fire on the fort. On April 14 the Union
troops surrendered. The next day President
Lincoln called for troops to be used
against the Confederate States. This was
the beginning of the CivilWar.
End of the Confederacy
The Confederacy had some advantages
in the CivilWar. It was defending its
own territory, and it had brilliant generals.
However, the Confederacy had only
about 5.5 million citizens (and 3.5 million
slaves). There were 22 million
Northerners. The Confederacy also had
few factories to produce the goods it
needed to survive. After four years of
fighting, Confederate forces surrendered
on April 9, 1865.
#More to explore
American CivilWar • Davis, Jefferson
Confucius
For more than 2,000 years the people of
China have been guided by the principles
of the teacher and philosopher
Confucius. His teachings, known as
Confucianism, are based on kindness,
love, and respect. Confucianism serves
as a way of life, a source of values, and a
social code for its followers.
Confucius was born in 551 BC in Qufu,
in what is now China’s Shantung Province.
His exact birthday is not known,
though many people in eastern Asia
celebrate it on September 28. Confucius
is not his original name. His family
name was Kong. Confucius is a European
version of the Chinese name Kongfuzi,
meaning “Master Kong.”
Confucius was a good student in his
youth. He studied many subjects,
including ceremonial practices, music,
archery, driving a chariot, calligraphy,
and arithmetic. He also had a good
understanding of history and poetry.
While in his 30s Confucius began teaching.
His goal was to improve society. He
believed that students should work on
bettering their lives in addition to gaining
knowledge.
Confucius was also concerned with
politics. He wanted an influential
position in the government so that he
would be able to reform society. He
held government posts while in his 40s
and 50s, but he never received a
position of great influence. Confucius
died in 479 BC.
#More to explore
China
The Chinese teacher and philosopher
Confucius is pictured in
a painting from the 1700s.
178 Confucius BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
Congo, Democratic
Republic of the
Located along the equator in Central
Africa, the Democratic Republic of the
Congo is the third largest country on
the continent. Its capital and largest city
is Kinshasa.
Geography
The Democratic Republic of the Congo
shares borders with the Central African
Republic, Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda,
Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia, Angola,
and the Republic of the Congo. The
western tip of the country touches the
Atlantic Ocean.
The Congo River flows through the
country and along its western border.
High plateaus border the plains around
the river. Three chains of mountains run
through the east. Margherita Peak, at
16,795 feet (5,119 meters), is the country’s
highest point. Most of the country
is hot and humid.
Plants and Animals
Rain forests of mahogany, ebony, and
other trees grow in the Congo river
basin. Mangrove trees grow in swamps
near the coast. Grasslands cover the eastern
plateaus.
The country’s many wild animals
include chimpanzees, monkeys,
elephants, lions, cheetahs, hyenas, buffalo,
antelope, rhinoceroses, and giraffes.
Gorillas live in the eastern mountains.
Hippopotamuses and crocodiles inhabit
rivers and lakes.
People
The people of the Democratic Republic
of the Congo belong to many different
ethnic groups. The major groups are
the Luba, the Kongo, and the Mongo.
French and English are the official
languages, but many people speak
Lingala or one of 200 other languages.
Most of the people practice Christianity.
The rest follow traditional
African beliefs or other religions. More
than two thirds of the people live in
small towns and villages.
Economy
Most of the people are farmers. Main
crops include cassava, sugarcane, plantains,
corn, oil palm, peanuts, and rice.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Congo, Democratic Republic of the 179
The country also produces coffee, cotton,
and rubber.
The next most important part of the
economy is trade, which depends on the
country’s rich natural resources. The
Democratic Republic of the Congo is a
leading producer of diamonds. It also
has deposits of petroleum, coal, copper,
cobalt, zinc, and gold.
History
Before Europeans arrived in the late
1800s, several kingdoms ruled the
region that is now the Democratic
Republic of the Congo. They included
the Kingdom of Kongo, the Luba
Empire, and the Lunda Empire.
King Leopold II of Belgium claimed the
region, which he called the Congo Free
State, in 1885. The king forced the
people to work in mines and on rubber
plantations. In 1908 the Belgian Parliament
took over the land, which it
renamed the Belgian Congo.
In June 1960 the colony gained independence
as the Republic of the Congo.
From the beginning, the president and
the prime minister fought for power. In
September 1960 the army’s chief of
staff, Joseph Mobutu, took control of
the country. In 1971 Mobutu renamed
the country the Republic of Zaire.
Mobutu ruled as a dictator who crushed
all opposition. By the 1990s, political
groups in Zaire demanded a democracy.
Rebels forced Mobutu out of the country
