Democratic Republic of the Congo guide: sources and limitations Reviewed 26 October 2026 MAPS National outline: Natural Earth v5.1.2, 1:10m admin-0 countries, public domain. https://github.com/nvkelso/natural-earth-vector/blob/v5.1.2/geojson/ne_10m_admin_0_countries.geojson https://www.naturalearthdata.com/about/terms-of-use/ Retained national outline: scripts/dr-congo-outline-source.geojson. Rebuild offline: node scripts/build-dr-congo-map.mjs. City coordinates are curated settlement centres, in longitude, latitude order, cross-checked against the national outline. Twelve cities are learning locations, not provincial boundaries, transport routes or control lines. Natural Earth generalises river banks, lake shores and national boundaries. The map includes the western corridor to the Atlantic and shows the DRC separately from the Republic of the Congo and Angola's Cabinda exclave. Landmark coordinates are representative learning locations, not entrances. Protected-area pins do not delineate entire park boundaries. In particular, Salonga has two separate blocks; its pin is in the northern block. City and sight positions can be cross-checked on their linked Wikipedia pages. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cities_in_the_Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo READING Geography: Geography of the Democratic Republic of the Congo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_the_Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo History: History of the Democratic Republic of the Congo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo Language: Constitution · articles 1 and 2 https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo_2011 Culture: UNESCO · Congolese rumba https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/congolese-rumba-01711 Economy: World Bank · DRC overview https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/drc/overview Politics: Constitution of the Democratic Republic of the Congo https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo_2011 Nature: UNESCO · natural World Heritage in the DRC https://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/cd/ Food: Congolese cuisine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congolese_cuisine Landmarks: UNESCO · World Heritage in the DRC https://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/cd/ People: Nobel Prize · Denis Mukwege, 2018 https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/2018/mukwege/facts/ ADDITIONAL REFERENCES AND QUIZ REVIEW The constitution distinguishes official French from four national languages, provides for Kinshasa and 25 provinces, and sets out the presidency, government and two parliamentary chambers. The territorial reorganisation took effect in 2015; the former Katanga region is not a single current province. https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo_2011 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provinces_of_the_Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo Congo Free State (1885-1908), Belgian Congo, independence on 30 June 1960, Mobutu's rule (1965-1997), Zaire name (1971-1997), and the Congo wars: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Congo_War MONUSCO succeeded MONUC in 2010. UN experts' 2024 report documents support for M23; the reviewed question is dated, rather than implying a fixed front line. https://monusco.unmissions.org/en/background https://docs.un.org/en/S/2024/432 Nyiragongo's lava lake is not permanent. Eruptions in 2002 and 2021 changed the crater and affected nearby communities; historical images do not describe current conditions. Lake Kivu contains dissolved methane and carbon dioxide. https://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=223030 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Kivu Bonobo, okapi, eastern gorilla subspecies and Congo peafowl ranges: https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/bonobo https://www.okapiconservation.org/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_lowland_gorilla https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congo_peafowl The Nobel Peace Prize shared by Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad in 2018: https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/2018/summary/ The guide removes undated population/median-age questions instead of presenting an estimate without a reference year. It removes a false closest-capitals superlative and the generic West African griot framing. All eighty original seed questions remain in scripts/fixtures/dr-congo-facts-questions.json. Twenty-one corrections are applied at read time, retaining question and lesson IDs, with no database or seed writes. LANGUAGES AND TRAVEL The linked courses teach general French and Swahili. They do not constitute Lingala, Tshiluba, Kikongo or Congolese Swahili-specific courses. Security and access change, especially in eastern DRC. Read current official advice and local information before planning travel. Educational park and city pins make no claim about current control, openings or safe access. https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/democratic-republic-of-the-congo https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/democratic-republic-of-the-congo/entry-requirements PHOTOGRAPHS Existing local, resized Wikimedia Commons photographs are reused with their per-image attribution and licence. The Congo River at Kisangani is also the page banner. Photographs depict particular places and dates, not present-day security conditions or a representative of every community. Geography: Sunset over the Congo River at Kisangani, Democratic Republic of the Congo /images/facts-africa/cd/geography.jpg MONUSCO / Abel Kavanagh, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sunset_over_the_river_Congo_in_Kisangani.jpg History: Historic buildings in Boma, Democratic Republic of the Congo /images/facts-africa/cd/history.jpg Χρίστος Ιμμανοελ, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Boma_DR_Congo.jpg Language: Pupils returning to school in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo /images/facts-africa/cd/language.jpg MONUSCO Photos, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vive_la_rentr%C3%A9e_scolaire_!_(15155517546).jpg Culture: Traditional dancers in the Okapi Wildlife Reserve, Democratic Republic of the Congo /images/facts-africa/cd/culture.jpg MONUSCO Photos, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Okapi_Wild_Reserve,_Ituri,_DR_Congo-_Pygmy_women_perform_a_traditional_dance_during_the_visit_by_the_UN_officials.jpg Economy: Loading copper and cobalt ore at Musonoi Mine, Democratic Republic of the Congo /images/facts-africa/cd/economy.jpg Gécamines (Zairian company), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Steam_shovel_loading_copper_and_cobalt_ore_to_be_processed_at_Musonoi_Mine.jpg Politics: The interior of the Palais du Peuple in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo /images/facts-africa/cd/politics.jpg MONUSCO Photos, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Interieur_du_palais_du_palais_du_peuple_(6325365333).jpg Nature: A mountain gorilla in Virunga National Park, Democratic Republic of the Congo /images/facts-africa/cd/nature.jpg Cai Tjeenk Willink, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Virunga_Mountain_Gorilla.jpg Food: Fruit for sale in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo /images/facts-africa/cd/food.jpg OussamaHamama, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fruits_in_Kinshasa.jpg Landmarks: The lava lake of Mount Nyiragongo, Democratic Republic of the Congo /images/facts-africa/cd/landmarks.jpg Cai Tjeenk Willink (Caitjeenk), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lava_Lake_Nyiragongo_2.jpg People: A street in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo /images/facts-africa/cd/people.jpg Antoine Moens de Hase, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2013_street_Kinshasa_8756715873.jpg