and along the road to Matadi. Trains depart from the station, which is located in the city center; about 4-5 trains leave in each direction per day. The schedule is not followed because there is none. Traveling on these trains, which are trains of broken cars without windows and doors, is quite dangerous: drug addicts constantly hang out in the cars, smoking local hallucinogenic herbs; there are frequent cases of stones being thrown at cars and passers-by by aggressive young people who often ride on roofs. Conflicts constantly occur between passengers and inspectors, who are accompanied by the police; after fights, passengers are thrown out of the carriages while moving. Therefore, travel is basically free until you run into the controllers.
In general, the railway is not the safest or most reliable way to travel in the Congo. Accidents occur frequently; on average, up to 20 derailments are recorded per month.
Water transport
DR Congo has a dense river network; water transport remains an important means of connecting the capital with the equatorial regions. The most important waterway is the Congo River and its tributaries - Ubangi and Kasai. Due to numerous rapids and waterfalls, the river splits into several navigable sections, the main one being Kinshasa - Kisangani. There is no access to the sea due to the cascade of Livingston Falls. Water transport in the Congo represents a more realistic travel option than rail transport.
There are many barges and ships operating between Kinshasa and Kisangani, carrying both passengers and cargo. The journey upstream to Kisangani takes up to two months, downstream to Kinshasa - up to one and a half months. Travel is possible, but unpleasant due to the extreme congestion of the barges and the crowds of people on them, who often do not know how to behave quietly, preferring to yell, run, push and fight. Travel conditions are unsanitary due to the proximity of animals and people on the same ship. To get on the barges you need to ask at the port for the nearest outgoing “flights”. Getting into the port territory is not difficult. Kisangani and Kinshasa have ports located in the city center. Directly at the port, it is already worth finding out the destination of the departing vessel, since the flow is distributed between Congo, Kasai and Ubangi.
In Kinshasa, the port of Ngobila is used only for ferries to Brazzaville, so you need to go to Poids Lourds street, it is located at the station, the landmark is an oil depot with a fuel storage facility, it is also easy to find, since it runs along the only mainline railway line in the city. Along the street there are several dozen operating private piers, where barges arriving from the provinces with goods are constantly being unloaded and loaded. At the entrance to some piers there are signs on which the departure date of the next barge sometimes appears in chalk. Getting onto an outgoing barge is not a problem, they will definitely take you, the money issue is by agreement.
Aviation transport
Due to the transport blockade, air transport remains the most developed means of communication, connecting many internal regions of the country and ensuring the delivery of industrial and food products to cities inaccessible by land. Almost any more or less large city has an airport or airfield; there are hundreds of landing sites in the country that receive and dispatch hundreds of aircraft every day. Due to the special strategic importance of air transport for the life of the Congo, air transportation is always carried out, on any holidays and weekends. With the establishment of the peace process, there is a general revival of the airline business, and new carrier companies are appearing. There are many domestic flights, the tickets for which are expensive. So, a ticket from Kinshasa to Goma costs 400-500 dollars. International flight tickets are also very expensive.
Russian AN and IL aircraft are common in the DRC, and are flown mainly by Russian pilots; there are also Russian businessmen who own the planes and hire crews from the CIS countries to work on Congolese airlines. In total, including Ukrainians and Belarusians, about 200 pilots from the CIS countries work in the DRC under contracts with private airlines. Many of them have been flying in Africa and the DRC in particular for many years. Enrollment on a plane with our pilots is theoretically possible. Much depends on the safety policy of the company’s management, the mood and character of the pilots themselves. Until recently, air travel in the DRC was a mess, with planes often first being loaded with goods and then crammed with as many people as possible into the remaining available space. But the increasing number of plane crashes in 2005, which resulted in the death of dozens of people (including our pilots), forced the DRC Ministry of Transport to take a set of tough measures regarding the operation of aircraft. In September 2005, a ban was introduced on the carriage of passengers on cargo flights, more than 30 companies had their licenses revoked for violating aircraft safety conditions, and now every aircraft is checked before departure. However, as one pilot told me, the first thing they pay attention to is the presence of foreign Congolese on board, who are immediately disembarked. A White Russian can easily be passed off as a crew member and no unnecessary questions will arise, but whether the pilots themselves will be willing to take such a risk remains unknown.
The main cities where our pilots are concentrated are Kinshasa, Kisangani, Beni, Bukavu, Goma, Lubumbashi, Mbandaka, Isiro. They can be easily found at airports and recognized by the uniform with shoulder straps that they wear. You can also ask any airport employee where you can find “pilot russ”, and they will show you them right away. There are several Congolese airlines that operate AN aircraft with Russian crews, usually the name of the airline with its emblem is written on the planes, which makes the search problem easier.
In the Congo there are also many aircraft of the UN Mission in the DRC, which are also serviced by Russian pilots and helicopter pilots (for example, the Nefteyugansk joint air squad - about 50 pilots work), but the possibility of hitchhikers passing on them is unlikely, the access procedure is too strict. In addition, in 2011, the Mission’s mandate should end, after which all Russian UN air personnel along with equipment (MI, AN, Ily) will leave the country.
Urban transport
Apart from Kinshasa and Lubumbashi, there is no public transport at all; in the cities of the eastern part of the country (Kisangani, Mbandaka) having a car is considered a luxury. The local population gets around on foot or by bicycle.
In Kinshasa, the transport problem is solved by private owners - the city streets are literally clogged with small Volkswagen buses, they have no numbers or route markings, so it is almost impossible to guess where he is going. Ask for directions, otherwise they will take you to the wrong place. The buses are always crowded, usually about thirty people are packed, with another five people clinging to the back; Europeans don’t travel on them. Since Kinshasa is a very large city, the cost of travel depends on the distance, but usually does not exceed 500 francs (just over a dollar) to the outlying areas. There are no trams, trolleybuses or municipal buses in the city.
