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The vast, low-lying central area is a basin-shaped plateau sloping toward the west and covered by tropical rainforest. This area is surrounded by mountainous terraces in the west, plateaus merging into savannas in the south and southwest, and dense grasslands extending beyond the Congo River in the north. High mountains are found in the extreme eastern region.
DROC lies on the Equator, with one-third of the country to the north and two-thirds to the south. The climate is hot and humid in the river basin and cool and dry in the southern highlands. South of the Equator, the rainy season lasts from October to May and north of the Equator, from April to November. Along the Equator, rainfall is fairly regular throughout the year. During the wet season, thunderstorms often are violent but seldom last more than a few hours. The average rainfall for the entire country is about 107 centimeters (42 in.).
Location: Central Africa, northeast of Angola
Geographic coordinates: 0 00 N, 25 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area:
total:
2,345,410 kmē
land:
2,267,600 kmē
water:
77,810 kmē
Area - comparative: slightly less than one-fourth the size of the US
Land boundaries:
total:
10,744 km
border countries:
Angola 2,511 km, Burundi 233 km, Central African Republic 1,577 km, Republic of the Congo 2,410 km, Rwanda 217 km, Sudan 628 km, Tanzania 473 km, Uganda 765 km, Zambia 1,930 km
Coastline: 37 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone:
boundaries with neighbors
territorial sea:
12 nm
Climate: tropical; hot and humid in equatorial river basin; cooler and drier in southern highlands; cooler and wetter in eastern highlands; north of Equator - wet season April to October, dry season December to February; south of EquatorIn geography, the equator is an imaginary line drawn around a planet, halfway between the poles, where the surface of the roughly spherical planet is parallel to the axis of rotation. The equator divides the surface into the Northern Hemisphere and the So - wet season NovemberNovember is also the letter N in the NATO phonetic alphabet. November is the eleventh month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 30 days. From the Latin novem for " nine". It was originally the ninth month of the year in the early Roman calendar, w to MarchFor alternative meanings, see March (disambiguation). March is the third month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 31 days. Named for Mars, the Roman god of war. In ancient Rome, March was called Martius. It was named after the war god ( Mars) and, dry season April to October
Terrain:
vast central basin is a low-lying plateau; mountains in east
Elevation extremes:
lowest point:
highest point:
Pic Marguerite on Mont Ngaliema (Mount Stanley) 5,110 m
Natural resources:
cobaltiron cobalt nickel Co Rh Full table General Name, Symbol, Numbercobalt, Co, 27 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 9, 4, d Density, Hardness 8900 kg/m3, 5. 0 Appearance metallic with grey tinge Atomic properties Atomic weight 58. 933200, copperCopper is a chemical element in the periodic table that has the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. Notable characteristics Copper is a reddish-coloured metal, with a high electrical and thermal conductivity (among pure metals at room temperature, only silver, cadmiumCadmium is a chemical element in the periodic table that has the symbol Cd and atomic number 48. A relatively rare, soft, bluish-white, toxic transition metal, cadmium occurs with zinc ores and is used largely in batteries. Notable characteristics Cadmium, petroleumNodding donkey pumping an oil well near Sarnia, Ontario, 2001 Petroleum (from Latin petrus rock and oleum oil), mineral oil or crude oil sometimes colloquially called black gold is a thick, dark brown or greenish flammable liquid, which exists in the uppe, industrial and gem diamonds, gold, silver, zinc, manganese, tin, germanium, uranium, radium, bauxite, iron ore, coal, hydropower, timberLand use:
arable land:
2.96% (1998 est), 3% (1993 est.)
permanent crops:
0.52% (1998 est.), 0% (1993 est.)
permanent pastures:
7% (1993 est.)
forests and woodland:
77% (1993 est.)
other:
96.52 (1998 est.), 13% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 110 sq km (1998 est.), 100 kmē (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: periodic droughts in south; Congo River floods (seasonal); in the east, in the Great Rift Valley, there are active volcanoes
Environment - current issues: poaching threatens wildlife populations; water pollution; deforestation; refugees responsible for significant deforestation, soil erosion, and wildlife poaching; mining of minerals (coltan - a mineral used in creating capacitors, diamonds, and gold) causing environmental damage
Environment - international agreements:
party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified:
Environmental Modification
Geography - note: straddles Equator; very narrow strip of land that controls the lower Congo River and is only outlet to South Atlantic Ocean; dense tropical rain forest in central river basin and eastern highlands