What does each of us imagine when he hears the word "Congo"? Black people in loincloths? Or maybe the expanses of savannah? Or a full-flowing African river, in which large alligators are found? It turns out that this word has several meanings. It's time to find out what Congo is.
Meaning of the word
• A people living in Central Africa. Its other name is “bacongo”.
• The language of the people in the Bantu language group. His other name is Kikingo.
• River in Central Africa. It is the largest on this continent, and the second river in the world in terms of water content and basin area.
• Depression in the Congo Basin.
• The Democratic Republic, formerly called Zaire. The capital is the city of Kinshasa.
• The Republic, which was the former colony of France. The capital is the city of Brazzaville.
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The country is located in Central Africa, the capital is the city of Kinshasa. It borders countries such as the Central African Republic, Uganda, South Sudan, Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Angola, Zambia and the Republic of Congo. Africa is the birthplace of the least developed and developing countries in the world. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is one of the first. According to the IMF in 2012, it is the poorest state on our planet.
Why is this republic lagging behind in its development? First of all, because it has long been a colonial country. More recently, in 1960, the state ceased to depend on the developed European country of Belgium. Before that, the republic was its colony. The second thing that impedes the country's
economic development is the climate of the Congo (Republic). It is mostly equatorial, which means that it is always hot here. The incinerating sun burns out crops of the population. A sufficient amount of precipitation falls only on the banks of the rivers. The development of animal husbandry is hindered by the accumulation of tsetse flies carrying dangerous diseases.
Country Development History
Many centuries ago, the territory of the modern republic was inhabited by the pygmy tribes. These undersized inhabitants of Africa lived mainly in forests, engaged in hunting and gathering.
In the II millennium BC. e. the country of Congo has become a haven for the Bantu agricultural tribes. These peoples were engaged in agriculture. They brought farming and metallurgy with them here. They knew how to make iron tools. Bantu was created on this territory by the first states, one of which was called the kingdom of the Congo. It arose in the XIV century. Its capital was the city of Mbansa-Congo (now San Salvador). At the end of the XV century, the Portuguese appeared on this territory. They came to the mouth of the Congo River. From here begins the black page of the slave trade in our history. Soon after the Portuguese, other European powers rushed to Africa for "profitable goods." The slave trade has become the most profitable means of enrichment of developed countries. The entire territory of the African continent was soon divided between European countries into colonies. From the kingdom of the Congo, slaves were exported mainly to work on plantations in America. In 1876, the Belgians entered the territory of the state. Since 1908, this country has become a colony of this European power. The enslaved peoples had to wait more than 50 years to gain independence. It happened in 1960. A year earlier, the National Movement here led by
Patrice Lumumba won the local parliamentary elections. In 1971, the Republic of Congo was renamed Zaire. In 1997, it received its modern name.
Population
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, just over 70 million people live. The country is agricultural. Therefore, most of the population lives in villages.
Citizens make up only 34% of the total number of people. The average life expectancy here is short: for women - 57 years, for men - 53 years. This is due to the difficult economic situation in the republic. Also, a low level of medicine contributes to high mortality. Its ethnic composition is very rich: more than 200 different nationalities live here, among which the main groups are Bantu, Luba, Mongo, Mangbetu-Azanda and Congo. The official language is French.
The economy of the country
As mentioned above, this state is the poorest in the world. And this despite the fact that the Democratic Republic of the Congo is a leader in the presence of many minerals in the bowels of the earth. Here are the largest reserves of cobalt, tantalum, germanium, diamonds, copper, zinc, tin and so on. There are large deposits of oil, iron ore, coal, gold and silver. Plus, the property of this country is its forests and water resources. Despite all this, the state remains an agrarian country.
And here they are mainly engaged in crop production. Annually, sugar, coffee, tea, palm oil, quinine, bananas and other fruits, corn, and root crops are exported from the country abroad. In 2002, there was steady economic growth. However, since 2008, it has slowed due to falling demand and export prices.
