Democratic Republic of the Congo vs. Republic of the Congo
Geography
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | Republic of the Congo | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Central Africa, northeast of Angola | Central Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and Gabon |
| Geographic coordinates | 0 00 N, 25 00 E | 1 00 S, 15 00 E |
| Map references | Africa | Africa |
| Area | total: 2,344,858 sq km land: 2,267,048 sq km water: 77,810 sq km | total: 342,000 sq km land: 341,500 sq km water: 500 sq km |
| Area - comparative | slightly less than one-fourth the size of the US | slightly smaller than Montana; about twice the size of Florida |
| Land boundaries | total: 11,027 km border countries (9): Angola 2646 km (of which 225 km is the boundary of Angola's discontiguous Cabinda Province), Burundi 236 km, Central African Republic 1747 km, Republic of the Congo 1775 km, Rwanda 221 km, South Sudan 714 km, Tanzania 479 km, Uganda 877 km, Zambia 2332 km | total: 5,554 km border countries (5): Angola 231 km, Cameroon 494 km, Central African Republic 487 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 1775 km, Gabon 2567 km |
| Coastline | 37 km | 169 km |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: since 2011, the DRC has had a Common Interest Zone agreement with Angola for the mutual development of off-shore resources | territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
| Climate | tropical; hot and humid in equatorial river basin; cooler and drier in southern highlands; cooler and wetter in eastern highlands; north of Equator - wet season (April to October), dry season (December to February); south of Equator - wet season (November to March), dry season (April to October) | tropical; rainy season (March to June); dry season (June to October); persistent high temperatures and humidity; particularly enervating climate astride the Equator |
| Terrain | vast central basin is a low-lying plateau; mountains in east | coastal plain, southern basin, central plateau, northern basin |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Pic Marguerite on Mont Ngaliema (Mount Stanley) 5,110 m lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m mean elevation: 726 m | highest point: Mount Berongou 903 m lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m mean elevation: 430 m |
| Natural resources | cobalt, copper, niobium, tantalum, petroleum, industrial and gem diamonds, gold, silver, zinc, manganese, tin, uranium, coal, hydropower, timber | petroleum, timber, potash, lead, zinc, uranium, copper, phosphates, gold, magnesium, natural gas, hydropower |
| Land use | agricultural land: 11.4% (2018 est.) arable land: 3.1% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 0.3% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 8% (2018 est.) forest: 67.9% (2018 est.) other: 20.7% (2018 est.) | agricultural land: 31.1% (2018 est.) arable land: 1.6% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 0.2% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 29.3% (2018 est.) forest: 65.6% (2018 est.) other: 3.3% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 110 sq km (2012) | 20 sq km (2012) |
| Natural hazards | periodic droughts in south; Congo River floods (seasonal); active volcanoes in the east along the Great Rift Valley volcanism: Nyiragongo (3,470 m), which erupted in 2002 and is experiencing ongoing activity, poses a major threat to the city of Goma, home to a quarter million people; the volcano produces unusually fast-moving lava, known to travel up to 100 km /hr; Nyiragongo has been deemed a Decade Volcano by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior, worthy of study due to its explosive history and close proximity to human populations; its neighbor, Nyamuragira, which erupted in 2010, is Africa's most active volcano; Visoke is the only other historically active volcano | seasonal flooding |
| Environment - current issues | poaching threatens wildlife populations; water pollution; deforestation (forests endangered by fires set to clean the land for agricultural purposes; forests also used as a source of fuel); soil erosion; mining (diamonds, gold, coltan - a mineral used in creating capacitors for electronic devices) causing environmental damage | air pollution from vehicle emissions; water pollution from raw sewage; tap water is not potable; deforestation; wildlife protection |
| Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
| Geography - note | note 1: second largest country in Africa (after Algeria) and largest country in Sub-Saharan Africa; straddles the equator; dense tropical rain forest in central river basin and eastern highlands; the narrow strip of land that controls the lower Congo River is the DRC's only outlet to the South Atlantic Ocean note 2: because of its speed, cataracts, rapids, and turbulence the Congo River, most of which flows through the DRC, has never been accurately measured along much of its length; nonetheless, it is conceded to be the deepest river in the world; estimates of its greatest depth vary between 220 and 250 meters | about 70% of the population lives in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, or along the railroad between them |
| Total renewable water resources | 1.283 trillion cubic meters (2017 est.) | 832 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Population distribution | urban clusters are spread throughout the country, particularly in the northeast along the boarder with Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi; the largest city is the capital, Kinshasha, located in the west along the Congo River; the south is least densely populated as shown in this population distribution map | the population is primarily located in the south, in and around the capital of Brazzaville as shown in this population distribution map |
Source: CIA Factbook
