evidence: The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is the largest country in sub-Saharan Africa. Between the 14th and 19th centuries, the kingdom of Kongo included much of the western part of present-day DRC, while in the centre and east the kingdoms of Luba and Lunda ruled from the 16th and 17th to the 19th centuries. The region was made a personal colony of the Belgian King Leopold II in 1885, called the Congo Free State, and exploited for its natural resources, particularly rubber, through plantation agriculture using forced labour. During this time a large proportion of the Congolese population died as a result of exploitation and disease. Belgium annexed the territory as the Belgian Congo in 1908. Independence was gained in 1960 as the Republic of Congo, also known as Congo-Leopoldville; this was later changed to Zaire in 1971 and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1997. [...] UNEP. 2011. Problematique de l’Eau en Republique Democratique du Congo: Defis et Opportunites. UNEP Rapport Technique van Engelen VWP, Verdoodt A, Dijkshoorn JA and van Ranst E. 2006. Soil and Terrain Database of Central Africa (DR of Congo, Burundi and Rwanda). Report 2006/07. Available through https://www.isric.org. ISRIC – World Soil Information, Wageningen).