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Glite Dictionary
Zaire

Zaire

111 7.8
A former country in central Africa now called the Democratic Republic of the Congo
  • proper noun
  • /zɛər/
translation icon : Zaire
  • In 1974, Muhammad Ali famously fought Joe Frazier in Zaire for the Heavyweight Championship.
  • Zaire (now Congo)
  • Zaire in central Africa
  • Zaire and Belgium

Let's hope Zimbabwe or Zaire see the lion.

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Examples

  • And so you saw masses of people leave Rwanda for eastern Zaire to save their lives.

  • The obstacles facing Zaire's peaceful and successful transition from the Mobutu era are formidable.

    Academic text (1992)

  • Was it that bad in Zaire?

    Outbreak (1995)

  • Current political developments in Zaire are therefore being watched closely in Belgium.

    Academic text (1992)

  • As a result, in addition to other budgetary problems, Zaire started to experience enormous balance of payment deficits.

    Academic text (1992)

  • Ali and his 35-person entourage are greeted in Zaire by thousands of adoring fans.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • Lang photographed many villages in northeastern Zaire, in the Mangbetu kingdoms and elsewhere.

    Academic text (1991)

  • Zaire was known for its vast natural resources before it became the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

  • During the 1990s, political instability in Zaire led to significant migrations of refugees into neighboring countries.

Compounds

Zaire River
7.0

The old name for the Congo River in central Africa that flows to the Atlantic Ocean

Surface Forms

Zaire main

Etymology

Zaire comes from a local Kongo word for the great river in that area, which Portuguese visitors wrote as Zaire and which is related to nzadi, meaning 'river'. So the country was named after the Congo River, and thinking of that big river helps you remember the name.