Loca .t~/inwest central Africa， Zalre is the From the fifteenth to the late nineteenth<br >continent s third largest country. The na- centuries， many thriving kingdoms evolved<br >tion has 37.8 million citizens and more in Zalre. Most of the people in these king-<br >than 200 ethnic groups. Not one of these doms lived in small villages and relied on<br >Zsirean groups， most of which speak a farming， hunting， and fishing for survival.<br >Bantu language， makes up over 10 percent In the sixteenth century， slave trading<br >of the total population， with Europeans became an important eco-<br > Although they live in a country that has nomic activity for some local leaders.<br >great mineral wealth， most Zalreans do not African brokers who captured villagers<br >have enough money to feed， clothe， and ed- and sold them to foreign buyers also prof-<br >ucate their families. In fact， if measured ited from the slave trade.<br >by average income per person， Zaire is one In the late 1800s， Zaire s vast store of<br >of the world s poorest nations， minerals attracted Belgium s King Leo-<br > Zaire s people have been grouped into a pold I I. He signed treaties with hundreds<br >single nation for a relatively short time. of African leaders to mine and sell Zaire s<br >