The Democratic Republic of the Congo is the third largest country in Africa and has roughly 68 million people.
The DRC was established as a Belgian colony in 1908 and gained independence in 1960. Its colonial history is marked by violence, as the Belgian colonialists brutalized the Congolese population to produce rubber.
Not suprisingly, the Congo is still marred by war. In 1998, a brutal civil war began, killing hundreds of thousands of people. Now, an estimated 45,000 people are dying per month due to effects from the war. The country still has a population growth of 3.2%, however. Life expectancy is a mere 54 years in the DRC, due to the devastating effects of AIDS, Malaria, and famine on this poor country. Over 4% of the population lives with AIDS. For such a troubled country, the literacy rate is suprisingly good. 67.2% of the population is literate, with 80% males compared to 54% for females. Moreover, the school life expectancy is 10 years for males compared to 8 for women. Many of the problems in this nation began with their mistreatment by the Belgians. Since its independence, the DRC has been unable to shake trouble. Women are consistently abused, as seen by the lower literacy and schooling rates. The Democratic Republic of the Congo, being the 3rd largest country in Africa, is constantly in the middle of other nation's problems. Refugees are consistently overflowing into the DRC, and this creates even more problems.
The DRC was established as a Belgian colony in 1908 and gained independence in 1960. Its colonial history is marked by violence, as the Belgian colonialists brutalized the Congolese population to produce rubber.
Not suprisingly, the Congo is still marred by war. In 1998, a brutal civil war began, killing hundreds of thousands of people. Now, an estimated 45,000 people are dying per month due to effects from the war. The country still has a population growth of 3.2%, however. Life expectancy is a mere 54 years in the DRC, due to the devastating effects of AIDS, Malaria, and famine on this poor country. Over 4% of the population lives with AIDS. For such a troubled country, the literacy rate is suprisingly good. 67.2% of the population is literate, with 80% males compared to 54% for females. Moreover, the school life expectancy is 10 years for males compared to 8 for women. Many of the problems in this nation began with their mistreatment by the Belgians. Since its independence, the DRC has been unable to shake trouble. Women are consistently abused, as seen by the lower literacy and schooling rates. The Democratic Republic of the Congo, being the 3rd largest country in Africa, is constantly in the middle of other nation's problems. Refugees are consistently overflowing into the DRC, and this creates even more problems.
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