Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a country in central Africa, and one of the most mineral rich countries on earth.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is one of the most important mineral-producing regions in the world, especially within the Katanga Copperbelt.

The country has yielded world-class specimens of malachite, azurite, cuprite, heterogenite, dioptase, carrollite, kolwezite, and numerous rare cobalt and copper secondary minerals. Many Congolese specimens are considered among the finest examples of their species worldwide.

The DRC exploits vast deposits of copper, cobalt, coltan (tantalum-niobium), tin, tungsten, gold, diamonds, lithium, manganese, and industrial minerals. Its mineral resources are among the most strategically important in the world, and their significance continues to grow with demand for renewable energy and electronic technologies.

It is considered to be one of the richest countries in the world in terms of natural resources, with deposits of minerals worth over 24 trillion USD. The country produces 70% of the worlds cobalt ore, as well as having deposits of 70% of worldwide coltan, 30% of worldwide cobalt, 30% of worldwide diamonds, and 10% of worldwide copper deposits.

It is worth noting the DRoC has considerable human rights issues, and mining plays a part in this, with deforestation and pollution from mine sites causing environmental damage. Child soldiers and forced labour have been known in the country for decades.

Smuggling of diamonds and conflict minerals from the DRoC is widespread, especially tantalum and tin. Artisanal grey market mining is a huge industry, with a significant amount of diamonds believed to be smuggled out of the country.

 

Older specimen names should be researched carefully to avoid confusion, as the DRoC may be known by a few other names:

  • Congo Free State – 1885 – 1908
  • Belgian Congo – 1908 – 1960
  • Republic of the Congo – 1960 – 1964
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo – 1964 – 1971
  • Zaire – 1971 – 1997
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo – 1997 – present

Prior to this, the country consisted of several smaller kingdoms, including the Kingdom of Kongo, and the empires of Mwene Muji, Luba, and Lunda.

Extra care should be taken to not confuse specimens labelled ‘Republic of the Congo’ which may have been collected between 1960 and 1964 with specimens of the current Republic of the Congo, a current country.

 

Further reading

 

If you are interested in other classic Congolese locales we may have stock from the following locales.

DRoC / Congolese locales

 

For the rest of our Congolese stock, see below.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Minerals from the Congo