Background
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[ Geography ] [ People ] [ Government ] [ Economy ] [ Communications ] [ Transportation ] [ Military ]

Geography

Background: Upon independence in 1960, the former French region of Middle Congo became the Republic of the Congo. A quarter century of experimentation with Marxism was abandoned in 1990 and a democratically elected government installed in 1992. A brief civil war in 1997 restored former Marxist President SASSOU-NGUESSO.

Location: Western Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and Gabon

Geographic coordinates: 1 00 S, 15 00 E

Area:
total: 342,000 sq km
land: 341,500 sq km
water: 500 sq km

Land boundaries:
total: 5,504 km
border countries: Angola 201 km, Cameroon 523 km, Central African Republic 467 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 2,410 km, Gabon 1,903 km

Coastline: 169 km

Maritime claims: territorial sea: 200 nm

Climate: tropical; rainy season (March to June); dry season (June to October); constantly high temperatures and humidity; particularly enervating climate astride the Equator

Terrain: coastal plain, southern basin, central plateau, northern basin

Elevation extremes:
lowest point : Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Berongou 903 m

Natural resources: petroleum, timber, potash, lead, zinc, uranium, copper, phosphates, natural gas, hydropower

Land use:
arable land: 1.45%
permanent crops: 0.15%
other: 98.4% (2005)

Irrigated land: 10 sq km (1993 est.); 10 sq km (1998 est.); 20 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards: seasonal flooding

Environment - current issues: air pollution from vehicle emissions; water pollution from the dumping of raw sewage; tap water is not potable; deforestation

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified:Law of the Sea

Geography - note: about 70% of the population lives in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, or along the railroad between them

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People

Population: 2,830,961 - 2,958,448 (2002 est.); 3,903,318 (July 2008 est.)
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected

Age structure:
0-14 years: 46.1% (male 906,345/female 894,568)
15-64 years: 51% (male 989,126/female 1,002,682)
65 years and over: 2.8% (male 45,560/female 65,037) (2008 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.23% (2000 est.); 2.18% (2002 est.); 2.696% (2008 est.)

Birth rate: 38.61 births/1,000 population (2000 est.); 37.91 births/1,000 population (2002 est.); 41.76 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate: 16.35 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.); 16.1 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.); 12.28 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate: -2.52 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 101.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.); 97.91 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.); total: 81.29 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 53.74 years
male: 52.52 years
female: 55 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate: 5.06 children born/woman (2000 est.); 4.94 children born/woman (2002 est.); 5.92 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Nationality:
noun : Congolese (singular and plural)
adjective: Congolese or Congo

Ethnic groups: Kongo 48%, Sangha 20%, M'Bochi 12%, Teke 17%, Europeans NA%; note—Europeans estimated at 8,500, mostly French, before the 1997 civil war; may be half of that in 1998, following the widespread destruction of foreign businesses in 1997

Religions: Christian 50%, animist 48%, Muslim 2%

Languages: French (official), Lingala and Monokutuba (lingua franca trade languages), many local languages and dialects (of which Kikongo has the most users)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 83.8%
male: 89.6%
female: 78.4% (2003 est.)

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Government

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of the Congo
conventional short form: none
local long form : Republique du Congo
local short form: none
former: Middle Congo, Congo/Brazzaville, Congo

Government type: republic

National capital: Brazzaville

Administrative divisions: 9 regions (regions, singular—region) and 1 commune*; Bouenza, Brazzaville*, Cuvette, Kouilou, Lekoumou, Likouala, Niari, Plateaux, Pool, Sangha

Independence: 15 August 1960 (from France)

National holiday: Congolese National Day, 15 August 1960 (from France)

Constitution: new constitution approved by referendum March 1992 but is now being redrafted by President SASSOU-NGUESSO

Legal system: based on French civil law system and customary law

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO (since 25 October 1997, following the civil war in which he toppled elected president Pascal LISSOUBA); note—the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government : normally the prime minister, appointed from the majority party by the president; however, since his inauguration, President Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO has been both chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 16 August 1992 (next was to be held 27 July 1997 but will be delayed for several years pending the drafting of a new constitution)
election results:Pascal LISSOUBA elected president in 1992; percent of vote—Pascal LISSOUBA 61.3%, Bernard KOLELAS 38.7%; note—LISSOUBA was deposed in 1997, replaced by Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO

Legislative branch: unicameral National Transitional Council (75 seats, members elected by reconciliation forum of 1,420 delegates on NA January 1998); note - the National Transitional Council replaced the bicameral Parliament
elections:National Transitional Council - last held NA January 1998 (next to be held NA 2001); note - at that election the National Transitional Council is to be replaced by a bicameral assembly
election results: National Transitional Council - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)

Political parties and leaders: the most important of the many parties are the Democratic and Patriotic Forces or FDP (an alliance of Convention for Alternative Democracy, Congolese Labor Party or PCT, Liberal Republican Party, National Union for Democracy and Progress, Patriotic Union for the National Reconstruction, and Union for the National Renewal) [Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO, president]; Congolese Movement for Democracy and Integral Development or MCDDI [Michel MAMPOUYA]; Pan-African Union for Social Development or UPADS [Martin MBERI]; Rally for Democracy and Social Progress or RDPS [Jean-Pierre Thystere TCHICAYA, president]; Rally for Democracy and the Republic or RDR [Raymond Damasge NGOLLO]; Union for Democracy and Republic [leader NA]; Union of Democratic Forces or UFD [Sebastian EBAO]

