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 took office in 1992. A brief civil war in 1997 restored former Marxist President Denis SASSOU-Nguesso and ushered in a period of ethnic and political unrest. Southern-based rebel groups agreed to a final peace accord in March 2003 but the calm is tenuous and refugees continue to present a humanitarian crisis. The Republic of Congo was once one of Africa's largest petroleum producers but with declining production it will need new offshore oil finds to sustain its oil earnings over the long term.


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

Geographic coordinates: 1 00 S 15 00 E

Map reference

Area
Rank: 64
Comparative: slightly smaller than Montana

Land boundaries

Coastline: 169 km

Maritime claims

Climate: tropical; rainy season (March to June); dry season (June to October); persistent high temperatures and humidity; particularly enervating climate astride the Equator

Terrain: coastal plain southern basin central plateau northern basin

Elevation

Natural resources: petroleum timber potash lead zinc uranium copper phosphates gold magnesium natural gas hydropower

Land use

Irrigated land: 20 km² (2003)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources: 832 km³ (1987)

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: 4,366,266 (July 2012 est.)
Rank: 124
Growth rate: 2.849% (2012 est.)
Growth rate rank: 16
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality

Ethnic groups: Kongo 48% Sangha 20% M'Bochi 12% Teke 17% Europeans and other 3%

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

Religions: Christian 50% animist 48% Muslim 2%

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 2.849% (2012 est.)
Rank: 16

Birth rate: 40.09 births/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 9

Death rate: 11.25 deaths/1000 population (July 2012 est.)
Rank: 36

Net migration rate: -0.35 migrant(s)/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 134

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

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Rank: 16

Life expectancy at birth
Rank: 200

Total fertility rate: 5.59 children born/woman (2012 est.)
Rank: 10

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 0.095 physicians/1000 population (2007)

Hospital bed density: 1.6 beds/1000 population (2005)

Sanitation facility access:
Unimproved:

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 3.4% (2009 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 18
People living with hivaids: 77,000 (2009 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 46
Deaths: 5,100 (2009 est.)
Deaths rank: 37

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 11.8% (2005)
Rank: 61

Education expenditures: 1.9% of GDP (2005)
Rank: 157

Literacy

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name

Government type: republic

Capital

Administrative divisions: 10 regions (regions singular - region) and 1 commune*; Bouenza Brazzaville* Cuvette Cuvette-Ouest Kouilou Lekoumou Likouala Niari Plateaux Pool Sangha

Dependent areas

Independence: 15 August 1960 (from France)

National holiday: Independence Day 15 August (1960)

Constitution: approved by referendum 20 January 2002

Legal system: mixed legal system of French civil law and customary law

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (72 seats; members elected by indirect vote to serve five-year terms) and the National Assembly (139 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)

Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Cour Supreme

Political parties and leaders: Action Movement for Renewal or MAR; Congolese Labour Party or PCT; Congolese Movement for Democracy and Integral Development or MCDDI [Michel MAMPOUYA]; Movement for Solidarity and Development or MSD; Pan-African Union for Social Development or UPADS [Martin MBERI]; Rally for Democracy and the Republic or RDR [Raymond Damasge NGOLLO]; Rally for Democracy and Social Progress or RDPS [Jean-Pierre Thystere TCHICAYA president]; Rally of the Presidential Majority or RMP; Union for Democracy and Republic or UDR; United Democratic Forces or FDU [Sebastian EBAO]; many smaller parties

International organization participation: ACP AfDB AU BDEAC CEMAC EITI (candidate country) FAO FZ G-77 IAEA IBRD ICAO ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO (correspondent) ITSO ITU ITUC (NGOs) MIGA NAM OIF OPCW UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNHCR UNIDO UNITAR UNWTO UPU WCO WFTU (NGOs) WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation

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; green symbolizes agriculture and forests yellow the friendship and nobility of the people red is unexplained but has been associated with the struggle for independence

