African Members of FOCAC

　　Democratic Republic of the Congo

　　（Updated February 2018）

　　【Official Name】Democratic Republic of the Congo

　　【Area】 2.344885 k㎡

　　【Population】79.7 million (2016). There are 254 ethnic groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Bantu-speaking Kongo people are the largest ethinic group in the country. French is the official language and four indigenous languages have the status of national language: Lingala, Swahili, Kikongo and Kiluba. 50% of the population are Roman Catholic, 20% are Protestant, 10% are Muslim and the rest adhere to indigenous religions.

　　【Capital】Kinshasa, formerly Leopoldville, has an area of 9,965 km2 and a population of 9.757 million. It is the largest city and also the political, economic and cultural center of the country. Average annual temperature is 26℃.

　　【Head of State】President Joseph Kabila Kabange took office in January 2001 and was elected as President in December 2006. He was re-elected for a second term in December 2011.

　　【Holiday】Independence Day (30 June)

　　【Geography and Climate】The Democratic Republic of the Congo is located in central Africa and is bordered by Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania to the east, Zambia and Angola to the south, South Sudan and the Central African Republic to the north, and the Republic of the Congo to the west across the Congo River. There is a narrow corridor in the west of the country extending towards the Atlantic Ocean, with a coastline of 37 km. The north has a tropical rainforest climate while the south a tropical savanna climate. Average annual temperature is 27℃ with an annual precipitation of 1,500 to 2,000 mm.