Formerly the Belgian Congo; its 70's/80's "Zaïre" phase was sandwiched by its once and current name, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (similar to its neighbor's name). The name of the Congo River was likewise changed to Zaïre. Like its northern neighbor, the Central African Republic, its now-deposed longtime dictator (the late Mobutu Sese Seko) looted the wealth of the country, leaving his subjects among the poorest on the continent. Potentially a financial superpower, once it gets its act together for a few generations.