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

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Background: Established as a Belgian colony in 1908 the Republic of the Congo gained its independence in 1960 but its early years were marred by political and social instability. Col. Joseph MOBUTU seized power and declared himself president in a November 1965 coup. He subsequently changed his name - to MOBUTU Sese Seko - as well as that of the country - to Zaire. MOBUTU retained his position for 32 years through several sham elections as well as through the use of brutal force. Ethnic strife and civil war touched off by a massive inflow of refugees in 1994 from fighting in Rwanda and Burundi led in May 1997 to the toppling of the MOBUTU regime by a rebellion backed by Rwanda and Uganda and fronted by Laurent KABILA. He renamed the country the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) but in August 1998 his regime was itself challenged by a second insurrection again backed by Rwanda and Uganda. Troops from Angola Chad Namibia Sudan and Zimbabwe intervened to support KABILA's regime. A cease-fire was signed in July 1999 by the DRC Congolese armed rebel groups Angola Namibia Rwanda Uganda and Zimbabwe but sporadic fighting continued. Laurent KABILA was assassinated in January 2001 and his son Joseph KABILA was named head of state. In October 2002 the new president was successful in negotiating the withdrawal of Rwandan forces occupying eastern Congo; two months later the Pretoria Accord was signed by all remaining warring parties to end the fighting and establish a government of national unity. A transitional government was set up in July 2003. Joseph KABILA as president and four vice presidents represented the former government former rebel groups the political opposition and civil society. The transitional government held a successful constitutional referendum in December 2005 and elections for the presidency National Assembly and provincial legislatures in 2006. KABILA was inaugurated president in December 2006. The National Assembly was installed in September 2006. Its president Vital KAMERHE was chosen in December. Provincial assemblies were constituted in early 2007 and elected governors and national senators in January 2007.


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Location: Central Africa northeast of Angola

Geographic coordinates: 0 00 N 25 00 E

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 2,344,858 km²
Rank: 12
Land: 2,267,048 km²
Water: 77,810 km²
Comparative: slightly less than one-fourth the size of the US

Land boundaries
Total: 10,730 km
Border countries: (9) Angola 2,511 km; (of which 225 km; is the boundary of Angola's discontiguous Cabinda Province) Burundi 233 km; Central African Republic 1577 km; Republic of the Congo 2,410 km; Rwanda 217 km; Sudan 628 km; Tanzania 459 km; Uganda 765 km; Zambia 1930 km

Coastline: 37 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Exclusive economic zone: boundaries with neighbors

Climate: tropical; hot and humid in equatorial river basin; cooler and drier in southern highlands; cooler and wetter in eastern highlands; north of Equator - wet season (April to October) dry season (December to February); south of Equator - wet season (November to March) dry season (April to October)

Terrain: vast central basin is a low-lying plateau; mountains in east

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Extremes highest point: Pic Marguerite on Mont Ngaliema (Mount Stanley) 5,110 m

Natural resources: cobalt copper niobium tantalum petroleum industrial and gem diamonds gold silver zinc manganese tin uranium coal hydropower timber

Land use
Arable land: 2.86%
Permanent crops: 0.47%
Other: 96.67% (2005)

Irrigated land: 110 km² (2003)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources: 1283 km³ (2001)

Natural hazards: periodic droughts in south; Congo River floods (seasonal); in the east in the Great Rift Valley there are active volcanoes

Geography
Note: straddles equator; has narrow strip of land that controls the lower Congo River and is only outlet to South Atlantic Ocean; dense tropical rain forest in central river basin and eastern highlands


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Population: 68,692,542
Rank: 18
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 (July 2009 est.)
Growth rate: 3.208% (2009 est.)
Growth rate rank: 8
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: Congolese
Adjective: Congolese or Congo

Ethnic groups: over 200 African ethnic groups of which the majority are Bantu; the four largest tribes - Mongo Luba Kongo (all Bantu) and the Mangbetu-Azande (Hamitic) make up about 45% of the population

Languages: French (official) Lingala (a lingua franca trade language) Kingwana (a dialect of Kiswahili or Swahili) Kikongo Tshiluba

Religions: Roman Catholic 50% Protestant 20% Kimbanguist 10% Muslim 10% other (includes syncretic sects and indigenous beliefs) 10%

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 46.9%
15-64 years: 50.6% (male 17,289,453/female 17,483,027)
65 years and over: 2.5% (male 699,667/female 1,021,070) (2009 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age
Total: 16.4 years
Male: 16.2 years
Female: 16.6 years (2009 est.)

