Zaire : a country profile

Foreign Disaster Assistance. Individual sections cover: general information; government; disaster preparedness; population; health, nutrition, and housing; the economy; agriculture; physical geography; transportation and logistics; and power and communications. Of special note is Zaire"s rich store of natural resources, which include extensive forests, freshwater fishing grounds, approximately 16% of the world"s hydropower potential, and diverse mineral deposits. Thus far, only mineral resources have been developed; copper, zinc, lead, cobalt, cadmium, manganese, diamonds, gold, and tungsten are all mined in various areas of the country. Offshore oil deposits in the Zaire river estuary have begun to be developed and iron ore and methane gas have been discovered. Paradoxically, as Zaire develops more of its natural resources, the potential for environmental disasters increases. Appended is a 48-item bibliography of private, U.S. Government, and World Bank references.