The Republic of Zaire ( /zɑːˈɪər/; French: République du Zaïre; French pronunciation: [za.iʁ]) was the name of the present Democratic Republic of the Congo between 27 October 1971 and 17 May 1997. The name of Zaire derives from the Portuguese: Zaire, itself an adaptation of the Kongo word nzere or nzadi, or "the river that swallows all rivers".