10 things to know before visiting Democratic Republic of Congo

By Stephanie Wolters and David Smith, for CNN
9 minute read
Updated 6:13 PM EDT, Wed March 25, 2015
A man looks out toward the hills of Rwanda from the eastern edge of Lake Kivu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's eastern city of Goma. Congo is the crossroads of Africa, bordered by nine countries. It is the continent's second-largest country in area (behind Algeria) and fourth-largest in population (behind Nigeria, Ethiopia and Egypt).
Congo: Land of beauty, misery —
A man looks out toward the hills of Rwanda from the eastern edge of Lake Kivu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's eastern city of Goma. Congo is the crossroads of Africa, bordered by nine countries. It is the continent's second-largest country in area (behind Algeria) and fourth-largest in population (behind Nigeria, Ethiopia and Egypt).
PHIL MOORE/AFP/Getty Images
Young men milk cows at the headquarters for the National Congress for the Defense of the People in Tebero.
Congo: Land of beauty, misery —
Young men milk cows at the headquarters for the National Congress for the Defense of the People in Tebero.
Uriel Sinai/Getty Images
A Congolese woman arranges fish into clusters to sell at her stand in the southeastern Kivu province.
Congo: Land of beauty, misery —
A Congolese woman arranges fish into clusters to sell at her stand in the southeastern Kivu province.
TONY KARUMBA/AFP/Getty Images
Residents sit on a wall at Volcanoes Stadium in Goma.
Congo: Land of beauty, misery —
Residents sit on a wall at Volcanoes Stadium in Goma.
PHIL MOORE/AFP/Getty Images
A displaced Congolese girl holds a child in a classroom used for shelter in the village of Kibati, on the outskirts of Goma.
Congo: Land of beauty, misery —
A displaced Congolese girl holds a child in a classroom used for shelter in the village of Kibati, on the outskirts of Goma.
PHIL MOORE/AFP/Getty Images
People attend a service at the Katinde Nazareen church in Goma.
Congo: Land of beauty, misery —
People attend a service at the Katinde Nazareen church in Goma.
PHIL MOORE/AFP/Getty Images
A girl climbs a tree at a displacement camp set up in the North Kivu town of Kiwanja. The Democratic Republic of Congo has seen more than its share of violence over the decades. Civil wars have left millions dead across the country and displaced entire generations.
Congo: Land of beauty, misery —
A girl climbs a tree at a displacement camp set up in the North Kivu town of Kiwanja. The Democratic Republic of Congo has seen more than its share of violence over the decades. Civil wars have left millions dead across the country and displaced entire generations.
WALTER ASTRADA/AFP/Getty Images
Displaced children stand against the gate of a religious organization on the outskirts of Goma.
Congo: Land of beauty, misery —
Displaced children stand against the gate of a religious organization on the outskirts of Goma.
PHIL MOORE/AFP/Getty Images