The Democratic Republic of Congo
By Mira Malavia
Introduction
This webpage is meant to introduce a person to the various dynamics of the Democratic Republic of Congo. It will cover population, migration, and culture - which will be backed up with data.
Population and Statistics
Total Fertility Rate
This value indicates a less developed country, because the number is much higher than than the standard 2.1.
Crude Birth Rate
The CBR is a higher number indicating again that it is a less developed country - has not been industrialized yet. Probably will be middle to end stage 2 or really early stage 3 on the DTM (Demographic Transition Model).
Crude Death Rate
This number is low in comparison to its CBR which indicates that this country has been helped by one of the many More Developed Countries (MDCs). This allows it to progress past the second stage of the ETM.
Life Expectancy
This numerical value is an indicator of the society's health and well-being. When it is compared to one of the MDCs, its life expectancy proves to be quite low.
Natural Growth Rate
This value is the difference between the CBR and CDR divided by 10. It shows by how much does the population grow every year. To put things into perspective, U.S has a growth of only .6% a year - whereas, Russia has -0.6% year indicating the decrease in population.
Total Population (in millions)
This number is a direct representation of how many people are currently living in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Demographic Transition Model
The Democratic Republic of Congo is in mid-stage 2 of the DTM. Its a stage 2 country because it is in the transitional phase where it has a high CBR (35) and low CDR (10). This model offers a generalized perspective of the way birth, death, and growth rates change through time. There is still a rapid rate of population growth as modernization has disrupted the balance of the CBR and the CDR.
Population Pyramid
This shows the age structure of the population. The pyramid is an accurate representation of the DRC's population divided in various cohorts. This pyramid shape depicts a stage mid-stage 2 country. There is definitely more of a younger population in the nation compared to the elderly population (not very many).
Urban Population - 42%
The percentage of the population in the Democratic Republic of Congo that resides in an urban area is 42%. Most of these people live in Kinshasa, the country's capital.
Arithmetic Population Density
There can be 82.7 people per sq. mile of land in the Democratic Republic of Congo, when they are equally distributed over the surface area of the nation.
Physiological Population Density
This place is one that is lush and rich with resources, but it has lost its value due to various political conflicts. 827. 8 people can be situated per sq. mile of arable land in the country.
Less-Developed Country: Why?
It is a less-developed country because of several indications made by the many data sets of population. Stage 2 of the DTM directly defines it as a less-developed country, and the population pyramid shows that the country is developing (because of pyramid shape). The physiological population density demonstrates the scarcity of food and water in DRC, yet they still majorly export their crops out of the country.
The Epidemiological Transition Model
The Democratic Republic of Congo seems to be in mid-late stage 2 of the ETM. This is because many epidemics are still present - HIV and AIDs being the 2 biggest ones. Stage 2 of the ETM is known as the time for receding pandemics, thus why AIDs and HIV come and go.
Human Development Index
According to the most current data, in 2013, the HDI of the Democratic Republic of Congo was 0.338. This value is the measurement of the progression of a people through income, education, and life expectancy.
Protest in the DRC
The large population of the Eastern side of the country comes together to fight together for the capital - these are the rebels.
The Population Phenomenon...
The population in the Democratic Republic of Congo is one that is quite high. It is there because it is the second largest country in Africa and has the 14th largest population in the world. Thus making it important because of its isolation to the rest of the world - in this day and age it should be interconnected with the rest of world in economical, geographical, and political terms. We should care enough to un-isolate this country and make it a part of the world (metaphorically) so that it can truly flourish and prosper.
Migration
Migration Rate
The net rate is -0 which means that even though it evens out there are more people likely to leave than stay.
Overall Growth Rate - 2.5%
The overall growth rate is currently not affected because the number of immigrants and emigrants even out. However it is important to know that there are 21 people leaving the country per every 1000 people. (35-10-0=25)
Remittance Inflows and Outflows
There is no data currently available for this section, however it is good to know that for the DRC most of the remittances will source from refugees.
Major Push Factors
Political:
- Continuous fighting among rebels and the government - makes it unsafe for kids
- Political persecution - different beliefs than party in power
- Escape from poverty
- Better Opportunities than current area
- Unsafe and dirty
- Access to less clean resources - drinking water
- Better health care and availability of resources
Major Pull Factors
Culture:
- Religious Persecution, if any
- Nostos - long only for 'true' home
- Area where beliefs are supported
- Escape political persection
Types of Migration in the Democratic Republic of Congo
- International Immigration - people leave as result of opportunity
- Refugee
- Internal Migration - based on politics
Colony or Colonizer?
This was definitely a colony! The Democratic Republic of Congo was colonized under instructions of the Belgian King, Leopold II. Thus the reason why French is an official language in the country. My decision is based on the research I conducted online as well as the fact that French is an official language of DRC, which means it had some sort of French colonization on it.
The Phenomenon of Migration...
There is an equal migration rate (0) right now, which is slightly leaning over to the immigration side - which will soon indicate that more people will be leaving the country. The overall growth remains the same as the natural growth rate as migration does not proceed to make an impact on it. There are more push factors for the DRC than there are pull - this makes sense as this country is a LDC. Some of those include economical and environmental factors. Mainly international migration occurs in this country, with a few internal migrants once in a while. This country was colonized by Belgium under the rule of King Leopold II. It is important for a human geography student to know this information because it shows how everything (from the past units) connects on a broader level.
Culture and Language
Ethnic Groups
The Bantu are the main ethnic group in the DRC. They are comprised of smaller tribes like the Mongo, Kongo, and Luba. In total, there are more than 200 in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Languages
The official languages include French, Lingala, Kingwana, Kikongo, and Tshiluba. French was imposed on the DRC when they were colonized by the British. It also good to know that Lingala is their lingua franca.
Religions
In terms of percentage:
- 20% - Protestant
- 50% - Roman Catholic
- 10% - Kimbanguist
- 10% - Muslim
History in Conflict
There has only been fighting between the government in the DRC. The country is still recovering from the genocide in Rwanda in which many of DRC's own were affected. All this fighting is due to the fact that the Democratic Republic of Congo is very wealthy in natural resources, in terms of quality and quantity.
The Culture and Language Phenomenon...
There are more than 200 ethnic groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The most prominent group is called the Bantu, which proceeds to break off into even smaller branches. The languages there carry the impacts of the colonizer and show how the country has evolved to create its own lingua franca - Lingala. In terms of religions, the country is evenly divided up, with the majorities as Roman Catholics and minorities as Muslims and Kimbanguists.
The Democratic Republic of Congo
It is my job to conduct a deep and thoughtful in-depth analysis of the DRC.