The Democratic Republic of the Congo is now, after the splitting of Sudan and South Sudan, the second-largest country in Africa after Algeria. It is also the 11th-largest nation in the world – almost 10 times the size of the UK.
Despite its huge size, most of the country has an equatorial or tropical climate. Annually, rainfall ranges from roughly 1,200 to 2,000mm (48 to 80 in), though some parts of the country – notably the coastal fringe and the extreme north and south – are drier than this.
The variation comes in the form of either one or two distinct wet seasons. The city of Kisangani, very close to the equator, has two periods of high rainfall: the first, from March to April, and the second, from August through to November.
The capital, Kinshasa, has one long rainy season, from October through to May; outside these months there is hardly any rainfall. Throughout the country it is often cloudy and very humid, with rain most afternoons. This is also the world’s lightning capital, with more strikes each year than any other nation.
In the mountainous north-east of the country, Africa’s third-highest peak, Mount Stanley, reaches over 5,100 metres (almost 16,800 ft); here, snow falls regularly, and there are glaciers near the top.
