The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is separated from the Republic of Congo by the river Congo. These two countries shall not be confused. With the total area of 2,345,410 square kilometres is DRC the third largest country in the African continent and shares borders with many countries, they are: Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zambia, Angola, Burundi and the Central African Republic. The country has got also access to the Atlantic ocean through a coastline about 40 kilometres long.

The climate is humid and very hot in the river basin, because the Republic lies on the Equator, and at the highlands in the south of the country cool and dry. Congo has the highest frequency of thunderstorms on Earth.

On 17th January 2002 the active volcano Mount Nyiragongo erupted and damaged the city of Goma. Together with Mount Nyamuragira these two volcanos remain active until these days.

The Culture

There are hundreds of different ethnic groups with various ways of life in the Congo. The culture is thus a real mixture of many African tribal cultures. But quite notable is the Congo’s music. It is a result of fusion with Cuban Rumba and Meringue called Soukous. The Pygmies, Bantus, East Africans and Hamites can be considered being the most represented population groups. Religion plays an important role in the lives of the Congolese people, atheism is really very rare. Most of the inhabitants are Christian but some still profess indigenous traditional beliefs. In the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo Kinshasa many nganda restaurants can be found. These restaurants are serving specialities from different parts of the country.

The Treasures of Congo

The rainforests, that offer amazing biodiversity, provide home to many rare and even endemic species, mainly the species of chimpanzee, they are the Common chimpanzee and the bonobo. The country is the only one in the world where the bonobo can be found in the wild. All of the five national parks of the Congo are listed by UNESCO. The splendid nature and rich fauna is something really worth seeing, although it is a bit difficult to reach it nowadays.