There are many taxis in the city, it is difficult to recognize them in the flow of traffic - they do not have distinctive signs. Citizens call for taxis by waving their index finger at waist level. The fare is up to 10 dollars, but they will try to rip off more from white people, you need to actively bargain. A taxi, other than the smoky train, is the only way to get to the airport in Kinshasa; the fee is $10. There are no buses to the airport.
Money and prices
The national currency of the DRC is called the Congolese franc. Small change - centimes - have long been gone; paper bills in denominations of 100, 200 and 500 francs are in circulation, less often - 50 francs. Banknotes of 20 and 10 francs are extremely rare, so they can be taken as collectible souvenirs as rare ones.
The Congolese franc is an unstable currency and has become cheaper over the years. At the beginning of 2014, the dollar was worth about 900 francs, and the CFA franc (circulating in neighboring Congo-Brazzaville, Chad and the Central African Republic) was about 2 Congolese.
The US dollar, along with the francs, is the second national currency, has unlimited free circulation and is accepted for payment by everyone. Many legal entities prefer to make payments exclusively in dollars, avoiding non-convertible francs. Although in rural and remote areas the Franks still predominate. The problem is that when making small purchases on the street, you may not be able to find change for a large bill, such as $100, and besides, for security reasons, flashing such a bill outside the store is not recommended. Another problem is that there are a lot of old banknotes in circulation; no one accepts torn dollars, even if the size of the tear is only one millimeter. Therefore, when accepting change, you need to check the edges of each bill; the buyer also has the right not to take torn bills from the seller. Despite this rule, any franks are accepted, no matter how dirty and smelly they may be, torn and sealed with tape, worn to such an extent that the design cannot be deciphered. And finally, the last problem - many stores intended for European buyers do not display prices for goods, but stick indexes on them, according to which you need to look at the price of the desired product in the posted lists. For example, index A33 according to the list may have a price of 3498 francs, which must be paid. When paying prices in francs in dollars, inconveniences arise due to the system of converting prices and figures from one currency to another, which is understandable to some Congolese. Even after living for a certain time in the Congo, confusion arises with this; sellers are constantly trying to shortchange francs by 200. There are also many counterfeit banknotes in circulation, Congo is a good market for their sale. One dollar bills are not accepted for payment!
Dollars can be exchanged for francs and vice versa everywhere, from banks to street money changers, the so-called. "Kambists". Typically, prices in the bank and on the street do not differ much, since cambo traders themselves rely on the official exchange rate set by the Central Bank. In principle, any exchange of money on the street in the Congo can be considered a “black” market, which, however, is not a crime and is not punishable by anything.
There are no ATMs or banks serving international plastic cards in the DRC. Travel checks are also not accepted anywhere. There are no restrictions on the import and export of foreign currency; Congolese francs are prohibited from export. At the exit (at the airport, ferry crossing, border crossings) you can always exchange the remaining francs for dollars - money changers hang out everywhere. Before leaving for Brazzaville, you can exchange Congolese francs for Central African francs. It is also worth noting that the Central African franc (the common currency for a number of countries) is not in circulation in the DRC.
In the DRC, you can receive a money transfer through the Western Union system; in total, more than 60 branches are open throughout the country in the administrative centers of the provinces and in the capital. There are more than 30 Western Union branches in Kinshasa, many of them located in outlying areas. In the city center, it is best to use the points located at the Grand Hotel or the Memling Hotel - they are the quietest there. There are also branches of the MoneyGram and MoneyTrans systems. Branches of these companies are also located in these hotels.
Nutrition
The country is poor, so the diet of the average Congolese is extremely simple and meager. The main food products consumed by the local population are cassava and cassava flour, yams (sweet potatoes), beans, maize, potatoes, fufu herbs, pondu, orico, fish and fish products, etc. Meat is rarely present in the diet, it is too expensive.
Almost half of the population eats more than once a day, so you can’t count on a treat. Despite a certain shortage of food products (55 million people can hardly feed themselves), food products produced and sold on the local market are relatively cheap for the owner of foreign currency.
- 12 bananas - 100 francs.
- 1 pineapple (medium) - 500 francs.
- 1 bun of bread (about 100 grams) - 70 francs.
- 1 kilogram of cassava - 500 francs.
Products intended for Europeans are incredibly expensive. Potatoes - $3 per kilogram, ketchup - $5 per bottle, chips - $5 per bag, chocolate - up to $10 per bar, can of Pepsi-Cola - 70 cents. Similar stores where you can buy European food can only be found in Kinshasa; they simply don’t exist in other cities. In Kinshasa, they are all located in the city center: Pelustore and Express Alimentation - the most expensive and therefore not show-off, are located on the Boulevard 30 June, they are easy to find, as they are painted bright yellow. The Hassan Brothers store, a small wholesale and retail supermarket, is located in the area of the port and the bone market. Somewhat cheaper than other stores. To find it, you need to go to the ruined monument at the end of June 30 Boulevard, from where you can see this brown-painted store. The cheapest products in general are in shops owned by Lebanese merchants; they can also be found in the city center.
Food in restaurants and cafes is also expensive. A serving of French fries will cost $5; in a store you can buy a 1.5-kilogram frozen pack of the same potatoes for the same money. The main places where foreigners like to sit accept dollars for payment at a clearly reduced rate (400 francs per dollar instead of 450), so it is not profitable to pay in dollars there - you end up with big losses. Roadside food service is not developed.
Connection
Internet cafes are only available in large cities. In Kinshasa and Lubumbashi they can be found in the center and surrounding areas. They often hide in very inconspicuous places, so finding them can sometimes be problematic. The Internet connection is stable, but the electricity can be cut off at any time. The cost of accessing the network is $2 per hour. There is no Internet telephony.
There is no city telephone network, so everyone uses mobile phones with cards. The main mobile operators are rivals Vodacom and Celtel. The latter company operates in more than fifteen African countries, but Celtel roaming does not work in Congo. But the Celtel network extends to all major cities in the country; you can easily call from Lubumbashi to Kinshasa and vice versa. The most popular cards are $5, they are enough for 4 minutes of conversation (about 40 cents per minute) on internal numbers; for communication with a subscriber located in another city, the same fee is charged. Celtel's cellular network is also convenient for communication with Russia. Becoming the owner of your phone number is a matter of ten minutes. The cost of a SIM card, which can be purchased at any service center, is $5. After which you need to purchase a card and load units onto the SIM card. The price of communication with Russia is 70 cents per minute, the quality of communication is good. To dial like this - Russia code 007 - city code - subscriber number.
If you don’t have a mobile phone with you, you can call directly from the street in special trays with the inscription “appel” (call). The cost of a conversation with Russia in such a place will cost a little more than a dollar. The cost of a call from Russia to a subscriber in the DRC is more expensive - $3 per minute. Telephone services from the Congolese-Chinese company CCT - Congo Chine Telecom, which is just beginning to develop the local telecommunications market, are much cheaper. SST asks for 40 cents per minute of conversation with Russia. But while they don’t have enough service centers, you can’t buy their cards everywhere.
There is a lot of tension with the mail. Formally, there is a post office, but it seems that the quality of its work leaves much to be desired. There is only one known working branch in Kinshasa, located on Avenue Colonel Lukusa, next to the Codeco bank (you need to ask locals). To send a letter to Russia they ask for 3000 francs, there are no envelopes for sale, you need to have your own. No one gives guarantees for delivery; delivery time can take up to one and a half months. There is also great doubt about the possibility of receiving poste restante letters. It is in this department that letters coming from abroad are sorted and issued. More chances to never wait for a letter.
Overnight
Accommodation in the Congo for a person on the road is a very important and difficult problem. There are no strict laws prohibiting foreigners from spending the night with local residents, but general poverty will most likely prevent them from inviting travelers to their home. There is no desire to spend the night in local houses, especially in rural areas. Houses are almost always either dirty or dusty and have a not very pleasant smell.
Spending the night in a tent is not prohibited, but it can be complicated by the fact that you simply will not be given rest. The peculiarity of the Congo is that even in the most deserted place, after ten minutes a crowd of thirty people gathers. The presence of white foreigners in a bright tent within their living space can cause a variety of reactions - from aggression to hundreds of stupid questions. In any case, they won’t leave you alone, they won’t invite you to join them. The appearance of the police is generally a sign that you will not have a peaceful night.
It is better not to spend the night at train stations and in public gardens in cities - there are a lot of police, street children, and high street crime. In Kinshasa, for example, sleeping on the streets is a problem. There is not a single quiet place in this city where there are no people, police, military or security.
There are no campsites or hostels. The hotel business is poorly developed, mainly in large cities, in villages and along roads there are no hotels at all. The prices are high - the price per night in an average lousy hotel reaches 50 dollars. It's unlikely to be found cheaper.
It would be interesting to explore the possibilities of overnight stays in churches. Due to the abundance of churches, it seems that this issue can be resolved. If they don’t write it in one, they will write it in the other. There are many churches, they are found in a variety of places - from slums to areas of fashionable villas. First of all, it is worth exploring the possibility of registration in Catholic churches. As in other countries, it is usually not just a church, but a whole cultural and educational complex with school classrooms, shops, pharmacies and a kitchen. There are many such churches, they are found everywhere; they stand out from the surrounding landscape by the presence of a high tower with a cross. There is a Greek Orthodox Church in Kinshasa on the Boulevard 30 June, and there are very good people there. The possibility of spending the night there also needs to be explored.
Embassies and visas of other countries
Throughout the world, even among its continental neighbors, the DRC is considered a dangerous country for immigration. As soon as they receive the desired visa, the Congolese completely forget about their patriotism and tear their claws beyond the border. Strict visa rules of foreign embassies, aimed at curbing unwanted immigration, often apply not only to DRC citizens, but also to third-country nationals applying for a visa in Kinshasa. Therefore, Congo is not the best place to obtain visas.
Angola
Blvd du 30 Juin, 4413. Open Monday to Friday from 9.00 to 12.00. Not the most welcoming embassy for hitchhikers, which demands:
- Prize en charge, which simply means an invitation or obligation/responsibility of the Angolan side towards you during your stay there. There is no clearly established and rigid form of invitation, so in principle you can, for example, prepare an “invitation” from the Angolan branch of the WUA in advance, put a stamp and go get a visa.
- Two questionnaires.
- Two photos.
- Photocopies of passport and international vaccination certificate.
- A letter of recommendation (in French called a “note verbale” - note verbale) from the Russian embassy.
- Visa request letter written by the applicant.
Cost: $60, wait 7 business days.
Republic of the Congo
Blvd du 30 Juin (next to the Angolan Embassy). Issued without problems and unnecessary questions.
- Questionnaire.
- 1 photo.
- Visa cost: $50 - after three days, $100 - on the day of application.
Gabon
Avenue Colonel Mondjiba, 167 (this street is a continuation of June 30 Boulevard, you need to go in the opposite direction from the port). The embassy is open from Monday to Friday from 9.00 to 14.00.
- Letter of recommendation from the Russian embassy (note verbale).
- Cost: $200 - multiple entry, $100 - single entry.
- Production time - 72 hours.
CAR
Kinshasa/Gombe, Avenue Mont des Arts, 2803, Quartier Golf. To find this embassy, you need to go to the intersection of Boulevard 30 June and Avenue de la Liberation, at the intersection there is a sculpture - the White Flower. From the sculpture you need to walk along Avenue Liberation in the direction opposite to the Congo River. The embassy will be on the left in about five hundred meters. Open from Monday to Thursday from 9.00 to 15.00.
- 2 photos.
- Questionnaire.
- 120 dollars.
The visa is issued multiple-entry for one month.
