Map of Congo | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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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.


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

Geographic coordinates: 1 00 S, 15 00 E

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 342,000 km²
Land: 341,500 km²
Water: 500 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Montana

Land boundaries
Total: 5,504 km
Border countries: (5) 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
Extremes highest point: Mount Berongou 903 m

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

Land use
Arable land: 0%
Permanent crops: 0%
Permanent pastures: 29%
Forests and woodland: 62%
Other: 9% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 10 km² (1993 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: seasonal flooding

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


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Population: 2,583,198 (July 1997 est.)
Growth rate: 2.15% (1997 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Congolese (singular and plural)
Adjective: Congolese or Congo

Ethnic groups: Kongo 48%, Sangha 20%, M'Bochi 12%, Teke 17%, Europeans 8,500 (mostly French)

Languages: French (official), African languages (Lingala and Kikongo are the most widely used)

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

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 43% (male 557,996; female 552,022)
15-64 years: 54% (male 677,313; female 707,569)
65 years and over: 3% (male 35,573; female 52,725) (July 1997 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 2.15% (1997 est.)

Birth rate: 38.79 births/1000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate: 17.3 deaths/1000 population (1997 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (1997 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

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

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 106.1 deaths/1000 live births (1997 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 45.73 years
Male: 44.24 years
Female: 47.27 years (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate: 5.06 children born/woman (1997 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 74.9%
Male: 83.1%
Female: 67.2% (1995 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of the Congo
Conventional short form: none
Local long form: Republique du Congo
Local short form: none
Former: 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

Dependent areas

Independence: 15 August 1960 (from France)

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

Constitution: new constitution approved by referendum March 1992

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

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Pascal LISSOUBA (since August 1992)
Head of government: Prime Minister David Charles GANAO (since 2 September 1996)
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 armed clashes between political parties in early July seemed likely to delay it); prime minister appointed by the president
Election results: Pascal LISSOUBA elected president; percent of vote - Pascal LISSOUBA 61%

Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (125 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms) and the Senate (60 seats; members are elected by local and regional councils to serve six-year terms)
Elections: National Assembly - last held 3 October 1993 (next to be held NA 1998); Senate - last held November 1996 (next to be held NA 2002)
Election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UPADS 64, URD/PCT 58, others 3; Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UPADS 23, MCDDI 14, RDD 8, RDPS 5, PCT 2, others 8

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)

Political parties and leaders

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, ITU, NAM, OAU, UDEAC, UN, UNAVEM III, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Dieudonne Antoine GANGA
In the us chancery: 4,891 Colorado Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,011
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 726-5,500
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 726-1860
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador J. Aubrey HOOKS (10 June 1996)
From the us embassy: Avenue Amilcar Cabral, Brazzaville
From the us mailing address: B. P. 1015, Brazzaville
From the us telephone: [242] 83 20 70
From the us FAX: [242] 83 63 38

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

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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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 about 90% 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. Subsequently, falling oil prices cut GDP growth by half. 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. Recent efforts to implement economic reforms have begun to show progress; the government and the IMF signed an aid agreement in mid-1996.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 0.9% (1995 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,960 (1995 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 11.4%
Industry: 35.2%
Services: 53.4% (1993)

Agriculture products: cassava (tapioca) accounts for 90% of food output, sugar, rice, corn, peanuts, vegetables, coffee, cocoa; forest products

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

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Labor force: NA

Unemployment rate: NA%

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $870 million
Expenditures: $970 million, including capital expenditures of $N/A (1997 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports
Total value: $952 million (f.o.b., 1994)
Commodities: crude oil 90%, lumber, plywood, sugar, cocoa, coffee, diamonds
Partners: Belgium-Luxembourg 24.3%, Taiwan 20.2%, US 14.9%, Italy 14.8% (1995 est.)

Imports
Total value: $559 million (f.o.b. 1994)
Commodities: intermediate manufactures, capital equipment, construction materials, foodstuffs, petroleum products
Partners: France 31.2%, Netherlands 24.6%, Italy 11.4%, US 6.9% (1995 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $5.3 billion (1996)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: CFA francs (CFAF) per US$1 - 541.69 (January 1997), 511.55 (1996), 499.15 (1995), 555.20 (1994), 283.16 (1993), 264.69 (1992)
Note: beginning 12 January 1994, the CFA franc was devalued to CFAF 100 per French franc from CFAF 50 at which it had been fixed since 1948


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Electricity
Capacity: 165,000 kW (1995)
Production: 440 million kWh (1994)
Consumption per capita: 223 kWh (1994 est.)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones: 18,000 (1983 est.)

Telephone system: services barely adequate for government use; key exchanges are in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, and Loubomo; inter-city lines frequently out of order
Domestic: primary network consists of microwave radio relay and coaxial cable
International: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $110 million (1993)
Percent of gdp: 3.8% (1993)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 34 (1996 est.)
With paved runways total: 13
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 3
With paved runways under 914 m: 9 (1996 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 21
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 7
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 14 (1996 est.)

Heliports

Pipelines: crude oil 25 km

Railways
Total: 795 km (includes 285 km private track)
Narrow gauge: 795 km 1.067-m gauge (1995 est.)

Roadways

Waterways: the Congo and Ubangi (Oubangui) Rivers provide 1,120 km of commercially navigable water transport; other rivers are used for local traffic only

Merchant marine: total:1 cargo ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,218 GRT/4,100 DWT (1996 est.)

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: long segment of boundary with Democratic Republic of the Congo along the Congo River is indefinite (no division of the river or its islands has been made)

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs