Democratic Republic of the Congo
Formerly known as Zaire, the Democratic Republic of Congo is the third largest country by area in Africa. Not to be confused with Republic of the Congo, or Congo-Brazzaville, which is its neighbor.
Name:
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Aliases:
- Zaire
- Congo-Kinshasa
- Belgian Congo
Start year:
1931
First issue:
Les Aventures De Tintin (1930) #2 Tintin Au Congo
Congo-Kinshasha, as informally known, is the 12th largest country in the world and the 19th most populous. It is a former Belgian colony which achieved independence in 1960. It was the location where both the First Congo War (1996 - 1997) and the Second Congo War (1998 - 2003)., involving a total of 9 African nation states and about 25 armed factions. While the wider war is over, regional conflicts continue.
Congo borders the Central African Republic, Sudan, the Republic of the Congo (formerly French Congo, Congo-Brazzaville), Zambia, Angola, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi. Lake Tanganyika separates it from Tanzania.
