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
27th Group Army then participated in the battle of Huaihai where it confronted and destroyed the KMT Huang Bo Tao Army Group. In February 1949 the unit was redesignated and reorganized as the 27th Army. In 1949 the 27th Army was composed of the 79th, 80th and 81st Divisions. The unit took part in the assault on Shanghai. The 27th Corps was part of the first contingent of Chinese forces to be deployed to Korea in October 1950 to fight against United Nations forces. It consisted of the 79th, 80th, 81st and 94th Divisions, though the 94th Division was attached to the 27th