Country Flag of Congo Map of Congo, Courtesy of WorldAtlas.com

Local time in Kinshasa:


Facts and Figures

arrow Official Name Democratic Republic of the Congo (DROC).

arrow Capital City Kinshasa.

arrow Languages French (official), Lingala (a lingua franca trade language), Kingwana (a dialect of Kiswahili or Swahili), Kikongo, Tshiluba.

arrow Official Currency Congolese franc (CDF).

arrow Ethnic Groups Over 200 African ethnic groups of which the majority are Bantu; the four largest tribes - Mongo, Luba, Kongo (all Bantu), and the Mangbetu-Azande (Hamitic) make up about 45% of the population.

arrow Religions Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant 20%, Kimbanguist 10%, Muslim 10%, other syncretic sects and indigenous beliefs 10%.

arrow Population 55,225,478. Note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2002 est.).

arrow Land Area 2,267,600 sq km (875,520 sq miles).

History

Since 1997 the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DROC; formerly called Zaire) has been rent by ethnic strife and civil war, touched off by a massive inflow in 1994 of refugees from the fighting in Rwanda and Burundi. The government of former president MOBUTU Sese Seko was toppled by a rebellion led by Laurent KABILA in May 1997; his regime was subsequently challenged by a Rwanda- and Uganda-backed rebellion in August 1998. Troops from Zimbabwe, Angola, Namibia, Chad, and Sudan intervened to support the Kinshasa regime. A cease-fire was signed on 10 July 1999 by the DROC, Zimbabwe, Angola, Uganda, Namibia, Rwanda, and Congolese armed rebel groups RCD-G and MLC, but sporadic fighting continued. KABILA was assassinated on 16 January 2001 and his son Joseph KABILA was named head of state on 26 January 2001. Despite taking a radically different approach than his father, the new president has been equally unsuccessful in ending the war.

UNAIDS Epidemiological
Fact Sheets

[English] [French]

Global Surveillance of HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is a joint effort of WHO and UNAIDS. The UNAIDS/WHO Working Group on Global HIV/AIDS and STI Surveillance, initiated in November 1996, guides respective activities. The primary objective of the working group is to strengthen national, regional and global structures and networks for improved monitoring and surveillance of HIV/AIDS and STIs. For this purpose, the working group collaborates closely with national AIDS programmes and a number of national and international experts and institutions. The goal of this collaboration is to compile the best information available and to improve the quality of data needed for informed decision-making and planning at national, regional and global levels. The Epidemiological Fact Sheets are one of the products of this close and fruitful collaboration across the globe.
Ministry of Health   Tel: +243 99 34 008/ +243 88 02 765
National Programme against AIDS (Programme National de Lutte Contre le Sida)
Contact person: Dr Francois Lepira BP 5806, Kinshasa Tel: +243 88 01 644
Fax: +243 88 43 675
Email: dirpnls@lc.cd
HIV/AIDS Organisations
Espoir Vie et Solidarite
Contact person: Dominique Mbuyi Rue Bukeye No. 5 Matonge/ Kalamu
Kinshasa 6164 Kin 6		 Tel: +243 98412745
Email: evisrdc@yahoo.fr
Support of orphaned and vulnerable children and their families; fund raising; awareness
Central Network of AIDS Service Organisations (CANASO)
Contact person: Henri Mukumbi BP 9030 Kinshasa Tel: +243 68 57 01
Email: amocongo@yahoo.fr
Network of the 9 HIV/AIDS national networks in the 9 Central African countries: Burundi, Cameroon, Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Tchad. Its mission is to enhance the community response to HIV/AIDS in Central Africa by promoting the development and existence of sustainable and effective country networks that provide leadership and capacity building in advocacy, programme development, and enhanced greater involvement of people living with HIV and AIDS
Association Femmes Plus
Contact person: Philomene Wenge B.P. 12605 Kinshasa 1 Tel: +243 99 111 62 / 98 20 22 69
Fax: +243 884 3675
Email: femmeplus-rdc@ic.cd
femmeplus_rdc@yahoo.fr
femmeplus@ic.cd
Medical care; advice; training; home and hospital visits; counselling; advocacy and awareness raising; material support; income generation.
Society for Women and AIDS in Africa (SWAA) - DRC
Contact person: Aimé Mwadi Kadi BP 2556 Kinshasa I Tel: +243 88 00 840
Email: amocongo-rdc@raga.net
Training; home and hospital visits; counselling; advocacy and awareness raising.
UN Theme Group on HIV/AIDS, Chair
Dr Léonard Tapsoba WHO Representative Mobile: 243.88.40789
Email: tapsobal@cd.afro.who.int
UNAIDS Country Programme Adviser
Dr Pierre Somse   Tel: +243.99.05.676

Web sites

Fédération de Femmes Pour la Paix et le Développement
The FEPADE promotes women and children human rights, HIV and AIDS, gender equality, and mental health problems. Empowers women with development programs (rearing and breading, women loans and credits, business, agriculture, fisheries and environment activities, and defending the rights of gays and lesbians.)

World Fact Book
The Factbook was created as an annual summary and update to the encyclopedic NIS studies. The first classified Factbook was published in August 1962, and the first unclassified version was published in June 1971. The 1975 Factbook was the first to be made available to the public with sales through the US Government Printing Office (GPO).

US Department of State - Consular Information Sheet

US Department of State - Travel Warning
Travel Warnings are issued when the State Department decides, based on all relevant information, to recommend that Americans avoid travel to a certain country. Countries where avoidance of travel is recommended will have Travel Warnings as well as Consular Information Sheets.

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Democratic Republic of the Congo

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