Republic of the Congo
This country is also located in Central Africa. Its capital is the city of Brazzaville. It borders countries such as Cameroon, Gabon, the Central African Republic, Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The climate here is mostly equatorial and only in the south - subequatorial. In the north, it is always very humid.
The history of development
Once upon a time, pygmies lived on the territory of a modern country. Then came the Bantu peoples engaged in hoe and slash-and-burn farming. They grew yams, legumes, sorghum. In 1482, the country of Congo became the site of a Portuguese expedition. And in the XV century, the French came here, who concluded a protectorate agreement with all coastal tribes. From 1885 to 1947, this state was a colony of France, which not only exported slaves from here, but also engaged in the extraction of copper ore here. In 1960, the country was able to achieve independence from European powers. Then the world learned what Congo is. The first president here was Fulber Yulu, who was soon ousted from this post. Ahead of the country, several coups awaited, during which power passed from one successor to another.
Climate, flora and fauna: description
Congo is an amazing country. If in a few words to say about its climate, then it will look like this: it is constantly humid and hot. There are two whole rainy seasons in the republic: from January to March and from April to May. The coolest months are July and August. Half of the territory is occupied by equatorial rainforests.
Flora is represented here very widely: mahogany, limbus, sapeli, palm trees, chitola, ayus and much more. The animal world is also rich. Buffaloes, elephants, hippos, leopards, monkeys, snakes, birds live here.
Economics and culture
Tourism is poorly developed in the Republic of Congo. The peculiarities of its climate, which is unfavorable for Europeans, do not allow establishing this sector of the economy. The basis of the country's economy is oil production and export. Agriculture here is underdeveloped. Mostly grown tapioca, rice, corn, sugarcane, cocoa, coffee and vegetables. It also produces soap, cigarettes, beer and cement. Most of these products are exported. The largest buyers of products in this country are America, China and France.
Population culture
The local population has a very rich original folklore. Songs and folk dances are its foundation. Craftsmen of this country are engaged in wood carving. It is covered not only with pottery, various objects, furniture, and pumpkin vessels. There are also many talented artists who create their paintings based on local traditions.
The deep-water Congo is the mainland’s second longest river
The mysterious continent of Africa is fraught with many mysteries. One of them is the Congo River, which crosses the equator twice.
Until now, it has been little studied. In the upper reaches, it is called Lualaba. This is near the settlement of Mumen. Lualaba is a river with a changeable "character." The empty areas along which water flows rapidly alternate with smooth and calm territories. Below the city of Kongolo, where it is met by the Port d gorge, it forms rapids and waterfalls. The most beautiful of them are under the equator. They are called Stanley Falls. After them, the river is already called Congo. On average, it becomes more calm. The mouth of the Congo River is the Atlantic Ocean.
“Horrible” and “beautiful”
It is difficult to describe in words the impression that this river makes on a traveler. The novelist Joseph Conrad in his book “Heart of Darkness” said that to be here is like returning to “the beginnings of the world when vegetation raged on earth and giant trees soared”. What is the Congo (river) in the equatorial forest, where does it originate? This is a true hell: impenetrable thickets of huge 60-meter oaks, ebony trees and Hevei, under whose crowns reigns eternal twilight. And below, in the darkness, in the warm waters of the river, danger lies in wait at every step: crocodiles, cobras, pythons. To this it is worth adding terrifying heat and unbearable humidity, swarms of mosquitoes. And yet, the Congo River is amazing in its grandeur and beauty. She rushes with great speed. At the mouth of the river, where it flows into the Atlantic Ocean, you can see a large reddish-brown spot of rocks that the river carries from the savannah itself. Its waters are full of fish. Here they catch tilapia, Nile elephant, berbel, Nile perch, freshwater herring, tiger fish and more. In total, more than 1000 different species of commercial fish live here. Several large hydroelectric stations were built on the river, the largest of which is called Inga.
We learned what Congo is. It turned out that this word has several meanings: it is the largest river in Africa, and two completely different states. We talked about each of these objects in detail.