ZAIRE Democratic Republic of Congo

GEOGRAPHY:

• Location:-------------------- Central Africa
• Area:
     Total area:--- 2,345,410 sq km
     Land area:--- 2,267,600 sq km
• Capital city:------------- Kinshasa
• Natural Resources:------------- Hard coal, soft coal, kaolin clay, graphite
  
  PEOPLE:
  
• Population:----------------- 49,000,511
• Literacy Rate:-------------- 77.3% of total population, (Males:86.6%, Females:67.7%)
• Languages:------------------ French (official), lingala(a lingua fraca trade language), kingwana(a dilect of kiswahili or swahili), kikongo, tshiluba.
• Religions:------------------ 50% roman catholic, 20% protestans, 10% kimbanguist, 10% muslim, 10% other syncretic sects & traditional beliefs.
  
  VITAL STATISTICS:
  
• Birth Rate:------------- 48.1 (per 1,000 population)
• Death Rate:------------- 16.9 (per 1,000 population)
• Infant Mortality Rate:------------ 108 (deaths per 1,000 live births)
• Fertility Rate:-------------- 6.64 (per woman)
• Life Expectancy at Birth:
     Total population:--- 46.7 (Males:44.97, Females:48.47)
  
  GOVERNMENT:
  
• Independence:---------------- June 30, 1960 (from Belgium)
• President:-------------- Joseph Kabila
  
  ECONOMY:
  
• GDP:------------ purchasing power parity - $16.5 billion    GDP real growth rate:--- 7.4%    GDP per capita:--- $400
• Inflation Rate:---------------- (consumer prices): --- 12%
• National Budget:
     Revenues:--- $479 million
     Expenditures:--- $479 million
• External Debt:-------------- $11.3 billion
• Currency:-------------- 1 zaire = 100 makuta
• Labor Force:------------- 14.51
• Unemployment Rate:------------- NA%
• Agriculture:---------------- Coffee, sugar, palm oil, rubber, tea, quinine, cassava (topioca), palm oil, bananas, root crops, corn, fruits; wood products
• Industries:---------------- Mining, mineral processing, consumer products (including textiles, footwear, cigarettes, processed foods and beverages), cement, diamonds
• Imports:----------------- $382 million
     Commodities:--- Consumer goods, foodstuffs, mining and other machinery, transport equipment, fuels.
• Exports:----------------- $382 million
     Commodities:--- Copper, coffee, diamonds, cobalt, crude oil.
  
  DEFENCE:
  
• Defence Expenditures:--------------- Exchange rate conversion - $46 million, 1.5% of GDP.

Geography:Zaire is in west central Africa
Tourism Information:
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