Tom+A.+-+ALD+-+FA10

1)President Joseph Kabila 2)The Democratic Republic of Congo: Geography:- the D.R.C is located near the heart of sub-Saharan Africa, and is on the equator with one-third of the country above and the rest laying below it. -The D.R.C is the third largest country in Africa and has many rivers and mountains traveling through it. -The Great Rift valley even touches into the Congo, exposing vast amounts of mineral wealth. Mt. Nyiragongo is also in the D.R.C and erupted in 2002, the nearby rivers and lakes were poisoned by the lava flow. -The Democratic Republic of Congo is also home to many lowland forests and woodlands. Economy: -The D.R.C is a country with a vast amount of potential wealth but is still recovering from a twenty year decline in production because of conflicts. - Conditions began to improve in 2002 with the transitional government, led by Joseph Kabila, reopening relations with foreign investors and implementing reforms. Much of the potential wealth is in mineral form with mining. -The rich forests and farmland also provide work for mush of the nations population. The growth rate for the country’s GDP is 2% Social Structure: There are over 200 ethnic groups of which the majority are Bantu,. The country also boasts a diverse religious population with 50% being Roman Catholic, 20% Protestent and 10% being Muslims. The female literacy rate is lower than the males, which is 81%, at 54.1%.

3)President Joseph Kabila Joseph Kabila replaced his father as President after he was assasasinated in 2001 by a rebel group. -Before this however he was the eldest of ten children and achieved most of his education in Tanzania. -He is fluent in English and Swahili and underwent military training.

4) References South Africa: The D.R.C and S. Africa have aided each other in economic recovery and with the disposition of refugees. Angola

5) Safety and Rule of Law: -The constant threat of the rebels in the west and the wild nature of the geography makes complete safety difficult Human Rights: - Education has been improving over the past decade - Literacy rates are going up, especially for women  Economic Opportunity: - Over the past 10 years, the economy has been growing   - Industry has been entering the nation and more jobs are becoming available  Human Development: - Education is improving  - 10th most cases of A.I.D.S