Cameroon
Blvd du 30 Juin, 171 (located next to the Embassy of the Republic of Congo and Angola). Open Monday to Friday from 8.00 to 15.00. Not the best option.
- Round-trip air ticket.
- Hotel reservation.
- They do it in two days.
Zambia
Av. De l'Ecole, 54-58. open Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
- Round trip ticket.
- 2 photos, passport.
- Cost: $40.
Nigeria
Blvd du 30 Juin, 141. Open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10.00 to 14.00.
- Photocopies of the first three pages of the passport.
- Round trip ticket.
- Letter of recommendation from the Russian embassy.
- Cost: $85.
Sudan
Blvd du 30 Juin, 24 (Immeuble Aforia, ex-Shell). Open from Monday to Saturday from 12.00 to 15.00. Residents of the DRC are issued for $50 on the same day, plus they require a letter of recommendation from the Russian embassy. In principle, you can make a certificate at the embassy stating that the applicant is a resident of the Congo, maybe this will help. For non-residents: documents are sent to Khartoum - then everything is as usual.
South Africa
Blvd du 30 Juin, (opposite Pelustore).
1. Hotel reservation. 2. Bank account statement. 3. Letter of recommendation. 4. Passport. 5. Cost: $63.
Zimbabwe
Avenue de la Justice, 75B. Open Monday to Friday from 10.00 to 12.00.
1. Valid passport. 2. Two photographs. 3. Cost: $50, issued the next day.
Tanzania
Blvd du 30 Juin, 142 (opposite the Angolan Embassy). Open Monday to Friday from 9.00 to 15.00.
- Questionnaire.
- Two photos.
- Cost: $50, validity - 1 month, issued on the day of application.
Other
Holidays
Public holidays during which life in the country comes to a complete standstill:
- January 4 - Independence Martyrs' Day
- May 1 - Labor Day
- May 17 - Liberation Day
- June 30 - Independence Day
- August 1 - Parents' Day
- December 25 - Christmas.
The Russian Embassy
The Russian Embassy in the DRC is located at Avenue de la Justice, 80, also in the Grand Hotel area. It's easy to find - it's a tall white building with 11 floors. They treat Russian citizens there normally, but in terms of registration, overnight stays, bathing and laundry, it is of little use - there is simply no possibility. However, consular officers are ready to provide a letter of recommendation to obtain the necessary visas. There are few Russian citizens in the Congo, only about 500 people, including employees of the UN Mission and pilots working under private contracts. These are mainly women married to Congolese, businessmen and entrepreneurs. There is no trade mission, and there are no joint ventures or Russian hospitals. Sailors can be found in Matadi, but they usually do not stay there for long. Occasionally, geologists and various prospectors appear with unclear intentions, since their area of interest is the extraction and resale of diamonds, they do not advertise their presence and their location is unknown. In general, Russian citizens in the DRC are largely divided and do not often know each other, even after living in the country for more than one year. Therefore, there are no communities, clubs or informal associations. The places where you can most often meet compatriots, oddly enough, are grocery stores.
Around the country
Route from the Ugandan border to Kinshasa
From the checkpoint into Zaire the road leads through Virunga. From Kasindi you can get to Beni by minibus ($5) or passenger truck.
Beni is a large city, there are representative offices of various international organizations (MONUC, Premiere Urgence) - from them you can get the latest information about the situation in Zaire and a safe route. It’s difficult to fit in, they’re afraid. There are inexpensive hotels, $2-5.
On the road from Beni to Nya Nya via Mambasa there is sometimes transport - trucks and pickups traveling short distances between villages, but they are very rare. Even if you manage to find such a vehicle, the driver may refuse - they are afraid of problems with the authorities. And from Mambasa to Kisangani you can only walk or ride a bicycle; locals offer to transport you (or your backpack) by bicycle for money. And you can walk for weeks.
There are many barriers, documents are checked. Each province has its own power. They impose all sorts of permits, cover letters, etc., and extort money. A road map sometimes helps. Registration is required in large populated areas; it actually costs 200 francs (half a dollar), but they require $5-10-20. In eastern Zaire, from the border with Uganda to Kisangani, you can travel either on foot or by motorcycle or bicycle, but such transport is not cheap (motorcycle from Mangina to Mambasa, 130 km - $30). Good entry in churches in Mangina and Mambasa.
In villages you can set up a tent without any problems (sometimes you first need to discuss it with the village chief). From Nya-Nya to Kisangani the road is very bad, even riding a bicycle or motorcycle is a complete torture (you have to walk half the way). Bicycle from Bafosende to Kisangani $30, 3-4 days of travel (about 250 km).
It’s difficult to register in Kisangani, but there are inexpensive hotels for 1-2 dollars. There are ships and barges from Kisangani to Kinshasa about once a week. The journey to Kinshasa can take up to a month (barges run aground and break down, formalities and loading maize at transit ports take a lot of time). You can first get to Bumba by motorized pirogue - 3 days, $5 (but this is a rather difficult road - there is nowhere to sleep, cramped, dirty, dangerous in a storm shower), then from Bumba by ship - $20 on deck (cheaper on an attached barge): from Boombas are larger than ships and barges to Kinshasa.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a West African country stretching along the right bank of the river. Congo in the middle reaches, with access to the Atlantic Ocean. The area is 342 thousand km2.
The territory of the Congo is located on both sides of the equator. It occupies the western part of the Congo Basin, as well as the belt of highlands that separates it from the Atlantic Ocean. The ocean coast is framed by a strip of lowlands 40 - 50 km wide, further to the east stretch the low Mayombe mountains with average heights of 300 - 500 m. Even further east is the Niari-Nyanga depression (about 200 m high). Its central part is a limestone plain, where karst phenomena are widely developed. In the north and east, the depression is limited by the spurs of the Shayu Mountains, more than 700 m high, and in the southeast by the Cataract Plateau. The central part of the Congo is occupied by the vast Bateke plateau, to which the highest point of the country is located - the city of Leketi (1040 m). The entire northeastern territory of the country is occupied by a swampy river valley that is often flooded during floods. Congo.
