ZAIRE

officially Republic of Zaire, also called Congo Free State or Independent State of the Congo (18851908), Belgian Congo (190860), Republic of the Congo (196064), and Democratic Republic of the Congo (196471), French Rpublique du Zare, tat Indpendant du Congo, Congo Belge, Rpublique du Congo, or Rpublique Dmocratique du Congo third largest country in Africa, straddling the Equator in central Africa. Zaire is bounded on the west by the Congo; by Angola's coastal enclave of Cabinda; and by its own 25-mile- (40-kilometre-) long strip of the Atlantic coast. On the south it is bordered by Angola; on the southeast by Zambia; on the east by Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, and Uganda; and on the north by The Sudan and the Central African Republic. The capital is Kinshasa. Area 905,446 square miles (2,345,095 square km). Pop. (1993 est.) 42,473,000.