Democratic Republic of Congo

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Democratic Republic of Congo

The Democratic Republic of Congo, also called Congo-Kinshasa, former name Zaire, is a Central African country. It is the second largest country in Africa by area after Algeria, and the world's 11th largest. The country's capital and largest city is Kinshasa, the country's economic center. The Democratic Republic of Congo's rainforests are home to a rich biodiversity, including a number of rare and endemic species, like the Common Chimpanzee and Bonobo, the African Forest Elephant, the Mountain Gorilla, the Okapi and the White Rhino. The country's five national parks are World Heritage Sites: the Garumba, Kahuzi-Biega, Salonga and Virunga National Parks, and the Okapi Wildlife Reserve. This country is one of 17 megadiverse countries and the most biodiverse in Africa. Over 10 000 species of plants, 600 species of trees, 1 188 species of birds, 280 species of reptiles and 400 species of mammals are found in the country. Several of these wild species are endangered, including the Large Lowland Gorilla and the chimpanzee. Twenty-one of the bird species in the Democratic Republic of Congo are endemic, and one is introduced by humans. This is the country with the highest bird biodiversity of all African countries. Wildlife in the DRC is threatened by a number of environmental problems, such as over-hunting for bushmeat, deforestation, mining and armed conflict. Much of the country's biodiversity was threatened by the civil war and the resulting poor economic conditions.