DR Congo - Geography

Here, let us take a look at the Geography of DR Congo.

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

. Mother's mean age at first birth is 19.9 years (2013/14 est.) (Note: data represents median age at first birth among women 20-49), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 547 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Geographical data of DR Congo
Location Central Africa, northeast of Angola
Geographic coordinates 0 00 N, 25 00 E
Map references Africa
Tarrain vast central basin is a low-lying plateau; mountains in east
Natural Resources cobalt, copper, niobium, tantalum, petroleum, industrial and gem diamonds, gold, silver, zinc, manganese, tin, uranium, coal, hydropower, timber
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

Irrigated Land 110 sq km (2012)
Major rivers (by length in km)

Zaïre (Congo) river mouth (shared with Zambia [s], Angola, and Republic of Congo) - 4,700 km; Ubangi river mouth (shared with Central African Republic [s] and Republic of Congo) - 2,270 km

note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth
Major aquifers Congo Basin
Land Boundaries 11,027 km
Border Countries Angola 2,646 km (of which 225 km is the boundary of Angola's discontiguous Cabinda Province); Burundi 236 km; Central African Republic 1,747 km; Republic of the Congo 1,775 km; Rwanda 221 km; South Sudan 714 km; Tanzania 479 km; Uganda 877 km; Zambia 2,332 km
Coastline 37 km
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)
Area
Total Area
Land Area 2,267,048 sq km
Water Area 77,810 sq km
comparative Area slightly less than one-fourth the size of the US
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
Elevations
Highest point Pic Marguerite on Mont Ngaliema (Mount Stanley) 5,110 m
Lowest point Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Mean elevation 726 m
Land Use
Agricultural land 11.4% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: arable land arable land: 3.1% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent crops permanent crops: 0.3% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent pasture permanent pasture: 8% (2018 est.)
Forest 67.9% (2018 est.)
Other 20.7% (2018 est.)
Population Distribution

Urban clusters are spread throughout the country, particularly in the northeast along the border 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

People and Society

In DR Congo, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: More than 200 African ethnic groups of which the majority are Bantu; the four largest groups - Mongo, Luba, Kongo (all Bantu), and the Mangbetu-Azande (Hamitic) - make up about 45% of the population

Population
Pop growth rate 3.11% (2024 est.)
Birth rate 39.2 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Death rate 7.6 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Health expenditure 4.1% of GDP (2020)
Physicians Density
Hospital bed Density
Total fertility rate 5.49 children born/woman (2024 est.)
Gross reproduction rate 2.7 (2024 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate 28.1% (2017/18)
Est married women (ages 15-49) 55.3% (2023 est.)
Literacy age 15 and over can read and write French, Lingala, Kingwana, or Tshiluba
Education expenditures 2.7% of GDP (2021 est.)
Net Migration rate -0.6 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Nationality Congolese or Congo | Congolese (singular and plural)
Languages
Religions  Christian 93/1% (Roman Catholic 29.9%, Protestant 26.7%, other Christian 36.5%), Kimbanguist 2.8%, Muslim 1.3%, other (includes syncretic sects and indigenous beliefs) 1.2%, none 1.3%, unspecified 0.2% (2014 est.)
Age Structure
0-14 years 45.7% (male 26,584,268/female 26,208,891)
15-64 years 51.8% (male 29,845,450/female 29,884,958)
65 years and over 2.5% (2024 est.) (male 1,258,442/female 1,621,018)
Dependency Ratios
Total dependency ratio 98
Youth dependency ratio 92.1
Elderly dependency ratio 5.9
Potential support ratio 17.1 (2021 est.)
Median Age
Total 16.9 years (2024 est.)
Male 16.7 years
Female 17 years
Urbanization
Urban population 47.4% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization 4.33% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas (Pop) 16.316 million KINSHASA (capital), 2.892 million Mbuji-Mayi, 2.812 million Lubumbashi, 1.664 million Kananga, 1.423 million Kisangani, 1.249 million Bukavu (2023).
Sex Ratio
At birth 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over 0.78 male(s)/female
Total population 1 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Infant Motality
Total 57.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male 62.9 deaths/1,000 live births
Female 51.9 deaths/1,000 live births
Life Expectancy at birth
Total population 62.6 years (2024 est.)
Male 60.7 years
Female 64.6 years
Drinking Water Sources
Improved: urban urban: 88.8% of population
Improved: rural rural: 34.7% of population
Improved: total total: 59.4% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 11.2% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 65.3% of population
Unimproved: total total: 40.6% of population (2020 est.)
Sanitation facility acess
Improved: urban urban: 53.4% of population
Improved: rural rural: 20.5% of population
Improved: total total: 35.5% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 46.6% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 79.5% of population
Unimproved: total total: 64.5% of population (2020 est.)
Major Infectious diseases
Degree of risk very high (2023)
Food or waterborne diseases bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases malaria, dengue fever, and trypanosomiasis-gambiense (African sleeping sickness)
Water contact diseases schistosomiasis
Animal contact diseases rabies
Alcohol consumption per capita
Total 0.56 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Beer 0.5 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Wine 0.01 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Spirits 0.05 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Other alcohols 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Tobacco use
Total 12.8% (2020 est.)
Male 22.7% (2020 est.)
Female 2.9% (2020 est.)
Child marriage
Women married by age 15 8.4%
Women married by age 18 29.1%
Men married by age 18 5.6% (2018 est.)
Demographic profile

Despite a wealth of fertile soil, hydroelectric power potential, and mineral resources, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) struggles with many socioeconomic problems, including high infant and maternal mortality rates, malnutrition, poor vaccination coverage, lack of access to improved water sources and sanitation, and frequent and early fertility. Ongoing conflict, mismanagement of resources, and a lack of investment have resulted in food insecurity; almost 25% of children under the age of 5 were malnourished as of 2018. The overall coverage of basic public services – education, health, sanitation, and potable water – is very limited and piecemeal, with substantial regional and rural/urban disparities. Fertility remains high at more than 5 children per woman and is likely to remain high because of the low use of contraception and the cultural preference for larger families.

The DRC is a source and host country for refugees. Between 2012 and 2014, more than 119,000 Congolese refugees returned from the Republic of Congo to the relative stability of northwest DRC, but more than 1 million Congolese refugees and asylum seekers were hosted by neighboring countries as of December 2022. In addition, an estimated 5.5 million Congolese were internally displaced as of October 2022, the vast majority fleeing violence between rebel group and Congolese armed forces. Thousands of refugees have come to the DRC from neighboring countries, including Rwanda, the Central African Republic, South Sudan, and Burundi.

All Important Facts about DR Congo

Want to know more about DR Congo? Check all different factbooks for DR Congo below.

DR Congo is found in Middle Africa