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Democratic Republic of the Congo By: Ilya Chanin Moran Porat Overview of Democratic Republic of the Congo • Motto: "Justice – Paix – Travail" (French) "Justice – Peace – Work“ • • • • • • • • Capital Kinshasa Population (2013) 75,507,308 (19th). Area 2,345,409 km2 (11th). water 4.3% of total area. Density 29.3 People/km2 (182nd). Official language French. Government Semi-presidential republic. Currency Congolese franc (CDF). History • The area has also been known as Congo, Congo Free State, Belgian Congo and Zaire • The lingua franca is French however four major languages (Lingala, Kikongo, Tshiluba, and Swahili) are spoken in more than 250 ethnic groups. • The Kongo empire reigned during the period of African enslavement and prior to the Colonization era. • Congo was given to King Leopold II of Belgium at the 1884 Berlin Conference. • As a result of international grassroots pressure, King Leopold II had to relinquish ownership of the Congo to the Belgian state in 1908 and Belgium ruled as a colonial power until 1960. Politics • Congo obtained independence from Belgium on June 30, 1960 under the elected leadership of Prime Minister Patrice Emery Lumumba who was summarily assassinated within months by Western powers and Congolese sycophants. • Pursuant to Lumumba’s assassination, the United States installed and backed dictator Joseph Desire Mobutu for over three decades. • The overthrow of Mobutu resulted in the installation of Laurent Desire Kabila in 1997, who was assassinated in 2001, and followed by his son Joseph Kabila who is still in power after elections in 2006. Economy • GDP per capita: 400$ • GDP growth: 7.1% • GDP by sector: Agriculture: 44.2% Mining Industry: 22.6% Services: 3.1% • Estimated of raw minerals: 24 Trillion US$ • Human Development Index (HDI) : 0.304 (186th ). HDI is a composite statistic of life expectancy, education, and income indices used to rank countries. GDP DRC vs. ISRAEL The 3-leg-stool Mining Minerals & Metals Selling the right to mine to foreign corporations Minerals & Metals • • • • • • • • • • • Diamonds Gold Zinc Silver Magnesium Germanium petroleum Uranium Timber Congo has 34 percent of world’s cobalt and 10 percent of its copper. Congo possesses 64 percent of the world’s reserve of COLTAN (a mineral found in cell phones and other electronic devices) copper • • • • • • • • Building construction Telecommunications links Motors, Wiring Radiators, Connectors, Brakes Alloys Magnets Blue pigment Medicine cobalt How To Get The Goods? Mining • The mining process is achieved by hand and hard work! • forceful mining in Congo by foreign companies. These companies employ locals, who work in adverse conditions. DR Congo- Export Globalization • About 80 percent of Congo's copper has traditionally been sold to Western Europe • Foreign involvement: at least 25 international mining companies from Canada, USA, UK , South-Africa, China, Japan and Switzerland. The Tragedy • King Leopold II ruled Congo as his own personal property for 23 years (1885 – 1908) during which time approximately 10 million Congolese were slaughtered. • U.S. allies, Rwanda and Uganda invaded the Congo twice (1996 & 1998) which resulted in the removal of Mobutu in 1997 and the unleashing of the deaths of nearly 6 million. • Forty-five thousand continue to die each month. • Hundreds of thousands of women have been raped as weapon of war. • Eighty percent of the population lives on 30 cents or less per day. • The international community is systematically looting Congo’s spectacular wealth. The Potential • Congo’s people represent its greatest potential with a population of 75 million, half under the age of 18. • Congo is a storehouse of strategic minerals. • Congo is a part of the second largest rainforest in the world, which is vital in the fight against global warming and climate change. • Congo has the hydro capacity to provide electricity for the entire African continent, southern Europe and parts of the Middle East. • Congo has the agricultural capacity to feed the entire world through 2050. summary History Politics Economy The product: Minerals & Metals Mfg. Process: Mining Business The Tragedy References • • • • • • • http://geology.com/usgs/uses-of-copper/ http://www.biyokulule.com/view_content.php?articleid=4987 http://www.congojustice.org/pdf/FoTC-basicfacts.pdf http://www.photius.com/countries/congo_democratic_republic_of_the/economy/congo_ democratic_republic_of_the_economy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_the_Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo https://www.google.co.il/publicdata/explore?ds=d5bncppjof8f9_&met_y=ny_gdp_mktp_c d&hl=en&dl=en&idim=country:ZAR:COG:RWA#!ctype=l&strail=false&bcs=d&nselm=h&met _y=ny_gdp_pcap_cd&scale_y=lin&ind_y=false&rdim=region&idim=country:ZAR&ifdim=reg ion&hl=en_US&dl=en&ind=false Keywords DR Congo, GDP, HDI, Mining, Economy, Politics, Export, Minerals, Metals, History, Trade, Money, War, Raw Ores, Grinding, Globalization