Preview

The Democratic Republic of the Congo

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
3395 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of The Congo Researching a country like the DRC has really opened my eyes to the differences in the world’s ethnicities and cultures. The DRC has experienced many changes, some as recently as 2006, when the country adopted its latest constitution. The many different geographic locations and ethnic tribes, such as the Pygmies, have a somewhat big impact on the entire country. The poorest country in the world, the DRC was established as a colony of Belgium in 1908 and gained its independence in 1960.
Basic Geography About a fourth of the size of the US, the Congo shares a long border with the Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic, Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia, and Angola. Nearly landlocked, the DRC depends on the Congo River for transportation and farming. The DRC is located along the coordinates 02 S, 23 E. Second only to the Amazon River, the Congo River is said to have enough hydroelectric power to light up every home in half of Africa. As Africa 's third largest country, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is measured at a stunning total area of 905,356 square miles. Kinshasa is the capital and largest city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kinshasa is a vibrant and modern town of over 5 million people, located on the Congo River. Other cities include the southern diamond-mining center, Lubumbashi, river-oriented towns Kolwezi, Kisangani, Mbuji-Mayi, and Matadi, the country 's primary seaport, located on the Atlantic Ocean. Mount Stanley, the country’s highest point, is 16, 762 feet tall, the 3rd highest in Africa, and the 26th highest in the world.
Cultural Etiquette
A good topic of conversation is that which concerns you or your acquaintance 's children; children are a major source of pride due to the idea that the more children a family has the more wealthy the family is believed to be. Traditional dinners will consist of a communal dish from which everyone eats. Try to eat with your right hand,



Bibliography: * “African Tribes - Pygmies People ." African Safaris, African Tours, Africa Holidays and Africa Travel Guide. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2011. <http://www.africaguide.com/culture/tribes/pygmies.htm>. * "Congo, Democratic Republic of the ." Welcome to Travel.State.Gov. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2011. <http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1104.html>. * "CountryWatch - Login Page." CountryWatch. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Feb. 2011. <http://www.countrywatch.com/cw_country.aspx?vcountry=64>. *

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    6) How are decisions made in the Congo? How is it different than the Belgium system? Which do you think is more effective?…

    • 941 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    C) between the cities of Mogadishu and Mombasa D) between the Zambezi and Congo Rivers…

    • 4650 Words
    • 19 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Unit 3 Assignment

    • 1517 Words
    • 7 Pages

    It is said that the Africa culture stands out more than any other culture In the World. With a rich and diverse culture African culture is known to change from county to county, many cultures along with traditions are found in Africa which makes Africa diverse, unique and mesmerizing in many ways to the world. Africa culture is all about the ethnic group’s family traditions, the literature, art and music shows the religion along with the social paths of their culture. (Nafisa Baxamusa, 2011)…

    • 1517 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Sub-Saharan Africa

    • 698 Words
    • 3 Pages

    During the period of 600 BCE to 600 CE, the Bantu-speaking Africans gradually began to interact with humans and the environment by settling into varying parts of West and East Africa and creating a network with their neighbors in order to receive new technologies and foods. The Bantu exchanged goods with local hunter-gatherers, and the people cut into forests and settled down into villages. The Assyrians first brought iron to Egypt around 600 BCE and it quickly spread to Sub-Saharan Africa. Around 200 CE, Indonesians settled on the coast bringing Asian bananas and, since they had a higher yield than African bananas, they spread inland and improved the food supply. People from southern Arabia established settlements on the coast near the Ethiopian highlands and through mixing with local residents, formed a new language known as Ge'ez (later Axum).…

    • 698 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Congo Power Figures

    • 985 Words
    • 4 Pages

    According to Annenberg Learner, a nkisi “begins with a wooden sculpture, often anthropomorphic or zoomorphic in shape.” However, some nkisi can be made from pottery or vessels (Harris).These power figures are made by the Kongo people or Yombe who live in the area that has began to be known as the Democratic Republic of Congo (“Power Figure”). While there no certain beginning of construction date has ever been set, Europeans have “encountered” these power figures “during expeditions to the Congo as early as the 15th century” (Harris). These figures have continued to be constructed through time even to the late 19th century. During the 19th century, Christian missionaries seized and destroyed some of these figures, calling them objects of “sorcery”…

    • 985 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    The Forest People Summary

    • 1338 Words
    • 6 Pages

    This book gives a great account from an anthropologist of what these people were like in the 1950s. It is important to remember that the pygmies in the Inturi forest might be living completely different lives. This book is only a snapshot of what life was like. There were a few things that caught my attention in this book that I would to expand upon. These ideas are music, relationship with the Negros, and the structure of their “village”.…

    • 1338 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Imperialism has been a major factor in world history since the beginning of time. Conquering land, people, resources, and markets has been a goal of many nations. Different conquered nations respond to imperialism in their own individual ways, however similarities can also be found.…

    • 546 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Congo Imperialism Analysis

    • 1470 Words
    • 6 Pages

    These videos are portraying the truths about the Belgian imperialism in Congo. As indicated by the substance of these videos; the Belgian Congo is frequently referred to as a standout amongst the most brutal and exploitative provincial administrations in modern history. It remains as a great case of the remorselessness of European guideline in Africa for the purpose of economic increase. At first called the Congo Free State, the province remained an individual ownership of King Leopold II from 1885 until 1908 when it was assumed control by the Belgian government and renamed the Belgian Congo. The Congo Free State as it existed under Leopold II is to a great extent known not for its brutal misuse of the local Congolese populace…

    • 1470 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Congo Free State, later named the Democratic Republic of Congo, drastically changed in 1876 when it was first colonized by King Leopold of Belgium. The colony of the Congo Free State was ruled solely by King Leopold, who used it for his own personal advancement. He took advantage of the country's well-known sources such as rubber. King Leopold of Belgium took all profits made off of the resources for himself and left the native people with nothing. In addition, King Leopold enslaved these natives and treated them poorly. They were forced to do hard and dangerous labor and if they did not meet the King’s standards, they could be killed. While the inhabitants of the Congo Free State could not do much to retaliate against the King, other countries…

    • 1007 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Belgium saw them as an easy target with big profits and imperialized. Belgium, as a western nation, also agreed to the ideas of Social Darwinism, the belief that the white European was better than the rest of the people in the world, chiefly based on their physical features. Simply put, they were racist. Most Europeans fell into this belief, but the Belgian people took this to an extreme. They enslaved the native people of Congo in their own country and forced work upon them. Quotas and taxes were created to ensure certain amounts of raw materials were gathered and harsh punishments were put into action for those who didn’t complete or meet their requirements. According to Mark Twain, “The amount of rubber needed to meet the tax requires the men to work for up 25 days each month harvesting the wild rubber vines in the Congo forest” [3]. According to this that would leave only 5 days a month for “regular” life for the Congolese people. They did not have the time or resources to educate themselves, make money, or to develop. In 1908 the Belgian government gave the natives better treatment, by taking away the direct ownership of the nation from Leopold and they made it an official colony of the Belgian government [4]. This decision came through by putting humanitarian pressure put on King Leopold. Conditions improved, schools, hospitals, and roads were built, but the cruelty and racism was still their because of the history they had of it. Also, the punishment, crimes, and cruelty was all that the people understood because they were forced to live in it their entire lives, and it was a hard to shift back. Even in today’s world, this industrialization and these policies have left a scar on the Congos. In both the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic Of Congo there is still political unrest and constant violence. On December 17, there were 22…

    • 1768 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    |Related Issue 2: To what extent should contemporary society respond to the legacies of |…

    • 6699 Words
    • 27 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The instability in the Congo has multiple factors both as a result of colonization and the circumstances of the years following independence. The exploitation of the national recourses for foreign interests, the lack of sufficient and legitimate government in the transition period and civil war and violence in the years following independence.…

    • 970 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Again, stay out of our politics. So you believe the Congo is turning into a communist country? Why does this matter…

    • 1770 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Imperialism In Congo

    • 1127 Words
    • 5 Pages

    In 2014 the population of the Democratic Republic of the Congo was approximately 75 million. There are about 214 languages spoken there. The official language is French with the national languages being Kikongo, Kiswahili, Lingala and Tshiluba.…

    • 1127 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Congo

    • 1065 Words
    • 5 Pages

    A component in the development in Operation “Save the Congo” that we will focus lies in the Health infrastructure. The Democratic Republic of Congo was one of the first African countries to recognize HIV, registering cases as early as 1983. The most common method of transferring the virus occurs through homosexual activity; linking to over 87% cases in the Congo. Demographically, the ages groups most affected are women aged 20 to about 29 and men alike aged 30 to 39. Other method that contribute to the rampant spread of the virus are the large movement of refugees and soldiers; seeing as though population movements are often associated with the exacerbation of the HIV virus as it is now localized in areas most populated by troops and in other war-displaced populations. In addition, there is the increased levels of sexual transmitted diseases among sex workers and clientele alike, due to the limited availability of condoms in the country. All in all, without the relief of Operation “Save the Congo” the continuing problem of HIV/AIDS in the Democratic Republic of Congo becomes a leading issue in a country already suffering from other health issues. Along with the spread of the HIV virus, the impact that malaria has on the Democratic Republic of Congo is profound, and this is due to the expansion by insects and the fact that malaria is the primary cause of mortality among pregnant women and young children. On average, there are five million cases of malaria every year in the Congo and around 500,000 to one million people die of this disease every year. In addition, 97% of the country’s 70 million inhabitants live in areas where malaria is deeply concentrated, subjecting most of inhabitants with the vicious disease. Mosquitoes are the primary carriers of malaria, and due to the fact that Congo is located close to the equator, one can assume that the high number of mosquito presence is chiefly due to the humid climate of the country. Along with the expansion of…

    • 1065 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays