Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)

Why in news?

• Italian ambassador to DR Congo dies in attack on UN convoy

About DR Congo:

• The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), historically  known as Zaire, is a country in Central Africa.
• It is, by area, the largest country in sub-Saharan Africa, the second-largest in all of Africa (after Algeria), and the 11th-largest in the world.
• With a population of around 107 million, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the most-populous officially Francophone country in the world, as well as the 3rd-most populous country in Africa (after Nigeria and Ethiopia) the 14th-most populous country in the world.
•  It is a member of the United Nations, Non-Aligned Movement, African Union, and COMESA.
• Congo achieved independence from Belgium on 30 June 1960 under the name Republic of the Congo.
• The Democratic Republic of the Congo is extremely rich in natural resources but has suffered from political instability, a lack of infrastructure, corruption, and centuries of both commercial and colonial extraction and exploitation with little widespread development.
• Besides the capital Kinshasa, the two next largest cities, Lubumbashi and Mbuji-Mayi are both mining communities.
• DR Congo's largest export is raw minerals, with China accepting over 50% of DRC's exports in 2012.
• The largest mines in the DRC are located in southern Katanga province (formerly Shaba), and are highly mechanized, mainly of copper and cobalt ore.
• The DRC is the second-largest diamond-producing nation in the world
• In 2016, DR Congo's level of human development was ranked 176th out of 187 countries by the Human Development Index.
•  As of 2018, around 600,000 Congolese have fled to neighbouring countries from conflicts in the centre and east of the DRC.
• Two million children risk starvation, and the fighting has displaced 4.5 million people.

PRELIMS QUESTION

Consider the following statements regarding Democratic Republic of Congo:
1.Katanga plateau is located in the country.
2.It is the largest country in Africa.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a)1 only
(b)2 only
(c)Both 1 and 2
(d)Neither 1 nor 2

Answer to Prelims Question