Democratic Republic of the Congo vs. South Sudan
Geography
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | South Sudan | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Central Africa, northeast of Angola | East-Central Africa; south of Sudan, north of Uganda and Kenya, west of Ethiopia |
| Geographic coordinates | 0 00 N, 25 00 E | 8 00 N, 30 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: 644,329 sq km land: NA water: NA |
| Area - comparative | slightly less than one-fourth the size of the US | more than four times the size of Georgia; slightly smaller than Texas |
| 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: 6,018 km border countries (6): Central African Republic 1055 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 714 km, Ethiopia 1299 km, Kenya 317 km, Sudan 2158 km, Uganda 475 km note: South Sudan-Sudan boundary represents 1 January 1956 alignment; final alignment pending negotiations and demarcation; final sovereignty status of Abyei Area pending negotiations between South Sudan and Sudan |
| Coastline | 37 km | 0 km (landlocked) |
| 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 | none (landlocked) |
| 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) | hot with seasonal rainfall influenced by the annual shift of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone; rainfall heaviest in upland areas of the south and diminishes to the north |
| Terrain | vast central basin is a low-lying plateau; mountains in east | plains in the north and center rise to southern highlands along the border with Uganda and Kenya; the White Nile, flowing north out of the uplands of Central Africa, is the major geographic feature of the country; The Sudd (a name derived from floating vegetation that hinders navigation) is a large swampy area of more than 100,000 sq km fed by the waters of the White Nile that dominates the center of the country |
| 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: Kinyeti 3,187 m lowest point: White Nile 381 m |
| Natural resources | cobalt, copper, niobium, tantalum, petroleum, industrial and gem diamonds, gold, silver, zinc, manganese, tin, uranium, coal, hydropower, timber | hydropower, fertile agricultural land, gold, diamonds, petroleum, hardwoods, limestone, iron ore, copper, chromium ore, zinc, tungsten, mica, silver |
| 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: 45% (2018) arable land: 4.4% (2018) permanent pasture: 40.7% (2018) forest: 11.3% (2018) other: 43.5% (2018) |
| Irrigated land | 110 sq km (2012) | 1,000 sq km (2012) |
| 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 | water pollution; inadequate supplies of potable water; wildlife conservation and loss of biodiversity; deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; periodic drought |
| 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-Paris Agreement, Desertification, Ozone Layer Protection, 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 | landlocked; The Sudd is a vast swamp in the north central region of South Sudan, formed by the White Nile, its size is variable but can reach some 15% of the country's total area during the rainy season; it is one of the world's largest wetlands |
| Total renewable water resources | 1.283 trillion cubic meters (2017 est.) | 49.5 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 | clusters found in urban areas, particularly in the western interior and around the White Nile as shown in this population distribution map |
Source: CIA Factbook
