Congo


 * =**General Information**= || =**Geography**= || =**History**= || =**Culture**= || =**Political System**= || =**Economics**= || =**Activities**= || =**Teachers Page**= ||

= WELCOME TO THE CONGO! =



**Description of the flag:** sky blue field divided diagonally from the lower hoist corner to upper fly corner by a red stripe bordered by two narrow yellow stripes; a yellow, five-pointed star appears in the upper hoist corner; blue represents peace and hope, red the blood of the country's martyrs, and yellow the country's wealth and prosperity; the star symbolizes unity and the brilliant future for the country

**INTERESTING FACTS:**

**1)** DR Congo Size: 905,568 sq miles (2,345,410 sq km), ¼ the  size of the USA. Third largest country in Africa (after Algeria  and Sudan).

 **2)** Political Independence from the Kingdom of Belgium on June  30th, 1960.

 **3)** Population: over 70 million, with French as the official  language. There are four national languages and over 200  dialects.

 **4)** Over 10 years of political and economic instability due to wars  and related conflicts.

 **5)** The escalation of the Rwanda genocide in the Congo, April  1994, led to a greater but forgotten genocide.

 **6)** World’s deadliest war: over 4 million have died since 1997.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> **7)** Armies and Militia are safe havens and business opportunities <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> for criminals, gangs, thieves, rapists, confused and angry <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> adults and children.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> **8)** The Congo is one of the leading countries in the world in the <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> number of children soldiers.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> **9)** Extremely merciless exploitation of women and children take place every single day, leading to death.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**10)** Wars and related violent activities, malnutrition, AIDS, starvation, and lack of healthcare are the main <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> killers in the Congo.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> **11)** 5% of the population has full-blown AIDS.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> **12)** 10% of children die before the age of 1 year old.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> **13)** Life expectancy is 45 years for men and 48 years for women.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> **14)** Over 13 million orphans and abandoned children live in the Congo.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> **15)** 20-30% of middle age Congolese have a stable job; 60-70% still live with parents or relatives.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> **16)** DR Congo is one of the wealthiest countries in the world in terms of natural resources, but its inhabitants <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> rank among the poorest and most exploited in the world.


 * Resource:**

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;">Mercy for Children - Congo Facts. (n.d.). //Mercy for Children - A Ministry Foundation of Fr. Gabriel Ipasu and Friends//. Retrieved December 13, 2010, from http://www.mercyforchildren.org