Relief of the Republic of Congo
The surface of the Republic of Congo resembles a huge dish, slightly inclined towards the Atlantic Ocean, the middle of which is formed by a vast depression of the river. Congo (Zaire), and the edges are a closed ring of hills. The bottom of the depression lies at an altitude of 300-400 m above sea level. sea and is a swampy plain formed by wide river valleys. Zaire and its tributaries. The bottom of the depression is bordered by an amphitheater of terraces and terrace-like plateaus with a height of 500 to 1000 m. The northern belt of plateaus and hills forms a plateau, which serves as a watershed between the river basins. Zaire, on the one hand, r. Nile and lake Chad is on the other. In the southwest, the Congo basin is separated from a narrow strip of the coastal lowland of the Atlantic Ocean by the South Guinea Upland.
The heights along the southern edge of the depression are even more significant, where on the watershed of the Zaire and Zambezi rivers they reach 1200-1500 m or more. In the southeast of the country rise the flat-topped horst massifs of the Mitumba Mountains, the sandstone plateaus of Manika and Kundegungu.
The eastern edge of the country is the most elevated. Here, the western branch of the East African Rift Zone stretches in a giant arc from north to south. The chain of the Great African Lakes - Tanganyika, Kivu, Idi-Amin-Dada, Mobutu-Sese Seko - is located in this fault zone. In one of the side spurs of the main fault depression lies lake. Mveru, in the other - part of the upper reaches of the river passes. Zaire.
Along the edges of fault depressions, mountain ranges reach 2000-3000 m, their slopes are steep ledges. The Rwenzori massif on the border of Zaire and Uganda has the greatest height with the third highest peak in Africa - Margherita Peak (5,109 m).
Between the lake Idi-Amin-Dada in the north and lake. Kivu is located in the south of the Virunga Mountains. This area is characterized by strong seismicity. There are more than 100 volcanoes, the highest is the extinct volcano Karisimbi (4507 m). Its round top is covered from time to time with a snow cap sparkling in the sun.
There are also active volcanoes. This is Nyi-ragongo (3470 m) and located north of Nyamlagira (3058 m). The eruption was especially strong in 1938-1940. Nyiragongo has long been considered an extinct volcano. However, studies conducted at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries alerted scientists. A fiery liquid lava lake was discovered in the ring-shaped crater of the volcano. On one clear night in 1927, the Nyiragongo crater lit up with clouds of gases. Since then, Nyiragongo has not calmed down for a minute. It erupted in 1938 and 1948. Since the early 70s, his activity has increased again. In 1977, there was the most powerful eruption: hot lava destroyed the surrounding villages, burned out vegetation, destroyed roads, and left thousands of people homeless.
Minerals of the Republic of Congo
In terms of diversity and mineral reserves, Congo (Zaire) is one of the richest countries not only in Africa, but also in the world. The region of Shaba, which scientists call a “geological miracle,” is richest in them. Deposits of copper ore (“shaba” means “copper”), which is accompanied by cobalt, zinc, uranium, silver, radium, molybdenum, nickel and other metals, are located in a folded system composed of Upper Precambrian deposits. The Shaba “Copper Belt,” up to 100 km wide and more than 400 km long, stretches from northwest to southeast and goes into neighboring Zambia. Total copper reserves are estimated at 27-36 million tons, the metal content in ore is on average 4%.
Large deposits of tin ore - cassiterite, located mainly in the Kivu region and in the north of Shaba, are associated with granites of the folded system, which extends in these areas in a north-easterly direction. Tin is often accompanied by rare metals - tantalum, niobium (the country ranks first in the world in terms of their reserves), as well as tungsten and beryllium.
Congo is rich in diamonds. Their placers, contained in the Upper Cretaceous sandy series of Kwango, are located in the regions of Western Kasai and Eastern Kasai on an area of 400 thousand square meters. km. On average per 1 cubic. m of placer accounts for one carat of diamonds. There are significant vein and placer gold deposits in the northeastern and eastern parts of the country. Oil-bearing horizons have been discovered in the ocean shelf zone and in a number of inland areas. Haute-Congo Zaire has oil shale reserves that have not yet been exploited. High-quality iron ores have also been found in Shaba. They are also available in other parts of the country. Deposits of manganese have been identified in several places. The subsoil of Zaire is rich in bauxite and coal, natural gas and asbestos, potassium salts and sulfur, barite and titanium ores, etc. Apparently, further geological exploration will lead to the discovery of new mineral deposits.
Climate of the Republic of Congo
The climate of the Republic of Congo, located in the equatorial and subequatorial climatic zones, is generally hot. There is no clearly defined alternation of seasons. Regional climatic differences are very noticeable. They are manifested primarily in the amount of precipitation and the time of its occurrence and, to some extent, in temperature differences. In that part of the country located between 3° N. w. and 3° S. sh., the climate is equatorial, constantly humid. It is warmest here in March and April - on average 25-28°, cooler in July-August, although even then the thermometer can show 28° during the day, but the daily temperature drops at this time reach 10-15°. Precipitation in this zone is 1700-2200 mm per year. Particularly heavy rainfall occurs from March to May and from September to November. But in other months, precipitation also falls in the form of short and rare rains. After them, mango fruits begin to ripen, and locals call such rains “mango.”
Rains in the equatorial zone most often occur in the afternoon. The air heated by the sun is saturated with evaporation from the surface of reservoirs. The sky, which remained cloudless from morning until midday, is covered in powerful thunderclouds. A strong wind rises, and torrents of water fall to the ground amid deafening rumbles of thunder. Unique precipitation records have been recorded in areas located along the equator. Thus, in Mbandaka, 150 mm of precipitation once fell in one day, and in Boenda, 100 mm fell in 1.5 hours. Usually after 2-2.5 hours the equatorial shower ends and a clear, quiet night sets in. The stars shine brightly, the air becomes cooler, and by morning fog appears in the lowlands. In the southernmost part of Zaire, the climate is subequatorial, more precisely, equatorial-monsoon. The rains here are brought by the equatorial monsoon, which is replaced in the second half of the year by the southeast trade wind, bringing dry tropical air that produces almost no precipitation. In the extreme south, 1000-1200 mm falls per year.
