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Democratic Republic of Congo tourist information with details about travel to and around the country. Where to stay and what to see is made easier with insider tips and hand-selected Democratic Republic of Congo links, by dedicated editors and visitors to TravelNotes.org - The Online Guide to Travel. Order Zaire Travel Brochures - for Free. Democratic Republic of Congo - Zaïre was renamed the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in May 1997; when the forces of Laurent Désiré Kabila brought Mobutu's 32 year reign to an end. Countries neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo are: Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia and Angola.
The locals refer to their country as Congo-Kinshasa. Getting Around By RailThe railway provides important connections within the country, as well as with the port of Benguela in Angola, and other points in eastern and southern Africa. By RoadMost of the roads are not in good repair. By BoatInland waterways are used extensively.There are schedules for river steamers, but they are not always reliable. Airports and Airlines: Weather in Democratic Republic of CongoView a graphical weather forecast for the week ahead in Democratic Republic of Congo. Formerly the Belgian Congo, Mobutu changed the country's name from the Republic of the Congo to the Republic of Zaïre, in 1971, and the following year ordered all Zairians to replace their Western names with African ones. Mobutu showed the way by changing his given name of Joseph Désiré Mobutu to Mobutu Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu waza Banga. If that's a mouthful in African, in English it means: 'The all-powerful warrior who because of his endurance and inflexible will to win will go from conquest to conquest leaving fire in his wake'. Kinshasa (Léopoldville) The capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo is on the southern bank of the River Congo; opposite Brazzaville, Congo. The Congo is not navigable between here and the sea because of a series of cataracts, so passengers and freight have to continue by rail to the Atlantic Ocean port of Matadi. Sir Henry Stanley, an Anglo-American explorer, founded it in 1881 as a Congo River trading post, and called it Léopoldville; after the Belgian King, Leopold II. The railway to Matadi was completed in 1898, bringing in a period of rapid growth for the transhipment port of the Belgian Congo. Léopoldville replaced Boma as the capital of the Belgian Congo in the late 1920s. Grand Hotel Kinshasa: Avenue Batetela-Gombe, Kinshasa. Located in a residential area overlooking the River Congo, the Grand Hotel Kinshasa is a few minutes from the shopping centre, close to government buildings and embassies. The only 5-star hotel of the country offering a wide range of facilities and the best tables for a good dinner or lunch. A violent black-nationalist uprising in 1959 caused most of the Europeans to leave the Belgian Congo. The country became independent in 1960, and Léopoldville was renamed Kinshasa in 1966; after a 19th-century village. The official language of the Democratic Republic of Congo is French, although four local languages are widely spoken and considered as national languages too: Swahili in the east, Kikongo in the western regions, Tshiluba in the south, and Lingala in and around Kinshasa, and along the Congo. In all there could be as many as 200 languages spoken throughout the country. Most of the country comprises the rain forested basin of the River Congo. The Congo is the second longest river in Africa, and one of the longest in the world. The total length of navigable routes on the Congo and its tributaries is about 14,500 km. ReliefWeb:
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