Chapter 20 Section 1 Democratic Republic of Congo

Dem. Rep. of Congo There are lots of rivers in the country. The Congo River is the 2 nd 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 2 nd 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. People also hunt wild animals, and fish in the rivers.

Congo River

C) The People 74 million people (#19 world) There are over 200 different ethnic groups. The country has been torn apart by warfare. Gov’t- Republic

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 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 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 expectancy: 56 years old (#199) 1 doctor every 10,000 people Literacy Rate- 67%