Silver Kilo 2017 Silverback Gorilla, Coin from Congo, Republic of the - detailed information

The Republic of the Congo uses the Central African CFA Franc, which is a common currency of several states in Central Africa.

Apart from the regular circulating coinage - which does not bear an inscription identifying a specific issuing country - the republic has also authorised some foreign mints to issue commemorative and bullion coins under its jurisdiction. These are typically in standard bullion sizes, but there is also the massive one kilogram of silver. The coins carry the legend and state symbols of the Republic of the Congo, but are legal tender also in all other member states of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC: abbreviated from the French "Communauté Économique et Monétaire de l'Afrique Centrale"), whose standard circulating coinage has no national legends or symbols.

This coin is part of the Scottsdale Mint's Silverback Gorilla series of bullion coins, and the first in the 1 kg silver format.

Gorillas are the largest living primates, reaching heights between 1.25-1.8 metres, weights between 100-270 kg, and arm spans up to 2.6 metres, depending on species and sex. They tend to live in troops, with the leader being an adult male, called a silverback - due to the characteristic silver hair on their backs reaching to the hips. The Eastern gorilla is distinguished from the Western by darker fur colour and some other minor morphological differences. Gorillas tend to live 35-40 years in the wild.