Statistical information Congo 1999

Congo in the World
Congo - Introduction 1999
top of pageBackground: 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.
top of pageLocation: Western Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and Gabon
Geographic coordinates: 1 00 S, 15 00 E
Map reference:
AfricaAreaTotal: 342,000 km²
Land: 341,500 km²
Water: 500 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Montana
Land boundariesTotal: 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 kmCoastline: 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
ElevationExtremes 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 useArable land: 0%
Permanent crops: 0%
Permanent pastures: 29%
Forests and woodland: 62%
Other: 9% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 10 km² (1993 est.)
Major riversMajor watersheds area km²Total water withdrawalTotal renewable water resourcesNatural hazards: seasonal flooding
GeographyNote: about 70% of the population lives in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, or along the railroad between them
top of pagePopulation: 2,716,814 (July 1999 est.)
Growth rate: 2.16% (1999 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%
NationalityNoun: 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 profileAge structure0-14 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 ratiosMedian agePopulation 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 distributionUrbanizationMajor urban areasEnvironmentCurrent 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 pollutantsSex ratioAt 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 birthMaternal mortality ratioInfant mortality rate: 100.58 deaths/1000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birthTotal 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 rateDrinking water sourceCurrent health expenditurePhysicians densityHospital bed densitySanitation facility accessHiv/AidsMajor infectious diseasesObesity adult prevalence rateAlcohol consumptionTobacco useChildren under the age of 5 years underweightEducation expendituresLiteracyDefinition: 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 educationYouth unemploymenttop of pageCountry nameConventional 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 areasIndependence: 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 participationCitizenshipSuffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branchChief 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 leadersInternational 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 representationIn 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 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 symbolsNational anthemNational heritagetop of pageEconomy 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 parityReal gdp growth rate: 2.5% (1998 est.)
Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity: $1,500 (1998 est.)
Gross national savingGdp composition by sector of origin
Gdp composition by end useGdp composition by sector of originAgriculture: 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
Unemployment rate: NA%
Youth unemploymentPopulation below poverty line: NA%
Gini indexHousehold income or consumption by percentage shareDistribution of family income gini indexBudgetRevenues: $870 million
Expenditures: $970 million, including capital expenditures of $N/A (1997 est.)
Taxes and other revenuesPublic debtRevenueFiscal year: calendar year
Inflation rate consumer pricesCentral bank discount rateCommercial bank prime lending rateStock of narrow moneyStock of broad moneyStock of domestic creditMarket value of publicly traded sharesCurrent account balanceExports: $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 goldDebt external: $6 billion (1996)
Stock of direct foreign investment at homeStock of direct foreign investment abroadExchange 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)
top of pageElectricityProduction: 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)
CoalPetroleumCrude oilRefined petroleumNatural gasCarbon dioxide emissionsEnergy consumption per capitaCongo - Communication 1999
top of pageTelephones: 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 mediaInternetBroadband fixed subscriptionstop of pageMilitary expendituresDollar figure: $110 million (1993)
Percent of gdp: 3.8% (1993)
Military and security forcesMilitary service age and obligationSpace programTerrorist groupsCongo - Transportation 1999
top of pageNational air transport systemCivil aircraft registration country code prefixAirports: 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.)
HeliportsPipelines: crude oil 25 km
RailwaysTotal: 795 km (includes 285 km private track)
Narrow gauge: 795 km 1.067-m gauge (1995 est.)
RoadwaysWaterways: the Congo and Ubangi (Oubangui) Rivers provide 1,120 km of commercially navigable water transport; other rivers are used for local traffic only
Merchant marinePorts and terminalsCongo - Transnational issues 1999
top of pageDisputes 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 personsIllicit drugs