The Republic of Zaïre
(formerly
the Congo Democratic Republic)
located in the south-central part
of Africa, has an area of 905,568
sq. mi. (2,345,409 sq. km.) and a
population of 43.81 million.
Capital: Kinshasa. The mineralrich
country produces copper,
tin, diamonds, gold, zinc, cobalt
and uranium.
In ancient times the territory
comprising Zaïre was occupied
by Negrito peoples (Pygmies)
pushed into the mountains by
Bantu and Nilotic invaders. The
interior was first explored by the American correspondent Henry
Stanley, who was subsequently
commissioned by King Leopold II of Belgium to conclude development
treaties with the local
chiefs. The Berlin conference of 1885 awarded the area to Leopold,
who administered and
exploited it as his private property until it was annexed to
Belgium in 1908. Following the eruption
of bloody independence riots in 1959, Belgium granted the Belgian
Congo independence as the
Republic of the Congo on June 30, 1960. The Belgian Congo attained
independence with the
distinction of being the most ill-prepared country to ever
undertake self-government. Without a
single doctor, lawyer or engineer, with no organized unit capable
of maintaining law and order,
independence disintegrated into an orgy of anarchy. Provinces
seceded. Intertribal warfare
erupted. Belgian troops intervened to protect Belgian citizens from
retributive massacre. By 1961,
four groups were fighting for political dominance. The most serious
threat to the viability of the
country was posed by the secession of mineral-rich Katanga province
on July 11, 1960.
After two and one-half years of sporadic warfare with a U.N.
military force, Katanga´s leaders
capitulated, Jan. 14, 1963 and the rebellious province was
partioned into three provinces. The
nation officially changed its name to Zaïre on Oct. 27, 1971. In
May 1997, the dictator was
overthrown after a three-year rebellion. The country changed its
name to the Democratic Republic
of the Congo.
See also Rwanda, Rwanda-Burundi or Congo Democratic Republic.
MONETARY SYSTEM:
1 Franc = 100 Centimes to 1967
1 Zaïre = 100 Makuta, 1967-1993
1 Nouveau Zaïre = 100 N Makuta = 3 million "old" Zaïres,
1993-1998
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