Our journey takes us into the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), a massive country that sits at the very heart of Africa. There are around 110 million people living here, and the capital is Kinshasa, a high-energy “megacity” that is one of the largest in Africa. The official language is French, though most people also speak Lingala, Swahili, Kikongo, or Tshiluba.
The DRC covers about 2.34 million square kilometers, or 905,355 square miles. To imagine its size, the country is roughly the same size as the state of Alaska and Texas combined, or about the same size as India in Asia. In European terms, it is larger than the combined area of Spain, France, Germany, Sweden, and Norway. It is the second-largest country on the continent and is dominated by the massive Congo River.
The most popular sport is Football, but the country is also world-famous for its music and dance. Their national animal is the Okapi, a shy and beautiful creature that looks like a mix between a giraffe and a zebra; it is found nowhere else on Earth but in the rainforests of the DRC.
The flag features a sky-blue field with a yellow star in the top left and a red diagonal stripe bordered by thin yellow lines, where the blue represents peace, the red symbolizes the blood of the martyrs, and the yellow stands for the country’s wealth and bright future.
The food is hearty and centers around the river and the forest. You must try Poulet à la Moambé, which is chicken cooked in a thick, rich sauce made from palm nuts. It is often served with Fufu, a starchy side dish made from cassava or maize that you use to scoop up the delicious stews.
The DRC is home to Virunga National Park, the oldest national park in Africa and home to the world’s last remaining mountain gorillas. Within this park sits Mount Nyiragongo, a volcano that contains one of the largest active lava lakes in the world—a glowing red sea of molten rock! The country also contains the Congo Rainforest, the second-largest tropical forest on Earth, which acts as the “left lung” of the planet. Another amazing fact is that the Congo River is the deepest river in the world, reaching depths of over 700 feet in some places—so deep that it creates its own mysterious underwater canyons.
From the steaming jungles to the rhythmic beats of Congolese Rumba echoing through the streets, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is a place of immense power and natural wonder. Merci! That means “Thank you!”