Transcript democraticrepublic of the congo pp notes

Democratic Republic of
Congo
Dem. Rep. of Congo
• There are lots of rivers in the
country.
nd
• The Congo River is the 2
longest river in Africa.
• Country is located on the
equator.
• It is bordered by nine
countries.
A) The Land
• It is the 2nd biggest country
in Africa. (#11 in world)
• It is ¼ the size of the United
States.
• There are many landscapes
such as rainforests,
savannas, and highlands.
Rainforest
1) Rainforests
• Tropical Rainforest covers 1/3 of
the country.
• The top of the rainforest forms a
canopy.
• There are more than 750 different
trees that grow in the rainforest.
• The rainforest are being
destroyed at a rapid pace, just
like the rainforests we learned
about in ________
_________.
2) Highlands & Savannas
• There are mountains on the
eastern side of the country.
• Savannas are in the northern and
southern parts of the country.
Animals in Africa
3) Rivers and Lakes
• The Congo River is one of the
world’s longest rivers in the
world.
• It is the country’s highway for
trade and travel.
• Cargo ships travel on the Congo
River to get to the Atlantic Ocean.
• Lake Tanganyika is the world’s
longest freshwater lake, and the
2nd deepest lake in the world.
Lake Tanganyika
4) The Climate
• Tropical Climate
• It is very hot and humid all
year with heavy
rainstorms.
B) The Economy
• GDP:28 billion (#115)
• Mining is the major
economic activity.
• The Dem. Rep. of Congo
ranks #4 in the world in
mining diamonds.
• Who is #1 in the world in
producing diamonds?
1) Energy Sources
• Oil and natural gas deposits, but
rivers are the main source of
energy.
• The country’s rivers can
produce 13% of the world’s
hydroelectricity.
• The Congo river carries more
water than any other river in the
world except the ________
_________.
• 10 million gallons of water rush down
the Congo river every second.
• 2) Farming
• Most people are subsistence
farmers.
• Farmers grow corn, rice and cassava
for families.
• Only 3% of land is arable.
• People also hunt wild animals, and
fish in the rivers.
Congo River
C) The People
• 78 million people (#19 world)
• There are over 200 different ethnic
groups.
• Official Language: French, lots spoken!
• Main religion: Roman Catholic 50%
• Very high birthrate in this country.
Women avg. having 5 kids.
• The country has been torn apart by
warfare.
1) Influences of the Past
• There was a powerful kingdom in
the 1300’s named the Kongo.
• In the late 1400’s the Portuguese
and European traders arrived.
• For 300 years, they enslaved the
african people and shipped them
to the Americas.
Con’t.
• 1878 Belgium’s King Leopold II took
over and named the country Belgian
Congo.
• In 1960 Belgian Congo became an
independent country known as the
Congo.
• 1969-1996 the country was known as
Zaire.
• In 1997, new military government
renamed the country Democratic
Republic of Congo.
Ways of Life
• 70% of the people live in rural villages.
• The capital city is Kinshasa.
• Kinshasa is a major port on the Congo
River.
• Life expect.: 56 years old (#199)
• 1 doctor every 10,000 people
• Literacy Rate- 67%
• 42% of kids work between ages 5-14.
D) Government
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Gov’t: Republic
Independence: June 30, 1960 from Belgium.
18 years old to vote
President: Joseph Kabila (Five year term
with the ability to be re-elected once). He
has been president since 2001. How is that
possible? Country’s president was
assassinated in 2001 (his father) and he
became the president. Did not count
officially as counting towards his terms.
Election will be in 2016!