Democratic Republic of the Congo: Political System
According to CANCERMATTERS.NET, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been a parliamentary democracy since May 2005. At the head of the state is a president who is directly elected by the people every 7 years. The parliament is a bicameral system. It consists of the National Assembly with 300 members and the Senate with 120 members. Parliament is elected every 5 years. See AbbreviationFinder for more information about Democratic Republic of the Congo politics, and acronyms as well.
The official name of the country is:
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National anthem
Debout Congolais (Stand up, Congolese) has been the national anthem of the Democratic Republic of the Congo since 1960. The text and the melody are by J. Lutumba and S. Boka. From 1972 to 1997, when the country was renamed Zaïre, it had a different anthem.
| In the original text | In the English translation the first stanza |
| Debout CongolaisUnis par le sort
Unis dans l’effort pour l’indépendance Dressons nos fronts Longtemps courbés Et pour de bon Prenons le plus bel élan Dans la paixÔ Peuple ardent Par le labeur Nous bâtirons un pays plus beau qu’avant Dans la paixCitoyens, Entonnez, L’hymne sacré de votre solidarité Fièrement Saluez L’emblème d’or de votre souveraineté Congo Don béni, CongoDes aïeux, Congo Ô Pays, Congo Bien aimé, Congo Nous peuplerons ton sol Et nous assurerons ta grandeur Trente juin, Ô doux soleil Trente juin, du trente juin Jour sacré, sois le témoin Jour sacré de l’immortel serment de liberté Que nous léguons A notre postérité Pour toujours. |
Stand up, Congolese,united by fate,
united in the pursuit of independence , let’s close the ranks. Bent for a long time and now for the better , we get the greatest strength in peace.Oh ardent people. By working we are building a more beautiful land than before in peace.Citizens, Awake, The sacred hymn of your solidarity Welcomes proud The golden emblem of your sovereignty Congo. Blessed Gift, Congo From the ancestors, Congo Oh our country, Congo Beloved, Congo We’ll populate your soil and we’ll insure your greatness. June 30th, oh sweet sun June 30th, June 30th Crowned Day, be the witness Crowned Day of the immortal Oath of Freedom that we leave For our descendants Forever |
National flag
Based on flag descriptions by Countryaah.com, the national flag (country flag) of the Democratic Republic of the Congo shows a red, gold-framed stripe on a blue background, which runs from the bottom left to the top right. In the top left of the flag there is a gold-colored five-pointed star. The blue is supposed to stand for peace among the peoples of the Congo. The red stripe symbolizes the blood of the country’s martyrs, while the two golden horizontal stripes represent prosperity. The star is a symbol of the unity of the country.
- Check top-mba-universities for public holidays, sports events, UNESCO world heritage sites and major places to visit in D.R. Congo.
Democratic Republic of the Congo: people
Joseph Kabila Kabange (born 1971)
Joseph Kabila Kabange was President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from January 26 to January 24, 2019. He replaced his father Laurent-Désiré Kabila, who was assassinated on January 16, 2001. Kabila’s policy was designed to bring stability to the country.
Laurent-Désiré Kabila (1939-2001)
Kabila, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1997 to 2001, put an end to Mobutu’s dictatorship and renamed Zaire into the Democratic Republic of the Congo. However, he failed with his amateurish, autocratic politics. On January 16, 2001, he was assassinated.
Claude Makélélé (born 1973)
Born in Kinshasa, the French soccer player has played for various renowned clubs in Spain, England and Germany. In May 2010 he and his team won the French Cup for the first time. Makélélé also played in the French national team.
Joseph-Albert Cardinal Malula (1917-1989)
The Congolese Archbishop of Kinshasa, who also took part in the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), was largely responsible for the Zairean mass rite. The remains of the churchman are buried in the Notre Dame du Congo cathedral in Kinshasa.
Jessy Matador (born 1982)
The singer and dancer, born as Jessy Kimbangi in Kinshasa, represented France in 2010 at the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC). He finished 12th.
Denis Mukwege (born 1955)
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. Denis Mukwege was born on March 1, 1955 in Bukavu in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Mukwege is the founder and head of the gynecology department at Panzi Hospital in Bukavu in the east of the country. Here the Bonn professor Dr. Brigitte Schmitz set up a biochemistry laboratory a few years ago. Mukwege is recognized as one of the world’s leading experts in the treatment of girls and women who have been affected by gang rape and abdominal injuries. He also documents these atrocities and has made a number of groups of perpetrators public.
In his speech to the United Nations in 2012, he called on the world community to condemn sexual violence at war and to bring rapists to justice for crimes against humanity.
Because of his commitment, he narrowly escaped an assassination attempt in 2012. On October 5, 2018, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize together with the Iraqi Nadia Murad.
Dikembe Mutombo (born 1966)
The athlete born as Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo in Kinshasa made a name for himself as a Congolese basketball player in the NBA. The 2.18-man is also involved as an athlete ambassador for the development aid organization Right to Play; for this activity he was honored with the Laureus World Sports Award in 2010.
Patrice Lumumba (1925-1961)
The pioneer of the African independence movement, whose maiden name was Tasumbu Tawosa, was president of the country for a short time before he was assassinated.
Sir Henry Morton Stanley (1841-1904)
The British-American journalist and Africa explorer, born John Rowlands in Wales in 1841, became famous for his search for the legendary David Livingstone and for opening up the Congo.
Laurent Nkunda (born 1967)
Nkunda, a former general in the Congolese army, became notorious as leader of the rebel group National Congress for the Defense of the People. Rwandan units arrested him after he was ousted in January 2009. Nkunda’s men were guilty of serious war crimes and recruited child soldiers, although this is still denied by Nkunda to this day.
Mobutu Sese Seko (1930-1997)
Born Joseph-Désiré Mobutu, the politician was President of Zaires, today’s Democratic Republic of the Congo, from 1965 to 1997. This dictatorship, which lasted more than 30 years, was one of the most corrupt in all of Africa. He was succeeded by Laurent-Désiré Kabila.
Moïse Kapenda Tschombé (1919-1969)
The Congolese politician served as Prime Minister of Zaires, now the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in 1964 and 1965.
Democratic Republic of the Congo: animals
Mammals
The fauna and flora of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is largely shaped by the Congo Basin, which is located in a wide lowland basin and includes the catchment area of the Congo River. After the rainforest in the South American Amazon basin, the Congo Basin contains the second largest contiguous tropical jungle in the world. Around 25% of the world’s remaining tropical rainforests grow here. About 415 different species of mammals live in the Democratic Republic of the Congo,
The entire post is in progress
African elephants
These wonderful animals are still victims of poachers, but also quite legally by wealthy big game hunters from Europe or the USA. A detailed and illustrated representation of the animals can be found at Goruma here >>>
White rhinoceros
These animals are acutely threatened with extinction.
A detailed and illustrated representation of the animals can be found at Goruma here >>>
Leopards
Fortunately, the survival of this lithe big cat is assured. But it should be noted that it used to be considered particularly chic to wear a leopard fur coat.
A detailed and illustrated representation of the animals can be found at Goruma here >>>
Lions
Lions are the largest big cats in the world. Unfortunately, they are always killed by wealthy big game hunters for a lot of money. A detailed and illustrated representation of the animals can be found at Goruma here >>>
Other mammals
antelopes, gorillas, bongos, bonobos, Ducker (waldbewohnende small antelope), hippos, common chimpanzees, hyenas, meerkats, rhinos, okapi (in the Okapi Wildlife Reserve), lowland gorillas, giant forest hog, jackals, chimpanzees, colobus monkeys, forest buffalo and forest elephant, Zebras, dwarf chimpanzees
Reptiles, without poisonous snakes
Armored
crocodile (Mecistops cataphractus) Stump crocodile (Osteolaemus tetraspis)
– African house snake (Boaedon fuliginosus)
– African python (Python natalensis)
– Southern rock python (Python sebae)
– Striped house snake (Boaedon lineatus)
– Striped water snake (Boaedon upembae)
– Günther’s green tree snake (Boaedonelledor
‘s house snake) – Virgo ‘s house snake (Dipsicoledor ‘s house snake)
– Ball python (Python regius)
– Laurent’s green tree snake (Dipsadoboa viridis)
– Olive-colored house snake (Boaedon olivaceus)
– Radford’s house snake (Boaedon radfordi)
– Black-tailed boa snake (Dipsadoboa weileri)
– Shreve’s tree snake (Dipsadob)
– Forest edge house snake (Boaedon perisilvestris)
Poisonous snakes
African spitting cobra (Naja nigricollis)
Egyptian cobra (Naja haje) Boomslang, African tree snake (Dispholidus typus) Gaboon viper (Bitis gabonica) Banded water cobra ((Well annulata) Common puff adder (Bitis arietans) Congo water cobra (Naja christyi) Mozambique spitting cobra (Naja mossambica) Rhinoceros viper (Bitis nasiconis) Black mamba (Dendroaspia polylepis) Black and white cobra, white-lipped cobra (Naja melanoleuca) Southern bird snake (Thelotornis capensis)
Democratic Republic of the Congo: Plants
The fauna and flora of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is largely shaped by the Congo Basin, which extends over a large lowland basin and includes the catchment area of the Congo River. The Congo Basin stretches from Cameroon, Gabon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the west coast of Africa to the Great Lakes with Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania.
It covers an area of around 1.7 million km² and contains – after the rainforest in the South American Amazon basin – the second largest contiguous tropical jungle in the world. Around 25% of the world’s remaining tropical rainforests grow here, where it rains between nine and twelve months a year.
The evergreen rainforest in the Democratic Republic of the Congo covers an area of around 1 million km² and thus takes up almost half of the country. Most of the Congo Basin is located in the Congo. There are 600 different tree species here, some of which can reach heights of up to 50 m.
In the south of the country, the rainforest changes into the second vegetation zone, the humid savannah, where rain falls for seven to nine months.
Acacias, rubber trees, mangroves, palms, strangler plants, orchids, arum plants and potted ferns can be found in the country. Also oil palms. Bamboo and strangler figs grow here.
The local crops include teak, mahogany and ebony trees. Cotton, coffee, bananas, papaya, cassava, avocados, mangoes, pineapples and coconuts are grown.
