(RÉPUBLIQUE DÉMOCRATIQUE DU CONGO)
(Formerly: ZAIRE) (WIPO code: CD) (latest review January 2024)
by CABINET P. TSHINKELA, Kinshasa
Congo Democratic Republic
General Information
Area
2,345,000 sq. km.
Population
102,000,000 inhabitants.
Capital
Kinshasa, with about 16.316 million inhabitants.
Language
French.
Currency
Congolese franc (floating).
Economy
Chief crops: coffee, cotton, rice, sugar cane, bananas, plantains, coconuts, manioc, mangoes, tea, cocoa and palm oil. Minerals: cobalt (two-thirds of world’s output), copper, cadmium, gold, diamonds, silver, tin, germanium, zinc, iron, tungsten, manganese, uranium, radium and crude oil. Other resources: forests, rubber, cattle, goats, fish and electricity. Arable land: 3%. Labor force: 75% agricultural.
General Remarks
Former Belgian Congo. Independent since June 30, 1960. Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo is the new elected President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, sworn in on January 24, 2019. This is the first peaceful transition in the country. Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo was re-elected President of the Republic in the elections of December 20, 2023.
Congo is divided into twenty-six provinces and includes the federal district of Kinshasa.
| Statistics | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| Patent applications | 45 | 83 | 81 | 57 |
| Trademark applications | 1,078 | 1,055 | 1,223 | 1,563 |
| Designs and models applications | 118 | 84 | 113 | 125 |