Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

Topic: Africa

Why in the news?

• An attempted jail break from Democratic Republic of Congo\'s largest prison has left at least 129 people dead and led to women being raped. 
• The circumstances around the bid to bust out of the Makala prison in the capital Kinshasa, which holds 10 times the number it is meant to house, remain unclear. 

Source: The Hindu 

About Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC):

• It is the second largest country in Africa and the eleventh largest in the world.
• It has a small coastline with the Atlantic Ocean. 
• It is bounded to the north by the Central African Republic and South Sudan; to the east by Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and Tanzania; to the southeast by Zambia; and to the southwest by Angola.
• Kinshasa, the capital of the DRC, is located on the Congo River. Congo River is the only river to cross the equator twice in Africa.
• Its official language is French, but other languages include Kituba, Lingala, Swahili, and Tshiluba.
• Katanga Plateau is considered to be a rich mining region, which supplies cobalt, copper, tin, radium, uranium, and diamonds