Democratic Republic of the Congo (Congo-Kinshasa)

The Democratic Republic of the Congo was formerly referred to as Zaire.

Capital:  Kinshasa

Airports:  Kinshasa

Currency:  The Congolese franc is the basic monetary unit.  For the current rate of exchange visit the Olson and Anderson web site.

Time Zones:  Kinshasha (west) region: Current local time. Standard time is one hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).  Lumumbashi (east) region: Current local time. Standard time is two hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).  

Languages:    French, Kikongo, Lingala, Swahili and other dialects.

Visit the CIA World Fact Book for a large variety of particulars regarding the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Travel Advisories:  Travelers should check the web sites listed on our international pages that provide advice of possible security and health risks when visiting this region.

The Africa Guide web site is another good source of information about the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Five sites in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have been designated as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.

Recommended Reading: 

King Leopold's Ghost by Adam Hochschild is a major historical work describing the greed and terror and occasional examples of heroism in the former Belgian Congo. 

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, though laden with racism common to the Victorian era, presents an unflattering portrait of Europeans scrambling for wealth in Africa.

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