The higher the area above sea level, the cooler it is. On the high plateaus of the Shaba region, the average temperature in October is 24°, and in July it is only 16°. The daily differences are also significant here, reaching 22°. Occasionally in the mornings, light frost covers the soil in open, elevated areas. In the mountains of eastern Zaire, average annual temperatures are 5-6° lower than in the Congo basin, which lies at the same latitude. Precipitation here reaches up to 2500 mm per year. The Rwenzori massif is crowned with a cap of eternal snow.
Water resources of the Republic of Congo
Zaire has the densest river network in central Africa and the continent. The rivers, fed by rain and partly by underground springs, are rich in water and abound in waterfalls and rapids. Areas of rapids and rapids are interspersed with areas with calm currents. It is unlikely that it will be possible to find any significant river in the country that is navigable along its entire length. Many waterfalls are known for their picturesqueness. Flowing under the canopy of the forests of the Ituri region. Isakhe forms a multi-stage waterfall “Staircase of Venus”: here each of the low thresholds is, as it were, crowned with an intricate water lace. The Guillaume waterfalls, which are formed by three branches of the river, are very unique. Kwango. The water here falls from a 30-meter height into a narrow and deep crevice. In the Shaba region on the river. Lovoi is home to the 340-meter Kaloba Falls, considered the highest of all vertical waterfalls in Africa.
The flat areas of the area are periodically flooded or swamped, and this hinders their economic development. Small rivers in the northeast of the country belong to the Nile basin. All other rivers belong to the river basin. Congo. Within the Republic of Zaire lies 60% of the area of this river basin.
The great African river called Lualaba originates on an elevated plateau near the border with Zambia and flows for many kilometers like a water snake, getting lost in swamps formed among tree-covered hills. In its uppermost reaches the river is not navigable. Here it only gains strength and, narrowing in some places to a width of 30 meters, flows in the Mitumba Mountains between steep cliffs reaching 400 meters in height. Passing through the southern spurs of these mountains, the river forms the Nzilo rapids. Here, in a 70-kilometer section, the drop of the river bed is 475 m.
North of these rapids the river calms down, and from the city of Bukama for 666 km it serves as a good route of communication. However, just beyond the town of Kongolo the river becomes unnavigable again. Roaring and rearing, it overcomes the Port d'Enfer (Hell's Gate) gorge, which narrows to 100 m, and then forms five rapids in the crystalline rocks; up to Kibombo it flows calmly, but in the section from Kibombo to Kindu its flow again becomes stormy, until the Shambo waterfalls are left behind. Behind them, the river calms down and flows for more than 300 km, as if gaining strength, to overcome the seven-stage Stanley Falls and fall from a 40-meter height into the central basin.
Outside the city of Kisangani r. The Congo (Zaire) becomes a typically lowland river. As if reluctantly, it washes the sandy shores of numerous large and small islands covered with forest, sometimes spreading 15 kilometers or more in width. Often the equatorial forest approaches the water like a wall, in which only here and there are clearings; on them the huts of the villages are huddled together.
Below Kisangani the river receives its main tributaries on the right and left. South of Kinshasa, the river forms a chain of more than 70 waterfalls, named after the famous English traveler D. Livingston. They stretch for about 350 km, the difference in levels is 270 m. The character of the river changes again: again its waters roar and foam in whirlpools, crash against rocks, fall from ledges, not slowing down their run towards the ocean for a second. At Matadi, the river flow slows down, it becomes wider and deeper. The river carries such a mass of water into the Atlantic Ocean that 75 km from its mouth the sea remains fresh, and the characteristic yellowish tint of the water can be traced 300 km from the coast.
The country's inland lakes are the remnants of an ancient lake-sea that once filled the entire central basin. The largest of them is Lake. Mai-Ndombe. It is notable for the fact that during the rainy season its area increases more than 3 times.
Despite the abundance of inland waters, the system of navigable river routes exists only in the Congo Basin and has no access to the ocean due to waterfalls and rapids in the lower reaches of the river. Congo.
The Congo River is the largest river in Central Africa and the most abundant river in the world after the Amazon. Its lower reaches have been known to Europeans since the 16th century, and the rest since 1877 (the time when Stanley explored it). The Congo rises at an altitude of 1,600 meters above sea level, about 9° south latitude and 32° east longitude, between lakes Niassa and Tanganaikoi, skirting the southern side of Lake Bangweola, receiving its source. From here, under the name Luapula, it meanders for 300 kilometers to Lake Meru or Mkata, at an altitude of 850 meters above sea level, and then, heading north-northwest, connects with Ancora at 6 ° 30` south latitude, then with Adalaba at 27° east longitude. At 5°40` south latitude and 26°45` east longitude it receives Lukugu, the source of Lake Tanganaiki; rushing north, it connects with Luama and, reaching a width of 1,000 meters, under the name of Lualaba, enters the land of Manyema at 4°15` south latitude and 26°16` east longitude. Between Nyonga and the equator, the Congo is navigable and flows directly north, receiving in its path many as yet unexplored rivers, rising among gigantic forests.
