| Every year people from all over the world come
to Canada in search of new opportunities. In recent years, there has been
an increase in the number of Congolese who have immigrated to Canada. Some
come to work or study; others come as refugees.
You may be a volunteer with the HOST program,
where you will have the opportunity to meet people from the Democratic
Republic of Congo. You may meet newcomers from Congo at your workplace,
school or place of worship. If you have some understanding of their background,
you can help Congolese adjust to life in Canada. This cultural profile
provides a brief description of some aspects of Congolese culture. |
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There are more than 250 ethnic groups in Congo,
each with its own language, dialect and customs. Although this cultural
profile provides insight into some customs, it does not cover all facets
of life. The culture described may not apply in equal measure to all newcomers
from Congo.
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Summary Fact Sheet |
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| Official
Name |
Democratic
Republic of Congo |
| Capital |
Kinshasa |
| Type of
Government |
Republic |
| Population |
50 million |
| Area |
2.3 million
sq. km |
| Major
Ethnic Groups |
Kongo, Luba,
Lunda, Mongo, Azande, about 250 other ethnic groups |
| Languages |
French, Lingala,
Swahili, Tshiluba, Kikongo |
| Religions |
Traditional
beliefs, Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, Kimbanguism, Islam |
| Unit of
Currency |
Congolese
franc |
| National
Flag |
Light blue
with a large yellow five-pointed star in the centre and a vertical arrangement
of six small, yellow, five-pointed stars along the hoist side |
| Date of
Independence |
June 30,
1960 |
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Did you know? |
| Two
countries are named after the River Congo. The Democratic Republic of Congo
is sometimes called Congo (Kinshasa) to distinguish it from Congo
(Brazzaville) or the Republic of Congo. |
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Did you know? |
| Kinshasa,
the capital city, was called Leopoldville in 1881 by Anglo-American explorer
Henry Morton Stanley and renamed in 1966 after one of the African villages
that originally occupied the site. The name comes from the Kongo word kinsasa,
meaning "why are things happening this way." |
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Did you know? |
| Congo,
which means "central point," is named for the Congo River. This is the
second longest river in Africa, after the Nile, and the fifth longest in
the world. It carries the largest potential supply of hydroelectric power
in the world. It is 4,677 km long and ranges in width from 0.8 to 16 km.
The Congo River drains the Central African equatorial basin, an area of
more than 4.1 million sq. km. |
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