 Marianna Jordan Clayton Narrative Time!

 May 26-27, 2016 Shima Kano Hotel, Kashiko Island, Japan (Wednesday, , University of Florida)

I Thought It was the G8

Today’s Discussion

Addressing the Issue…

Details…  2 nd Largest in Africa & 11 th Largest worldwide  Million People (19 th Most Populous)  Tremendous civil unrest – First Congo War, Second Congo War, Kivu Conflict  Direct & Indirect Impacts  _of_the_Congo _of_the_Congo

Details…  Patriarchal – Impact of War on Women  French is Official Language  Tremendous Diversity – Positives & Negatives  Literacy Rate % (80.9% male and 54.1% female)  65% of children are in schools  Transportation is mainly through the water ways

Geographical Details…  Location: Central Africa. Bordering nations --Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia  Area: sq. km. (905,063 sq. mi.; about the size of the U.S. east of the Mississippi)  Cities: Capital --Kinshasa (pop. approx. 9 million). Regional capitals -- Bandundu, Bukavu, Goma, Kananga, Kindu, Kisangani, Lubumbashi, Matadi, Mbandaka, Mbuji-Mayi  Terrain: Varies from tropical rainforests to mountainous terraces, plateaus, savannas, dense grasslands, and mountains  Climate: Equatorial; ranges from tropical rainforest in the Congo River basin, hot and humid in much of the north and west, cooler and drier in the south central area and the east

Details about People…  Nationality: Congolese  Population (2015 est.): 79,375,136  Annual population growth rate (2015 est.): 2.45%  Ethnic groups: Approximately 250 African ethnic groups; the Luba, Kongo, and Anamongo are some of the larger groups  Religions: Christian 70% (Catholic 50%, Protestant 20%); Kimbanguist 10%; other sects and traditional beliefs 10%; Muslim 10%  Languages: French, Lingala, Kiswahili, Kikongo, Tshiluba  Education: Literacy (2015 est.)--French or local language: 63.8% (total population), 50% (women), 78.1% (men).  Health (2007 est.): Infant mortality rate deaths/1,000 live births. Life expectancy (2008 est.) years

Details about Government…  Republic; highly centralized with executive power vested in the president.  Independence: June 30, 1960 (from Belgium).  Branches: Executive --President (head of state) nominates the Prime Minister (head of government), who, together with his/her cabinet, is approved by parliament. Legislative --Bicameral parliament consisting of a directly elected National Assembly and an indirectly elected Senate. Judicial ---Supreme Court of Justice consisting of 26 justices. The nine-member Constitutional Court charged with resolving electoral and constitutional questions has yet to be appointed; the Supreme Court of Justice fulfills this role in the interim.  Administrative subdivisions: The 2006 constitution mandates the reapportionment of the D.R.C.’s current 11 provinces (including the capital city, Kinshasa) into 26 provinces, but implementation of this change has been delayed.  Political parties: 104 parties were elected to the National Assembly in  Suffrage: 18 years of age and universal.

Details about Economy…  GDP (2014 est.): $35.93 billion.  Annual GDP growth rate (2014 est.): 9.2%.  Per capita GDP (2014 est.): $700.  Natural resources: Copper, cobalt, diamonds, gold, tantalum, other minerals; petroleum; wood; hydroelectric potential.  Agriculture: Cash crops --coffee, rubber, palm oil, cotton, cocoa, sugar, tea. Food crops --manioc, corn, legumes, plantains, peanuts. Land use --Agriculture 3%; pasture 7%; forest/woodland 77%; other 13%.  Industry: Types --processed and unprocessed minerals; consumer products, including textiles, plastics, footwear, cigarettes, metal products; processed foods and beverages, cement, timber.  Currency: Congolese franc (FC). The U.S. dollar is also used as legal tender.

Details about Resources…  Resources  Congo River – 2 nd largest flow & 2 nd largest watershed of any river in the world (could provide hydro-electric power to the entire continent, according to a U.N. report on the country's strategic significance and its potential role as an economic power in central Africa)  45 km stretch of land bordering the Atlantic  Rift Valley Mineral Wealth - Cobalt, copper, cadmium, industrial and gem- quality diamonds, gold, silver, zinc, manganese, tin, germanium, uranium, radium, bauxite, iron ore, and coal  70% of the world’s Coltan & 30% of the world’s diamond reserves (Coltan is a major source of tantalum, which is used in the fabrication of electronic components in computers and mobile phones)  Trade: Exports (2010 goods)--$8.5 billion. Products --diamonds, gold, cobalt, copper, coffee, petroleum, wood. Main partners --EU, Japan, South Africa, U.S., China. Imports (2010 goods)--$8.0 billion. Products --consumer goods (food, textiles), capital equipment, refined petroleum products. Partners -- EU, China, South Africa, U.S. Official debt (2010 est.): $3.9 billion.

Questions to Address  Within the context of Food Security consider the following…  There is a lot to do, but what do we need to focus on first? Why?  What are the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, & Threats associated with addressing this issue?  What should we do from your nation’s perspective?  will be May 26-27, 2016 & UF will be Kashiko Island, Japan

Logistics  G8 Summit  Praxis  Evaluations  Go Gators!