From Niangwa, towards the mouth, the Congo ceases to be navigable, due to the rapids and Stanley Falls found here, but then becomes navigable again to the mouth of Kassai and here, taking in the Aruvimi, it expands to 20 kilometers and flows through a marshy area rich in lakes; then the channel of the Congo narrows again. Connecting with the last tributary, the Congo channel narrows with mountains and, on the way to Vivi, the river forms 32 waterfalls - the Livingston rapids. Between Banana and Shark Point, the Congo flows into the Atlantic Ocean in a channel 11 kilometers wide and 300 meters deep, bringing 50,000 cubic meters of water per second into the sea, and carrying fresh water on its surface for 22 kilometers. At 40 km the Congo has tides, then at 64 km the color of the water is light tea, and at 450 km it is brown. From the mouth, for 27 km, the Congo dug a subsea channel for itself. It annually introduces 35,000,0000 cubic meters of solid particles into the sea. Flood occurs twice a year, at the mouth the highest water is in May and December, the lowest in March and August; During high water, the muddy waters of the Congo are visible hundreds of kilometers away in the ocean.
Tributaries of the Congo: Aruvimi (right), Ruby (right), Mongalla (right), Mobangi (right), Saaga Mambere (right), Likuala Lekoli (right), Alima (right), Lefini (right), Lomami (left ), Lulongo (left), Ikelemba (left), Ruki (left), Kassai (left), Lualaba (left)
Flora and soils of the Republic of Congo
More than half of Zaire's territory is occupied by evergreen tropical rainforests. About 50 tree species that are especially valuable for their timber grow here, including ebony, iroko, okume, etc. Under these forests, thick red-yellow ferralite soils are developed. By themselves they are infertile. Only the decomposition of organic residues, which the forest itself provides in large quantities, maintains the natural fertility of these soils. When forests are cleared, soils are quickly depleted. In the most depressed areas of the Congo Basin, where the flow of river water is especially slow, hydromorphic laterite-i-lei alluvial soils are developed.
A narrow strip of the river estuary. The Congo is covered with mangrove forest, under which swampy soils predominate, containing large amounts of silt brought by the river.
As you move away from the equator, forests become sparser; they grow only along river banks. If the river is not wide, the crowns of the trees close over the riverbed, forming shady vaults, which is why such forests are called gallery forests. A significant part of Zaire's territory is occupied by tall grass savanna. It dominates in the south, as well as in large areas in the Bandundu region, and north of the equator - in the basins of the Uele and Ubangi rivers. In some places in the savanna you can find separate groves where the trees are located at a sufficient distance from each other. This is the so-called park savanna.
In the tall grass savanna, red ferralitic soils are formed, the humus content in the upper layer of which reaches 8%. Cultivation of agricultural crops entails rapid depletion of soils, the fertility of which can be restored by applying large amounts of fertilizers. In the extreme south and southeast of the country, brown-red, slightly leached soils are developed under the park savannah. They are more fertile and, given enough moisture, can produce good harvests.
In the mountainous regions of eastern Zaire, up to approximately 3000 m altitude, vegetation similar to that of the plains grows. The slopes of the mountains are covered with humid equatorial forests, in the upper belt of which conifers appear - podocarpus, tree-like junipers, and tree ferns. At an altitude of 3000-3500 m thickets of bamboo and tree-like heather predominate; above them they are replaced by high-mountain meadows. Above 4000 m, only mosses and lichens grow. The soils of mountainous regions, developed on volcanic deposits, are very fertile.
Wildlife of the Republic of the Congo
The wildlife of the Congo is extremely rich and diverse. The equatorial forests of the central basin are the habitat of prosimians - lemurs and a small fur-bearing animal - the night tree hyrax. Among the land mammals found in these forests are pygmy antelopes, wild pigs, warthogs, and long-haired boars. Okapi, which live only in Zaire, are very beautiful, attractive with their variegated coloring: transverse white stripes are not located throughout their body, like zebras, but only along the croup and limbs. Okapi's neck and legs are shorter than those of giraffes; These meek and timid animals feed on leaves and rarely leave the thicket of the forest. One of the national parks, Kahuzi-Biegu, is located 30 km from Bukavu in the equatorial forest. Mountain gorillas can be seen here.
To do this, you need to make a multi-hour climb into the mountains. Having passed the tea plantations located at an altitude of 1500-1800 m and lined with silvery eucalyptus trees, a narrow, barely visible path rushes upward, often getting lost in the coastal silt. Meeting gorillas is a rare success, but the animals are not shy and have sometimes allowed people to come within 5-10 m of them. Gorillas live in the forests on the slopes of the Virunga Mountains in small herds, lead a mainly terrestrial lifestyle, feeding on plant foods. Hunting of these rare animals is prohibited.
The savannah is inhabited by antelopes, gazelles, giraffes, zebras, lions, leopards, hyenas, wild dogs; Elephants, buffaloes, and rhinoceroses also live here. The now extremely rare white rhinoceroses are also found. There are many crocodiles and hippos in the rivers and lakes. Lizards, turtles, and snakes can be found everywhere. Most snakes are poisonous - cobras, black and green mamba, vipers, there are also non-venomous snakes - pythons.
The world of birds, large and small, flying and running, is extremely diverse. In the savannah there are ostriches, sunbirds, partridges, quails, bustards, guinea fowl, and in the forests - peacocks, parrots, thrushes, woodpeckers, hoopoes, banana eaters, along the river banks - herons, storks, kingfishers, pelicans, ducks, flamingos, marabou, etc. d.
Rivers and lakes abound with fish. In Zaire there are about a thousand species of fish: perch, pike, tiger fish, catfish, lungfish, eels, etc.; In cave reservoirs there lives a blind fish with a pale pink, scaleless body. Tarpon and barracuda are found in the coastal ocean waters.
There are many insects in the country: butterflies, wasps, various beetles, bees, termites, red, black, white ants. Malarial mosquitoes and tsetse flies pose a great danger to large animals and humans.
Population of the Republic of the Congo
The population of the Republic of Congo is 2.95 million people (2003). Congo is one of the most sparsely populated countries in Africa. The northern regions of the country, covered with forests and swamps, are practically uninhabited. The average population density of Congo is 8.6 people/km2. OK. 80% of the population consists of peoples of the Bantu linguistic group: Kongo, Teke, Bangi, Kota, Mboshi, etc. also live. Pygmies have survived in the depths of the forests, living mainly by hunting. The official language is French. 40% of believers are Catholics, St. 24% are Protestants. A third of the population of the Republic of Congo adheres to local traditional beliefs, there are Muslims. Urban population 59%.
Source - http://zaire.name/
We are accustomed to the fact that each state has its own name. And only in the center of the African continent are two “namesakes” named Congo discovered. One was named the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and there are a lot of interesting things to tell about it.
For example, in Rus' in the old days people paid with sable skins, in China with shellfish shells, and here, in the heart of Africa, even in the 19th century, copper crosses similar to the × sign were used as money. Such money weighed six hundred grams, its dimensions reached half a meter. For one cross they sold 10 kg of flour, and for two they sold a real rifle. However, before the arrival of the whites, people lived here without firearms.
The Europeans, having captured the surrounding lands, tried not to meddle in the huge basin of the high-water Congo River.
Congo River Basin
Impassable tropical forests and swamps, warlike tribes, incurable diseases - malaria and sleeping sickness - protected this country on the equator. Well, then it was her turn...
DR Congo. Our information.
Official name: Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Location: Central Africa.
Territory: over 2.345 million km².
Population: over 74.43 million people
Capital: Kinshasa.
Official language: French.
DR Congo - a little history.
No matter what map you take, you can see that the DR Congo is a big country. And it is difficult to imagine that this territory the size of the Krasnoyarsk Territory all once belonged to one person - the Belgian King Leopold II. It was called the “Congo Free State,” but its inhabitants were free before they actually became slaves of the foreign king.
He turned out to be a cool entrepreneur. The mercenary army kept the Congolese at bay. They were forced to supply elephant tusks and were forced into rubber plantations. Thousands of people died from hunger and disease. If anyone refused to work, their hand was cut off. During punitive operations, “civilized Europeans” burned villages and spared no ammunition. It is not surprising that rubber production increased almost two hundred times, and the country's population fell by half, to 15 million people. Meanwhile, the autocrat built palaces and bought castles.
European monarchs looked askance at Leopold's "business". Newspapers published cartoons of the crowned businessman. Writers Arthur Conan Doyle and Mark Twain ridiculed him. As a result, the public got fed up with the king, and a year before his death he sold his overseas land to the state he ruled. By the way, almost 80 countries the size of Belgium could fit on the soil of the Congo.
DR Congo and the little people - Pygmies.
Now the main population of the Congo is the Bantu people. They first appeared in these parts 2,500 years ago and soon discovered amazing people who barely reached their shoulders. These were pygmy tribes.
Pygmies The maximum height of “dwarf men” barely reached 150 cm, and in women 120 cm was not uncommon. They still live in Central Africa, differing from their neighbors not only in height, but also in skin color: their skin is reddish-brown.
Why are pygmies short? Scientists have discovered the main reason for the phenomenon. Almost all African peoples live on the edges, in savannas, and river valleys. But pygmies are inhabitants of tropical rain forests. Living in these thickets is too difficult and dangerous. Here it is difficult to get enough food, protect yourself from diseases and predators. It is not surprising that the average age of pygmies is approximately 24 years; a few centenarians exceed the forty-year mark. Nature has found a way out: pygmies have genes that “switch” development to earlier puberty. This slows down growth early, but the parents have time to produce and raise offspring before they are gone. Among pygmies, motherhood at 15 is common. As a result, the tribe has a better chance of surviving in extreme living conditions. At the same time, short stature also gives other advantages: it is more convenient to move in dense thickets, it is easier to feed yourself.
Pygmies live in clans - groups of related families. Marriages are only allowed between people from different clans. Women are highly valued: after all, they bear most of the household chores. Among other nations, brides are ransomed, but the pygmies do not have such a custom - after all, they do not have any valuables that would pass for a ransom. In order not to suffer damage, the clan allows the bride to leave only when the groom brings in her place a girl from his clan who is not against becoming a wife to someone from the family of the “departing” bride. This procedure makes divorces difficult: not one, but both wives must want to return to their “original” families. So the clans try to peacefully settle all the rough edges of married couples. Pygmies do not have polygamy - the clan makes sure that none of the men have to remain bachelors for centuries. And life from hand to mouth is not conducive to thoughts of a second wife.
What do Pygmies eat?
Women collect everything that is edible in the forest: roots, leaves, plant fruits, mushrooms, snakes, caterpillars, termites. Men hunt.
Pygmies on the hunt Their weapons are clubs, javelins (short spears), bows, small arrows, often smeared with poison. The pygmies exchange metal for the tips from their tall neighbors. In the forest they stretch long nets woven from strong vines. Women and children scare the animals with noise and uproar and drive them into the net, which is guarded by an ambush of men. Sometimes they track prey for a long time, sneaking up, setting traps. Poisonous leaves are thrown into the lakes. Dead fish float to the surface, the pygmies collect as much as their families need for the day - in the heat, food quickly spoils. The remaining fish in the pond comes to its senses and swims away. Climbing trees as tall as skyscrapers, pygmies smoke bees out of their hollows and take honeycombs with honey.
When the nearby forest stops feeding, the pygmies go elsewhere. They leave the huts and take the firebrands smoldering in the fire with them. In a new location, housing is built quickly: walls and a roof made of leaves on a frame of branches and twigs. Considering the growth of the residents of the house, the consumption of available building materials is small. The only furniture in the hut is tied bamboo trunks, on which people sleep with a bunch of leaves under their heads.
There are approximately 165 thousand pygmies living in the DR Congo. You won't envy them. Trees are being cut down mercilessly. The area of forests is steadily declining, and along with it the number of their original inhabitants. They resettle little people, try to get them interested in farming, make them auxiliary workers, or even just slaves. But it’s hard for them to live outside their native element. Will the “children of the forest” become a vanished people?
