The Democratic Republic of Congo is a place.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo ( [ ˈkɒŋɡəʊ ] [ kɔ̃ɡo ] ; République démocratique du Congo ) , also known as DR Congo , DRC , DROC , Congo-Kinshasa or simply the Congo , is a country located in Central Africa . The DRC borders the Central African Republic and South Sudan to the north ; Uganda , Rwanda , Burundi and Tanzania to the east ; Zambia and Angola to the south ; the Republic of the Congo to the west and the Atlantic Ocean to the southwest . With a population of over 80 million , the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the most populated officially Francophone country , the fourth most-populated nation in Africa and the eighteenth most populated country in the world .