Statistical information Congo 1999Congo

Map of Congo | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
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Congo - Introduction 1999
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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.


Congo - Geography 1999
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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 referenceAfrica

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

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


Congo - People 1999
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Population: 2,716,814 (July 1999 est.)
Growth rate: 2.16% (1999 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

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

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

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

Demographic profile
Age structure

Age structure
0-14 years: 42% (male 579,940; female 573,847)
15-64 years: 54% (male 718,820; female 751,911)
65 years and over: 4% (male 36,987; female 55,309) (1999 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 2.16% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 37.96 births/1000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 16.33 deaths/1000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (1999 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
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94
International agreements signed but not ratified: Desertification, Law of the Sea

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: 0.67 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 100.58 deaths/1000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 47.14 years
Male: 45.42 years
Female: 48.92 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 4.89 children born/woman (1999 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


Congo - Government 1999
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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 but is now being redrafted by President SASSOU-NGUESSO

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 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%, Bernard KOLELAS 39%; 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; note_the National Transitioanl Council replaced the bicameral Paarliament in mid-1997
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

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, MONUA, NAM, OAU, OPCW, UDEAC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: (vacant); Charge d'Affaires ad interim Serge MOMBOULI
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
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
From the us 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 descriptionflag of Congo: 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


Congo - Economy 1999
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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 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. 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. 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 in 1998, which worsened the Republic of the Congo's budget deficit. A second blow was the resumption of armed conflict in December 1998.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 2.5% (1998 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity: $1,500 (1998 est.)

Gross national saving
Gdp composition by sector of origin

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 10%
Industry: 59%
Services: 31% (1997 est.)

Agriculture products: cassava (tapioca), 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
Labor force

Unemployment rate: NA%

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA%

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: $1.7 billion (f.o.b., 1997)
Commodities: petroleum 50%, lumber, plywood, sugar, cocoa, coffee, diamonds
Partners: US 37%, Belgium-Luxembourg 34%, Taiwan, China (1997 est.)

Imports: $803 million (f.o.b. 1997)
Commodities: intermediate manufactures, capital equipment, construction materials, foodstuffs, petroleum products
Partners: France 22%, Italy 16%, US 9%, UK 6% (1997 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $6 billion (1996)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1_550 (January 1999), 589.95 (1998), 583.67 (1997), 511.55 (1996), 499.15 (1995), 555.20 (1994)


Congo - Energy 1999
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Electricity
Production: 438 million kWh (1996)
Production by source fossil fuel: 0.68%
Production by source hydro: 99.32%
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Production by source other: 0% (1996)
Consumption: 553 million kWh (1996)
Exports: 0 kWh (1996)
Imports: 115 million kWh (1996)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


Congo - Communication 1999
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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


Congo - Military 1999
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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


Congo - Transportation 1999
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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 36 (1998 est.)
With paved runways total: 4
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 3 (1998 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 32
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 8
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 14
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 10 (1998 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

Ports and terminals


Congo - Transnational issues 1999
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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)

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs


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