International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC, CCC, CEEAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, UDEAC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Flag description: divided diagonally from the lower hoist side by a yellow band; the upper triangle (hoist side) is green and the lower triangle is red; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia

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Economy

Economy - overview: The economy is a mixture of subsistance agriculture, an industrial sector based largely on oil, and support services, and a government characterized by budget problems and overstaffing. Oil has supplanted forestry as the mainstay of the economy, providing a major share of government revenues and exports. In the early 1980s, rapidly rising oil revenues enabled the government to finance large-scale development projects with GDP growth averaging 5% annually, one of the highest rates in Africa. The government has mortgaged a substantial portion of its oil earnings through oil-backed loans that have contributed to a growing debt burden and chronic revenue shortfalls. Economic reform efforts have been undertaken with the support of international organizations, notably the World Bank and the IMF. However, the reform program came to a halt in June 1997 when civil war erupted. Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO, who returned to power when the war ended in October 1997, publicly expressed interest in moving forward on economic reforms and privatization and in renewing cooperation with international financial institutions. Economic progress was badly hurt by slumping oil prices and the resumption of armed conflict in December 1998, which worsened the republic's budget deficit. The current administration presides over an uneasy internal peace and faces difficult economic challenges of stimulating recovery and reducing poverty. Recovery of oil prices has boosted the economy's GDP and near-term prospects. In March 2006, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) treatment for Congo.

GDP: purchasing power parity— $2.5 billion (2001 est.); $13.97 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 5% (1999 est.); 4.2% (2001 est.); 2.8% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity—$1,530 (1999 est.); $900 (2001 est.); $3,700 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 5.6%
industry: 57.1%
services: 37.3% (2006 est.)

Inflation rate - consumer prices: 4% (1999 est.); 3% (2001 est.); 7% (2007 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $3.639 billion
expenditures: $2.104 billion (2007 est.)

Industries: petroleum extraction, cement kilning, lumbering, brewing, sugar milling, palm oil, soap, cigarette making

Industrial production growth rate: -1% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production: 503 million kWh (1998); 302 million kWh (1999); 7.341 billion kWh (2005)

Electricity - consumption: 588 million kWh (1998); 5.272 billion kWh (2005)

Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1998); 1.8 billion kWh (2005)

Electricity - imports: 120 million kWh (1998); 6 million kWh (2005)

Agriculture - products: cassava (tapioca), sugar, rice, corn, peanuts, vegetables, coffee, cocoa; forest products

Exports:
total value: $1.7 billion (f.o.b., 1999) - $2.6 billion (f.o.b., 2001); $6.455 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
commodities: petroleum 50%, lumber, plywood, sugar, cocoa, coffee, diamonds
partners: US 35.9%, China 31.4%, Taiwan 9.9%, South Korea 8% (2006)

Imports:
total value: $770 million (f.o.b., 1999) - $725 million (f.o.b., 2001); $1.724 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
commodities: petroleum products, capital equipment, construction materials, foodstuffs
partners: France 23.5%, China 13.2%, US 7.6%, India 7%, Italy 5.6%, Belgium 5.3% (2006)

Debt - external: $5 billion (1997); $5 billion (1999 est.); $5 billion (2000 est.)

Economic aid: $1.449 billion (2005)

Currency: 1 Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes

Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 483.6 (2007), 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003)

Fiscal year: calendar year

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Communications

Telephones: 21,000 (1995); 22,000 (1997); 15,900 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular: 250,000 (2001); 490,000 (2005)

Telephone system: services barely adequate for government use; key exchanges are in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, and Loubomo; intercity lines frequently out of order; fixed-line infrastructure inadequate providing less than 1 connection per 100 persons; mobile-cellular subscribership has surged reaching 16 per 100 persons
domestic: primary network consists of microwave radio relay and coaxial cable
international: country code - 242; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 1 (1999) AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 3 (2001)

Radios: 341,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations: 1 (1999) 1 (2002)

Televisions: 8,500 (1993 est.) 33,000 (1997)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2002)

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Transportation

Railways:
total: 894 km
narrow gauge: 894 km 1.067-m gauge (2006)

Highways:
total: 17,289 km
paved: 864 km
unpaved: 16,425 km (2004)

Waterways: 1,125 km (commercially navigable on Congo and Oubanqui rivers) (2006)

Ports and harbors: Brazzaville, Impfondo, Ouesso, Oyo, Pointe-Noire

Airports: 36 (1999 est.); 33 (2001); 31 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 5
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 26
1,524 to 2,437 m: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 10
under 914 m: 9 (2007)

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Military

Military branches: Congolese Armed Forces (Forces Armees Congolaises, FAC): Army, Navy, Congolese Air Force (Armee de l'Air Congolaise), Gendarmerie, Special Presidential Security Guard (GSSP) (2008)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 16-49: 842,771
females age 16-49: 833,624 (2008 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 519,296
females age 16-49: 509,564 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 3.1% (2006)

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