Cre8tive Play: 2020 Travel the World

I started a Travel the World Series last year. (It should be noted that I did a similar thing in 2018, only it was the 50 states.) For 50 weeks in 2019, I visited a different country (virtually) and shared facts about that country. I then selected one tidbit of information about that week's country as inspiration for a card. Fifty weeks; fifty countries... BUT there are 195 countries in the world so that was just a little over 25% of them. Of course I couldn't stop, so this year I'm continuing with fifty more countries, one per week.

This week's country is...

Congo

Congo is also known as Republic of the Congo, Congo Republic, West Congo and Congo-Brazzaville!

It is a small country in central Africa; in total land area it is slightly larger than Italy.

It is bordered by Cameroon and Central African Republic to the north, Democratic Republic of the Congo to the east, Angola to the south and Gabon to the west. It also has a coastline along the South Atlantic Ocean to the southwest.

Because of its location, the Republic of Congo is crossed by the Equator line, which means that this country's weather is pretty consistent throughout the year. Its tropical climate is characterized by humidity, hot temperatures and rainfall in some regions. The dry season usually falls between June and August, while the rainfall periods last from March to May and once again from September to November.

The terrain in Congo is dominated by plains and basins, with a virtually uninhabited jungle in the north.

Its residents are known as Congolese.

Congo's official language is French.

Congo is the only place in the world where the Bonobo great ape can be found.

Several varieties of monkeys, chimpanzees, gorillas, elephants, okapis, wild boars, and buffaloes live in the forests. Wildlife in the savanna regions includes antelopes, jackals, wild dogs, hyenas, and cheetahs. On the plateaus, rhinoceroses and giraffes are numerous, but lions are scarce.

Seventy percent of Congo is under dense rainforest cover, with 40% of it being a protected area.

The Republic of the Congo is home to the second largest rainforest in the world. This rainforest is so large it encompasses six different countries and is home to over 10,000 species of plants. It is inhabited by several endangered species, such as forest elephants and mountain gorillas. On top of that, the rainforest covers about 70% of the Congolese territory.

The Okapi (also known as the forest giraffe or zebra giraffe) is located in the Congo. Although it bears striped markings reminiscent of zebras, it is most closely related to the giraffe.

Congo birdlife includes predatory eagles, hawks, owls, scavenging vultures, and wading herons.

Freshwater fish include perch, catfish, sunfish, and mudskippers. Crocodiles inhabit the Congo River. The numerous snakes include such poisonous varieties as cobra, green mamba, and puff adder, as well as species of pythons.

The Congo River that flows through Congo is the deepest river and the second largest river in the world.

The Congo Basin rainforest is the world’s second largest rainforest, spanning Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon!

There are around 10,000 species of tropical plant in the Congo Basin and many wild animals, including Mountain Gorillas, Chimpanzee’s and forest Elephants!

The most famous Congo rainforest tribe is the Pygmy tribe. The average Pygmy man is around 4ft 10in tall, whilst the average woman is around 4ft 1in tall!

Diosso Gorge (the Grand Canyon of the Congo) is found within the rainforest. Its red rock ridges and distinctive red rock cliffs reach up to 165 feet in height.

This diverse country grows cassava (tapioca), rice, sugar and corn; they also produce forest products.

Its industry consists of petroleum extraction, lumber, cement, brewing, sugar, soap and palm oil.

The Republic of Congo exports lumber, petroleum, sugar, cacao and plywood.

Education is free and compulsory for students between 6 and 16. Primary education, which begins at age six and lasts for six years, includes instruction in agriculture, manual skills, and domestic science. Secondary-level education offers vocational training, academic and technical training, general education, and teacher training.

In the Congo when a child loses a baby tooth, the parents take it and throw it on top of the roof. It is believed that this custom will assure that the child's teeth can grow properly again.

When two men meet in the Congo, they greet each other by rubbing their heads against each other from side to side. This form of greeting is only performed by men of the same ethnic group. It is forbidden for women to greet this way.

Many Congo women do their grocery shopping at home, literally in their front yards. They simply grab a chair and sit in their yard waiting for the street vendors that parade the neighborhoods selling groceries such as fresh vegetables, fruit and other items needed for meal preparations. The vendors call out what they are selling and if the woman is interested in making a purchase the vendor is invited into the house, where prices are negotiated and the vendor makes the sale. This method of shopping is preferable to many Congo women.

I decided to let this Congo fact be the inspiration for this week's card... With Christians making up more than 75% of the nation's population, it is not surprising that Christian holidays like Good Friday, Easter, and Christmas are celebrated in the Congo. Traditionally Congolese go to church and exchange gifts at Christmas.