Not to be confused with the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC, formerly Zaïre), across the Congo River, which has a population of around 87 million and a land area 80 times that of Belgium, its former colonial power.
Congo
(officially known as the Republic of Congo
and also sometimes called Congo-Brazzaville) has a population of
just 5 million but a GDP per capita ten times that of its neighbour, reflecting its position as a significant oil producer.