Factbook Logo Congo, Republic of the Flag of Congo, Republic of the
   Introduction   Geography   People   Government   Economy   Communications   Transportation   Military   Transnational Issues  
Map of Congo, Republic of the

Congo, Republic of the    Introduction Top of Page
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.
Congo, Republic of the    Geography Top of Page
Location: Western Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and Gabon
Geographic coordinates: 1 00 S, 15 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total:  342,000 sq km

land:  341,500 sq km

water:  500 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Montana
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:  0%

permanent crops:  0%

permanent pastures:  29%

forests and woodland:  62%

other:  9% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 10 sq km (1993 est.)
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
Congo, Republic of the    People Top of Page
Population: 2,894,336

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 and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years:  42.43% (male 618,411; female 609,633)

15-64 years:  54.23% (male 765,501; female 804,125)

65 years and over:  3.34% (male 38,772; female 57,894) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.2% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 38.24 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 16.22 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth:  1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years:  1.01 male(s)/female

15-64 years:  0.95 male(s)/female

65 years and over:  0.67 male(s)/female

total population:  0.97 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 99.73 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population:  47.57 years

male:  44.38 years

female:  50.85 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 5 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 6.43% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 86,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 8,600 (1999 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 that of 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:  74.9%

male:  83.1%

female:  67.2% (1995 est.)
Congo, Republic of the    Government Top of Page
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
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: Independence Day, 15 August (1960)
Constitution: Draft constitution approved by transitional parliament in September 2000
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:  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

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 or 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]; Association for Democracy and Social Progress or RDPS [Jean-Pierre Thystere TCHICAYA, president]; Congolese Movement for Democracy and Integral Development or MCDDI [Michel MAMPOUYA]; Pan-African Union for Social Development or UPADS [Martin MBERI]; Union of Democratic Forces or UFD [Sebastian EBAO]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Congolese Trade Union Congress or CSC; General Union of Congolese Pupils and Students or UGEEC; Revolutionary Union of Congolese Women or URFC; Union of Congolese Socialist Youth or UJSC
International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC, CCC, CEEAC, CEMAC, 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, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission:  (vacant); Charge d'Affaires ad interim Serge MOMBOULI

chancery:  4891 Colorado Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20011

telephone:  [1] (202) 726-5500

FAX:  [1] (202) 726-1860
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission:  Ambassador David H. KAEUPER

embassy:  NA

mailing address:  NA

telephone:  [243] (88) 43608

FAX:  [243] (88) 41036

note:  the embassy is temporarily collocated with the US Embassy in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (US Embassy Kinshasa, 310 Avenue des Aviateurs, Kinshasa)
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
Congo, Republic of the    Economy Top of Page
Economy - overview: The economy is a mixture of village agriculture and handicrafts, an industrial sector based largely on oil, 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. Moreover, the government has mortgaged a substantial portion of its oil earnings, contributing to the government's shortage of revenues. The 12 January 1994 devaluation of Franc Zone currencies by 50% resulted in inflation of 61% in 1994, but inflation has subsided since. Economic reform efforts continued with the support of international organizations, notably the World Bank and the IMF. 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. However, economic progress was badly hurt by slumping oil prices and the resumption of armed conflict in December 1998, which worsened the Republic of the Congo's budget deficit. Even with the IMF's renewed confidence and high world oil prices, Congo is unlikely to realize growth of more than 5% in 2001-02. With the return to fragile peace, the IMF approved a $14 million credit in November 2000 to aid post-conflict reconstruction.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $3.1 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 3.8% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,100 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture:  10%

industry:  48%

services:  42% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%:  NA%

highest 10%:  NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.5% (2000 est.)
Labor force: NA
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues:  $870 million

expenditures:  $970 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997 est.)
Industries: petroleum extraction, cement kilning, lumbering, brewing, sugar milling, palm oil, soap, flour, cigarette making
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: 302 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel:  0.66%

hydro:  99.34%

nuclear:  0%

other:  0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 406.9 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 126 million kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: cassava (tapioca), sugar, rice, corn, peanuts, vegetables, coffee, cocoa; forest products
Exports: $2.6 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Exports - commodities: petroleum 50%, lumber, plywood, sugar, cocoa, coffee, diamonds
Exports - partners: US 23%, Benelux 14%, Germany, Italy, Taiwan, China (1998)
Imports: $870 million (f.o.b., 2000)
Imports - commodities: petroleum products, capital equipment, construction materials, foodstuffs
Imports - partners: France 23%, US 9%, Belgium 8%, UK 7%, Italy (1997 est.)
Debt - external: $5 billion (1999 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $159.1 million (1995)
Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States
Currency code: XAF
Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 699.21 (January 2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.70 (1999), 589.95 (1998), 583.67 (1997), 511.55 (1996); note - from 1 January 1999, the XAF is pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XAF per euro
Fiscal year: calendar year
Congo, Republic of the    Communications Top of Page
Telephones - main lines in use: 22,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 1,000 (1996)
Telephone system: general assessment:  services barely adequate for government use; key exchanges are in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, and Loubomo; intercity lines frequently out-of-order

domestic:  primary network consists of microwave radio relay and coaxial cable

international:  satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 1 (1999)
Radios: 341,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (1999)
Televisions: 33,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .cg
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Internet users: 500 (2000)
Congo, Republic of the    Transportation Top of Page
Railways: total:  894 km

narrow gauge:  894 km 1.067-m gauge (2000)
Highways: total:  12,800 km

paved:  1,242 km

unpaved:  11,558 km (1996)
Waterways: 1,120 km

note:  the Congo and Ubangi (Oubangui) rivers provide 1,120 km of commercially navigable water transport; other rivers are used for local traffic only
Pipelines: crude oil 25 km
Ports and harbors: Brazzaville, Impfondo, Ouesso, Oyo, Pointe-Noire
Airports: 33 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total:  4

over 3,047 m:  1

1,524 to 2,437 m:  3 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total:  29

1,524 to 2,437 m:  7

914 to 1,523 m:  12

under 914 m:  10 (2000 est.)
Congo, Republic of the    Military Top of Page
Military branches: Army, Air Force, Navy, Gendarmerie
Military manpower - military age: 20 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49:  684,922 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:  347,946 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males:  32,350 (2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $110 million (FY93)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 3.8% (FY93)
Congo, Republic of the    Transnational Issues Top of Page
Disputes - international: most of the Congo river boundary with the Democratic Republic of the Congo is indefinite (no agreement has been reached on the division of the river or its islands, except in the Stanley Pool/Pool Malebo area)