Population growth rate: 3.208% (2009 est.)
Rank: 8

Birth rate: 42.63 births/1000 population (2009 est.)
Rank: 10

Death rate: 11.63 deaths/1000 population (July 2009 est.)
Rank: 41

Net migration rate: 1.07 migrant(s)/1000 population (2009 est.)
Rank: 54

Population distribution

Urbanization
Urban population: 34% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 5.1% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: poaching threatens wildlife populations; water pollution; deforestation; refugees responsible for significant deforestation soil erosion and wildlife poaching; mining of minerals (coltan - a mineral used in creating capacitors diamonds and gold) causing environmental damage
International agreements party to: Biodiversity Climate Change Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol Desertification Endangered Species Hazardous Wastes Law of the Sea Marine Dumping Ozone Layer Protection Tropical Timber 83 Tropical Timber 94 Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: Environmental Modification

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2009 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 81.21 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 19
Male: 89.11 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 73.07 deaths/1000 live births (2009 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 54.36 years
Rank: 194
Male: 52.58 years
Female: 56.2 years (2009 est.)

Total fertility rate: 6.2 children born/woman (2009 est.)
Rank: 9

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 4.2% (2003 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 16
People living with hivaids: 1.1 million (2003 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 10
Deaths: 100,000 (2003 est.)
Deaths rank: 6

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: very high
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea hepatitis A and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases: malaria plague and African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness)
Water contact disease: schistosomiasis
Animal contact disease: rabies (2009)

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures: NA

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write French Lingala Kingwana or Tshiluba
Total population: 67.2%
Male: 80.9%
Female: 54.1% (2001 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Democratic Republic of the Congo
Conventional short form: DRC
Local long form: Republique Democratique du Congo
Local short form: RDC
Former: Congo Free State Belgian Congo Congo/Leopoldville Congo/Kinshasa Zaire
Abbreviation: DRC

Government type: republic

Capital
Name: Kinshasa
Geographic coordinates: 4 19 S 15 18 E
Time difference: UTC+1 (six hours ahead of Washington DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions: 10 provinces (provinces singular - province) and 1 city* (ville); Bandundu Bas-Congo Equateur Kasai-Occidental Kasai-Oriental Katanga Kinshasa* Maniema Nord-Kivu Orientale Sud-Kivu
Note: according to the Constitution adopted in December 2005 the current administrative divisions will be subdivided into 26 new provinces by 2009

Dependent areas

Independence: 30 June 1960 (from Belgium)

National holiday: Independence Day 30 June (1960)

Constitution: 18 February 2006

Legal system: civil law based on Belgian law with Napleonic Civil Code influence; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Joseph KABILA ; note - following the assassination of his father Joseph KABILA succeeded to the presidency which he retained through the 2003-06 transition; he was subsequently elected president in October 2006
Head of government: Prime Minister Adolphe MUZITO (since 10 October 2008)
Cabinet: Ministers of State appointed by the president
Elections: under the new constitution the president is elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); elections last held 30 July 2006 and 29 October 2006 (next to be held in October 2011); prime minister appointed by the president
Election results: Joseph KABILA elected president; percent of vote (second round) - Joseph KABILA 58% Jean-Pierre BEMBA Gombo 42%
Note: Joseph KABILA succeeded his father Laurent Desire KABILA following the latter's assassination in January 2001; negotiations with rebel leaders led to the establishment of a transitional government in July 2003 with free elections held on 30 July 2006 and a run-off on 29 October 2006 confirming Joseph KABILA as president

Legislative branch: bicameral legislature consists of a Senate (108 seats; members elected by provincial assemblies to serve five-year terms) and a National Assembly (500 seats; 61 members elected by majority vote in single-member constituencies 439 members elected by open list proportional-representation in multi-member constituencies; to serve five-year terms)
Elections: Senate - last held 19 January 2007 (next to be held by 2012); National Assembly - last held 30 July 2006 (next to be held in July 2011)
Election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PPRD 22 MLC 14 FR 7 RCD 7 PDC 6 CDC 3 MSR 3 PALU 2 independents 26 others 18 (political parties that won a single seat); National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PPRD 111 MLC 64 PALU 34 MSR 27 FR 26 RCD 15 independents 63 others 160 (includes 63 political parties that won 10 or fewer seats)

Judicial branch: Constitutional Court; Appeals Court or Cour de Cassation; Council of State; High Military Court; plus civil and military courts and tribunals

Political parties and leaders: Christian Democrat Party or PDC [Jose ENDUNDO]; Congolese Rally for Democracy or RCD [Azarias RUBERWA]; Convention of Christian Democrats or CDC; Forces of Renewal or FR [Mbusa NYAMWISI]; Movement for the Liberation of the Congo or MLC [Jean-Pierre BEMBA]; People's Party for Reconstruction and Democracy or PPRD [Joseph KABILA]; Social Movement for Renewal or MSR [Pierre LUMBI]; Unified Lumumbist Party or PALU [Antoine GIZENGA]; Union for Democracy and Social Progress or UDPS [Etienne TSHISEKEDI]; Union of Mobutuist Democrats or UDEMO [MOBUTU Nzanga]

International organization participation: ACCT ACP AfDB AU CEPGL COMESA FAO G-24 G-77 IAEA IBRD ICAO ICCt ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS IHO (suspended) ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO ITSO ITU ITUC MIGA NAM OIF OPCW PCA SADC UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNHCR UNIDO UNWTO UPU WCL WCO WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Faida MITIFU
In the us chancery: Suite 601 1726 M Street NW Washington DC 20,036
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 234-7,690 through 7,691
In the us fax: [1] (202) 234-2,609
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador William GARVELINK
From the us embassy: 310 Avenue des Aviateurs Kinshasa
From the us mailing address: Unit 31,550 APO AE 9,828
From the us telephone: [243] (81) 225-5,872
From the us fax: [243] (81) 301-0561

Flag description: sky blue field divided diagonally from the lower hoist corner to upper fly corner by a red stripe bordered by two narrow yellow stripes; a yellow five-pointed star appears in the upper hoist corner

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: The economy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo - a nation endowed with vast potential wealth - is slowly recovering from two decades of decline. Conflict that began in August 1998 has dramatically reduced national output and government revenue increased external debt and resulted in the deaths of more than 5 million people from violence famine and disease. Foreign businesses curtailed operations due to uncertainty about the outcome of the conflict lack of infrastructure and the difficult operating environment. Conditions began to improve in late 2002 with the withdrawal of a large portion of the invading foreign troops. The transitional government reopened relations with international financial institutions and international donors and President KABILA began implementing reforms although progress has been slow and the International Monetary Fund curtailed their program for the DRC at the end of March 2006 because of fiscal overruns. Much economic activity still occurs in the informal sector and is not reflected in GDP data. Renewed activity in the mining sector the source of most export income boosted Kinshasa's fiscal position and GDP growth from 2006-2008 however renewed strife in the second half of 2008 combined with a fall in world market prices for the DRC's key mineral exports inflicted major damage on the economy and halted growth. Government reforms may lead to increased government revenues outside budget assistance and foreign direct investment although an uncertain legal framework corruption a lack of transparency in government policy are long-term problems. The DRC government has applied to the IMF for an Exogenous Shock Facility in the amount of $200 million to help it deal with its deteriorating financial situation and the World Bank will consider a separate $100 million in emergency funding. The global recession probably will cut economic growth in 2009 to half its 2008 level.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 121
Note: data are in 2008 US dollars

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 63

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 228
Note: data are in 2008 US dollars

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 55%
Industry: 11%
Services: 34% (2000 est.)

Agriculture products: coffee sugar palm oil rubber tea quinine cassava (tapioca) palm oil bananas root crops corn fruits; wood products

Industries: mining (diamonds gold copper cobalt coltan zinc) mineral processing consumer products (including textiles footwear cigarettes processed foods and beverages) cement commercial ship repair

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Labor force: 23.53 million (2007 est.)
Rank: 26
By occupation agriculture: NA%
By occupation industry: NA%
By occupation services: NA%

Unemployment rate: NA%

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA%

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $700 million
Expenditures: $2 billion (2006 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 16.7% (2007 est.)
Rank: 198

Central bank discount rate: 5.25% (31 December 2007)
Rank: 87

Commercial bank prime lending rate: NA

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit:

Market value of publicly traded shares: $NA

Current account balance: -$402 million (2007 est.)
Rank: 101

Exports: $1.587 billion (2006)
Rank: 102
Commodities: diamonds gold copper cobalt wood products crude oil coffee
Partners: China 48.4% Belgium 15.8% Finland 9.8% US 8.3% Zambia 4.5% (2008)

Imports: $2.263 billion (2006)
Rank: 113
Commodities: foodstuffs mining and other machinery transport equipment fuels
Partners: South Africa 28.7% Belgium 10% Zambia 7.2% Zimbabwe 6% China 5.9% Kenya 5.1% France 4.7% (2008)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $10 billion (2006 est.)
Rank: 87

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Congolese francs (CDF) per US dollar - NA (2007) 464.69 (2006) 437.86 (2005) 401.04 (2004) 405.34 (2003)


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Electricity
Production: 8.217 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Production rank: 98
Consumption: 5.997 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Consumption rank: 102
Exports: 1.916 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Imports: 6 million kWh (2007 est.)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2008 est.)
Production rank: 198
Consumption: 0 m³ (2008 est.)
Consumption rank: 199
Exports: 0 m³ (2008)
Exports rank: 185
Imports: 0 m³ (2008 est.)
Imports rank: 194
Proven reserves: 991.1 million m³ (1 January 2009 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 99

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 37,300 (2008)
Main lines in use rank: 174
Mobile cellular: 9.263 million (2008)
Mobile cellular rank: 63

Telephone system
General assessment: fixed line infrastructure inadequate with the state-owned operator providing less than 1 connection per 1000 persons; given the backdrop of a wholly inadequate fixed-line infrastructure the use of cellular services has surged and subscribership in 2008 approached 9.3 million - roughly 15 per 100 persons
Domestic: barely adequate wire and microwave radio relay service in and between urban areas; domestic satellite system with 14 earth stations
International: country code - 243; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2008)

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .cd
Hosts: 3,015 (2009)
Hosts rank: 143
Users: 290,000 (2008)
Users rank: 129

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures: 2.5% of GDP (2006)
Rank: 65

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 18-45 years of age for voluntary military service (2009)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 194 (2009)
Rank: 31
With paved runways total: 26
With paved runways over 3047 m: 4
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 17
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 2
With paved runways under 914 m: 1 (2009)
With unpaved runways total: 168
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 19
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 90
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 59 (2009)

Heliports

Pipelines: gas 37 km; oil 39 km; refined products 756 km (2008)

Railways
Total: 4,007 km
Rank: 42
Narrow gauge: 3,882 km 1.067-m gauge (858 km electrified); 125 km 1.000-m gauge (2008)

Roadways
Total: 153,497 km
Rank: 33
Paved: 2,794 km
Unpaved: 150,703 km (2004)

Waterways: 15,000 km (2008)
Rank: 8

Merchant marine
Total: 1
Rank: 162
By type: petroleum tanker 1
Foreign owned: 1 (Congo Republic of the 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals: Banana Boma Bukavu Bumba Goma Kalemie Kindu Kinshasa Kisangani Matadi Mbandaka


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Disputes international: heads of the Great Lakes states and UN pledged in 2004 to abate tribal rebel and militia fighting in the region including northeast Congo where the UN Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) organized in 1999 maintains over 16,500 uniformed peacekeepers; members of Uganda's Lords Resistance Army forces continue to seek refuge in Congo's Garamba National Park as peace talks with the Uganda government evolve; the location of the boundary in the broad Congo River with the Republic of the Congo is indefinite except in the Pool Malebo/Stanley Pool area; Uganda and DROC dispute Rukwanzi island in Lake Albert and other areas on the Semliki River with hydrocarbon potential; boundary commission continues discussions over Congolese-administered triangle of land on the right bank of the Lunkinda river claimed by Zambia near the DROC village of Pweto

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees: 132,295 (Angola); 37,313 (Rwanda); 17,777 (Burundi); 13,904 (Uganda); 6,181 (Sudan); 5,243 (Republic of Congo)
Idps: 1.4 million (fighting between government forces and rebels since mid-1990s; most IDPs are in eastern provinces) (2007)

Illicit drugs: one of Africa's biggest producers of cannabis but mostly for domestic consumption; traffickers exploit lax shipping controls to transit pseudoephedrine through the capital; while rampant corruption and inadequate supervision leaves the banking system vulnerable to money laundering the lack of a well-developed financial system limits the c