National symbols: lion; elephant

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: The economy is a mixture of subsistence agriculture an industrial sector based largely on oil and support services and government spending. 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. Characterized by budget problems and overstaffing the government has mortgaged a substantial portion of its oil earnings through oil-backed loans that have contributed to a growing debt burden and chronic revenue shortfalls. Economic reform efforts have been undertaken with the support of international organizations notably the World Bank and the IMF. However 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. Economic progress was badly hurt by slumping oil prices and the resumption of armed conflict in December 1998 which worsened the republic's budget deficit. The current administration presides over an uneasy internal peace and faces difficult economic challenges of stimulating recovery and reducing poverty. The drop in oil prices during the global crisis reduced oil revenue by about 30% but the subsequent recovery of oil prices has boosted the economy's GDP and near-term prospects. In March 2006 the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) treatment for Congo which received $1.9 billion in debt relief under the program in 2010.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 132

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 61

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 159

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: cassava (tapioca) sugar rice corn peanuts vegetables coffee cocoa; forest products

Industries

Industrial production growth rate: 12% (2010 est.)
Rank: 7

Labor force: 1.514 million (2007)
Rank: 128

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
Surplus or deficit: 16.3% of GDP (2012 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 3

Taxes and other revenues: 48.9% of GDP (2012 est.)
Rank: 20

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 1.9% (2011 est.)
Rank: 102

Central bank discount rate: 4.75% (31 December 2008)
Rank: 79

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 15% (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 46

Stock of narrow money: $3.341 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 115

Stock of broad money: $2.882 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
Rank: 136

Stock of domestic credit: $1.982 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
Rank: 134

Market value of publicly traded shares: $N/A

Current account balance: $1.85 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 41

Exports: $12.38 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 86
Commodities: petroleum lumber plywood sugar cocoa coffee diamonds
Partners: China 38.5% US 20.3% Australia 6.4% France 6.1% Spain 4.9% Italy 4.4% Netherlands 4.4% (2011)

Imports: $4.917 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 130
Commodities: capital equipment construction materials foodstuffs
Partners: France 17.2% China 12.5% India 9.2% Italy 7.5% Brazil 7.3% US 5.8% (2011)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $5.658 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 83

Debt external: $4.865 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 125

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Production: 502 million kWh (2009 est.)
Production rank: 161
Consumption: 563 million kWh (2009 est.)
Consumption rank: 166
Exports: 0 kWh (2010 est.)
Exports rank: 176
Imports: 440 million kWh (2009 est.)
Imports rank: 77
Installed generating capacity: 148,000 kW (2009 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 159
Generation sources fossil fuels: 19.6% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 190
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 63
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 80.4% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 15
Generation sources other renewable sources: 0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 119

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 308,600 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 35
Crude oil exports: 269,800 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 27
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 169
Crude oil proven reserves: 1.6 billion bbl (1 January 2012 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 36

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 10,460 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products production rank: 104
Products consumption: 10,710 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Products consumption rank: 153
Products exports: 5,146 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products exports rank: 97
Products imports: 5,326 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products imports rank: 153

Natural gas
Production: 930 million m³ (2010 est.)
Production rank: 66
Consumption: 930 million m³ (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 91
Exports: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Exports rank: 174
Imports: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Imports rank: 174
Proven reserves: 90.61 billion m³ (1 January 2012 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 58

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 6.518 million Mt (2010 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 116

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 14,200 (2011)
Main lines in use rank: 196
Mobile cellular: 3.885 million (2011)
Mobile cellular rank: 117

Telephone system

Broadcast media: 1 state-owned TV and 3 state-owned radio stations; several privately-owned TV and radio stations; satellite TV service is available; rebroadcasts of several international broadcasters are available (2007)

Internet
Country code: .cg
Hosts: 45 (2012)
Hosts rank: 216
Users: 245,200 (2009)
Users rank: 136

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures: 0.9% of GDP (2009)
Rank: 139

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service; women can serve in the Armed Forces (2012)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 25 (2012)
Rank: 128

Heliports

Pipelines: gas 65 km; oil 273 km (2010)

Railways
Rank: 94

Roadways
Rank: 117

Waterways: 1120 km (commercially navigable on Congo and Oubanqui rivers above Brazzaville; there are many ferries across the river to Kinshasa; the Congo south of Brazzaville-Kinshasa to the coast is not navigable because of rapids thereby necessitating a rail connection to Pointe Noire; other rivers are used for local traffic only) (2011)
Rank: 62

Merchant marine
Rank: 148

Ports and terminals: Brazzaville Djeno Impfondo Ouesso Oyo Pointe-Noire


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Disputes international: the location of the boundary in the broad Congo River with the Democratic Republic of the Congo is undefined except in the Pool Malebo/Stanley Pool area

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs