21 May 2013 Last updated at 07:17 ET

Democratic Republic of Congo profile

Miners standing on a muddy cliff at a gold mine in Chudja, near Bunia, north eastern Congo A contest for DR Congo's vast mineral wealth has fuelled the fighting in the country
  • Full name: Democratic Republic of the Congo
  • Population: 69.6 million (UN, 2012)
  • Capital: Kinshasa
  • Area: 2.34 million sq km (905,354 sq miles)
  • Major languages: French, Lingala, Kiswahili, Kikongo, Tshiluba
  • Major religions: Christianity, Islam
  • Life expectancy: 47 years (men), 51 years (women) (UN)
  • Monetary unit: 1 Congolese franc = 100 centimes
  • Main exports: Diamonds, copper, coffee, cobalt, crude oil
  • GNI per capita: US $190 (World Bank, 2011)
  • Internet domain: .cd
  • International dialling code: +243

More Africa stories

RSS

Features & Analysis

Elsewhere on BBC News

  • Donald TrumpWinning business

    Why trying to become a successful entrepreneur has never been more fashionable

BBC © 2013 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more.

This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.