Monday, May 7, 2012

Week 10 Democratic Repbublic of the Congo - Economy - Vincent Petit 2MA03


Hello bloggers!
I hope you are all doing alright! We are in week ten and we are almost at the end of our trip around the world. Can you imagine? Two weeks ago we visited the Zakouma National Park by jeep. It was unbelievable; I saw elephants, giraffes, and other beautiful animals. It’s amazing to see these wild creatures in their natural habitat, free to go wherever they want. We had a very good guide on the safari. He told many interesting facts about the animals. Nature can be so beautiful!

The country that we visit this week is the Democratic Republic of the Congo, located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area since the accession of South Sudan as an independent country and the eleventh largest in the world. With a population of over 71 million, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the fourth most populated nation in Africa.

The economy of the DRC is slowly recovering from decades of decline. DRC was the second most industrialized country at the time of its independence in 1960 but corruption and conflicts resulted in wars which began in 1997. Foreign businesses curtailed operations due to uncertainty about the outcome of the conflict. There also was a lack of infrastructure, and a difficult operating environment. The national output and government revenue have dramatically reduced, increased external debt, and resulted in the deaths of more than five million people from violence, famine, and disease.

In the fall of 2002 conditions began to improve. Renewed activity in the mining sector boosted Kinshasa's fiscal position and GDP growth from 2006-08.
An uncertain legal framework, corruption, and a lack of transparency in government policy are long-term problems for the mining sector and for the economy as a whole.

This afternoon we will visit ‘Lola Ya Bonobo: The Paradise of the Bonobos’. It’s a home to 52 bonobos who live in 30 hectares of primary forest. I look forward to see these funny monkeys!

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