Congo, Democratic Republic of the

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) lies at the center of the African continent, bordering the Central African Republic and south Sudan in the north; Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania in the east; Zambia and Angola in the south; and the Republic of Congo in the west. It became an independent nation in 1960, following 23 years of being privately owned by King Leopold II, and 52 years under colonial Belgian rule. The DRC's size is estimated at around 905,000 square miles and the population at over 70 million. Since its inception at the Berlin Conference in 1885, the county's name has repeatedly changed: from the Congo Free State (1885), to Belgian Congo (1908), Republic of Congo-Kinshasa (1960), Democratic Republic of Congo (1964), Republic ...