The
Democratic Republic of Congo is situated in Central
Africa; with Kinshasa as its capital it is the
third-largest country in Africa, bordered by Sudan, the
Central African Republic, Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi,
Tanzania, Zambia, Angola and the Republic of Congo. The
official language is French, with many local languages,
the most widely spoken being Lingala, Swahili, Tshiluba
and Kikongo.
The coastline looks over the Atlantic Ocean stretching
for a mere 27 km, which is in fact the delta of the
Congo River that flows into the Atlantic. The landcape
varies immensly with a vast central plain cut through by
the Congo River, mountain ranges, tropical rainforests,
volcanoes and lakes in the region of Kivu. These sites
offer breathtaking views over lakes and forests that
enclose waterfalls and plenty of wildlife.
The national parks of Upemba, Garamba and Virunga are
three of the largest in the country, here one can spot a
large range of animals including, crocodiles, hippos,
elephants, rhinos, giraffes, lions, leopards, buffaloes,
antelopes, acquatic birds and mountain gorillas.
The lakes of kalemie and Tanganyika or Munkamba, Fwa and
Kasai to name a few, are of rare beauty, here one may
admire plenty of spectacular waterfalls and the wildlife
living on, in and around the water.
The mountain peaks of the Ruwenzori Range reach up to
5119 m and offer the most spectacular views in Africa,
this is also the home of the gorillas and rare okapi.
The climate varies depending on the region. In the north
the dry season is from December to February and in the
south from April to October. It is warm and very humid
all year round.
The people of The Democratic Republic of Congo are
called Congolese.
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