Congo (Democratic Republic Of) Travel Guide - Key Facts

Central Africa.

Kinshasa and Mbandaka: GMT + 1.
Haut-Zaïre, Kasai, Kivu and Shaba: GMT + 2.

2,345,410 sq km (905,563 sq miles).

60.1 million (UN estimate 2005).

26 per sq km.

Kinshasa. Population: 6.5 million (UN estimate 2005).

The Democratic Republic of Congo is the third-largest country in Africa and is bordered to the north by the Central African Republic and Sudan, to the east by Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania, to the south by Zambia and Angola, and to the west by the Republic of Congo and the Angolan enclave, Cabinda. The country has a coastline of only 27km (17 miles), at the outlet of the Congo River, which flows into the Atlantic. The country straddles the equator and has widely differing geographical features, including mountain ranges in the north and west, a vast central plain through which the Congo River flows, and the volcanoes and lakes of the Kivu region. The river has given rise to extensive tropical rainforests on the western border with the Republic of Congo.

Republic. Gained independence from Belgium in 1960.

President Joseph Kabila since 2001.

Prime Minister Antoine Gizenga since 2006.

Kabila took over as president following the assassination of his father, Laurent-Désiré Kabila. The first democratic poll since the country gained independence in 1960 was held in July 2006 and went to a second round, in which incumbent President Joseph Kabila took a 58% share against rival Jean-Pierre Bemba's 42%. Bemba's supporters rejected the results and claimed electoral fraud. Tensions remain high, with the country split between the east (Kabila supporters) and west (Bemba voters).

The official language is French. There are many local languages, the most widely spoken being Lingala, Swahili, Tshiluba and Kikongo.

Roman Catholic 50%, Islam 10%, Protestant 20%, indigenous beliefs 10% and Kimbanguist 10%.

220 volts AC, 50Hz.

Casual clothes are widely suitable, although scanty beachwear should be confined to the beach or poolside.

Photography: A permit is required. Even then, local authorities are likely to be sensitive. Avoid official areas, airports and riverbanks.