Democratic Republic of the Congo Languages

Map showing the location of Republic of the Congo

The official language of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is French although a number of indigenous languages hold national language status. These four national languages are Kitub (also known as Kikongo), Lingala, Swahili, and Tshuluba. While the country was a colony of Belgium, it became one of the only countries in African history to be colonized while maintaining education and communications in their local languages. According to many sources, there are approximately 215 living languages in the Democratic Republic of the Congo which makes the nation one of the most linguistically diverse countries in the world. Dutch was formerly an official language while the DRC was considered a Belgium colony, although French was used much more widely.

The International Organization of Francophonie (OIF) put out a report in 2014 that stated 47% of the population of the Democratic Republic of the Congo could speak, read, and write in French. This percentage equates to roughly 33 million people. The majority of the capital city of Kinshasha is literate in French. Currently, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has the largest French speaking population to be found anywhere outside of France.

Hello, written as bonjour and pronounced as "bon-jour" is a very common greeting in any society that speaks French. "Merci" is also an easy word to learn and it means thank you. "Parlez-vous anglais?" is a helpful phrase that means "do you speak English?"

Minority languages in the country are numerous with over 215 languages being used in the nation today. The most common minority languages include Budza, Chokwe, Komo, Lendu, and Zande, just to name a few. These languages are usually regional in their dispersal throughout the country. The government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo also has plans to introduce Portuguese as a national educational language.

This page was last modified on May 1st, 2018

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Published on 2019-11-06


Capital	Brazzaville
Languages	French (official), Lingala and Monokutuba (lingua franca trade languages), many local languages and dialects (of which Kikongo is the most widespread)
Ethnic Groups	Kongo 48%, Sangha 20%, M'Bochi 12%, Teke 17%, Europeans and other 3%
Religion	Roman Catholic 33.1%, Awakening Churches/Christian Revival 22.3%, Protestant 19.9%, Salutiste 2.2%, Muslim 1.6%, Kimbanguiste 1.5%, other 8.1%, none 11.3% (2010 est.)
Government	Presidential republic
Independance	15 August 1960 (from France)
Area	342,000.00 km²
Water Area	500.00 km²
Land Area	341,500.00 km²
Population	4,852,412.00
Location	Central Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and Gabon
No. Bordering Countries	5
Bordering Countries	Angola 231 km, Cameroon 494 km, Central African Republic 487 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 1,229 km, Gabon 2,567 km
GDP(PPP)	$30,270,000,000.00 (USD)
Export Partners	Its major export partners are China, Italy, and India.
Export Commodities	Its main exports are petroleum, lumber, and plywood.
Import Partners	Its major import partners are China, France, and South Korea.
Import Commodities	Its major imports include capital equipment, construction materials, and foodstuffs.
Climate	Tropical; rainy season (March to June); dry season (June to October); persistent high temperatures and humidity; particularly enervating climate astride the Equator
Terrain	Coastal plain, southern basin, central plateau, northern basin
Learn More	Republic of the Congo

Democratic Republic of the Congo Languages

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