DR Congo
Africa · Kinshasa · CD
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is the enormous, wild heart of the African continent, a country of the rainforest, the rivers and the mineral treasure that stretches across the basin of the great river of the Congo, one of the largest and the most river-bound countries of the whole of Africa. It is a land of the staggering extremes, holding the second-largest rainforest of the planet, the deep lakes and the active volcanoes of the east, and the wildlife that includes the gorillas, the okapis and the elephants of the untouched forest. The modern history of the country, from the brutal years of the colonial rule to the long conflicts of the recent decades, has been as harsh as the scenery is magnificent, and its people are rebuilding their lives with extraordinary courage. The capital of the Kinshasa, the celebrated music of the country and the immense forests of the interior make the republic one of the most powerful and the most misunderstood frontiers of the continent.
Overview
DR Congo is a country in Africa. Its capital is Kinshasa and the international dialling code is +243. Languages commonly used in everyday life here include French. Local currency is the Congolese Franc (CDF). We also list 1 city in DR Congo: Kinshasa.
The Falls of the Livingstone and the Rapids of the Great River
The great river of the Congo, the second largest river of the world by the volume of its water and the deepest of the planet, rules the geography of the whole country, draining the basin of more than two million square kilometres before it empties into the Atlantic. Between the capital and the port of the coast, the river drops through the extraordinary gorges of the Livingstone Falls, the stretch of the cataracts and the rapids that the navigators of the century never conquered, and that the modern power stations of the region now harness for the energy of the country. The river trips of this stretch, threading the whirlpools and the islands between the gorges, and the viewpoints of the banks, with the enormous brown waters pouring over the rocks, give the visitor the unforgettable drama of the greatest waterway of the continent.
The Capital of the Kinshasa and the Rhumba of the Night
The capital of the Kinshasa, the immense, pulsing city on the south bank of the river of the Congo, is one of the great metropolises of Africa and the cultural capital of the continent of music. The city, once the colonial humblest of settlements and now a sprawling metropolis of the high rises, the studio musicians and the markets, holds the intellectual life of the country, with its universities, its art galleries and its legendary music scene, where the rhumba and the soukous of the bands of the elders still fill the dance halls of the evening. The daily life of the city, the famous traffic, the food of the streets and the gentle, beautifully dressed people, runs at the highest pitch of the whole river basin, and the true soul of the Kinshasa.
The Mountains of the Virunga and the Gorillas of the East
The mountains of the Virunga, the chain of the great volcanoes that straddles the borders of the country with its eastern neighbours, holds the national park of the same name, the oldest protected area of the continent and the home of the mountain gorillas of the world. The forested slopes of the extinct and the restless cones, where the gorilla families of the habituated groups graze the bamboo and the clearings, are the great wildlife stage of the region, and the trekking of the park, climbing through the dense cloud forest with the trackers of the conservation, gives the visitor the unforgettable encounter with the giant apes of the mountains. The volcanoes of the Virunga, from the smoking cone of the Nyiragongo with its lava lake to the snowy heights of the Karisimbi, complete the dramatic, fiery landscape of the eastern highlands of the country.
The Forests of the Basin and the Peoples of the River
The rainforest of the basin of the Congo, the vast green ocean of the trees that spreads across the lowlands of the country, is the second-largest tropical forest of the planet and the greatest wilderness of the African continent. The forest of the region shelters the extraordinary endemic wildlife of the country, the okapi, the bonobo, the forest elephants and the countless birds, and its rivers and its clearings support the peoples of the interior, the fishing communities of the water and the hunting peoples of the deep forest. The river journeys of the basin, from the great cargo boats of the Congo to the pirogues of the branches, thread the heart of this immense green world, and the villages of the interior, with their markets, their music and their deep river way of life, give the visitor the truest experience of the beating heart of Africa.
The Cities of the South and the Copper of the Katanga
The southern provinces of the country, the mineral heartland of the region that the world knows as the copper belt, hold the mining cities of the Katanga, the colonial-era towns of the mines whose fortunes built the modern republic. The great city of the Lubumbashi, the elegant provincial capital, carries the institutions, the gardens and the copper rooftops of its industrial past, and the mineworks and the smelters of the belt, with their enormous dumps of the slag and their railways of the ore, tell the hard story of the mining economy of the country. The markets of the south, the enormous copper crosses of the trade and the cobalt and the artisan miners of the region, give the visitor the intense, complicated face of a land whose mineral wealth built the age of the batteries and the machines of the modern world.
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- Capital
- Kinshasa
- Currency
- Congolese Franc (CDF)
- Languages
- French
- Calling code
- +243
- Internet TLD
- cd
Entry requirements
Check who can enter →See which passports travel visa-free or need a visa to enter DR Congo.
Which nationalities can enter DR Congo?
Current visa status for tourism for the origins we cover, with links to the detailed requirements.
Cities (1)
All cities →Frequently asked questions
Do I need a visa to visit DR Congo?
For the origins we track, DR Congo requires a visa for tourism (Morocco: e-visa). Entry rules depend on your passport, so confirm the current requirements for your own nationality with our entry requirements tool.
What is the capital of DR Congo?
Kinshasa is the capital of DR Congo, and the country sits in Africa.
What currency is used in DR Congo?
You pay with Congolese Franc (CDF) in DR Congo. Exchange rates move day to day, so check the current rate before you change money or use your card abroad.
Which languages do people speak in DR Congo?
The languages we list for DR Congo are French. A couple of greetings in the local language go a long way when you travel, even in cities where another language is widely used.
What is the international dialling code for DR Congo?
The dialling code for DR Congo is +243 — keep the plus sign when you save the number.
Which cities in DR Congo do you cover?
Our guide lists 1 city for DR Congo: Kinshasa (capital).