Congo River and "Congo" is the preferred English name in 19th-century literature, although references to "Zahir" or "Zaire" as the name used by the inhabitants remained common. The Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo are named after it, as was the previous Republic of the Congo which had gained independence in 1960 from the Belgian Congo. The Republic of Zaire during 1971–1997 was also named after the river, after its name in French and Portuguese. The Congo's drainage basin covers , an area larger than India. The Congo's discharge at its mouth ranges from , with an
Members of the 27th Dáil and government took place in 1994 without the need for a general election to be called. This is a graphical comparison of party strengths in the 27th Dáil from January 1993. The list of the 166 TDs elected, is given in alphabetical order by constituency. Members of the 27th Dáil This is a list of members who were elected to the 27th Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas (legislature) of Ireland. These TDs (Members of Parliament) were elected at the 1992 general election on 25 November 1992 and met on 14 December 1992. The 27th Dáil was dissolved