Map of Congo | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
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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 two-year civil war that ended in 1999 restored former Marxist President Denis SASSOU-Nguesso, who had ruled from 1979 to 1992, and sparked a short period of ethnic and political unrest that was resolved by a peace agreement in late 1999. A new constitution adopted three years later provided for a multi-party system and a seven-year presidential term, and elections arranged shortly thereafter retained SASSOU-Nguesso. Following a year of renewed fighting, President SASSOU-Nguesso and southern-based rebel groups agreed to a final peace accord in March 2003. SASSOU-Nguesso was reelected in 2009 and, after passing a referendum allowing him to run for additional terms, was reelected again in 2016 and 2021. The Republic of Congo is 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: Africa

Area
Total: 342,000 km²
Land: 341,500 km²
Water: 500 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Montana; about twice the size of Florida

Land boundaries
Total: 5,554 km
Border countries: (5) Angola 231 km; Cameroon 494 km; Central African Republic 487 km; Democratic Republic of the Congo 1,775 km; Gabon 2,567 km

Coastline: 169 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

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
Highest point: Mont Nabeba 1,020 m
Lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Mean elevation: 430 m

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

Land use
Agricultural land: 31.1% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land arable land: 1.6% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent crops: 0.2% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent pasture: 29.3% (2018 est.)
Forest: 65.6% (2018 est.)
Other: 3.3% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land: 20 km² (2012)

Major rivers
By length in km:

Major watersheds area km²: Atlantic Ocean drainage: Congo (3,730,881 km²)

Total water withdrawal
Municipal: 60 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Industrial: 20 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Agricultural: 4 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

Total renewable water resources: 832 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

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
Distribution: the population is primarily located in the south, in and around the capital of Brazzaville as shown in this: 5,677,493 (2023 est.)
Growth rate: 2.4% (2023 est.)
Below poverty line: 40.9% (2011 est.)

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

Ethnic groups: Kongo (Bakongo) 40.5%, Teke 16.9%, Mbochi 13.1%, foreigner 8.2%, Sangha 5.6%, Mbere/Mbeti/Kele 4.4%, Punu 4.3%, Pygmy 1.6%, Oubanguiens 1.6%, Duma 1.5%, Makaa 1.3%, other and unspecified 1% (2014-15 est.)

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

Religions: Roman Catholic 33.1%, Awakening Churches/Christian Revival 22.3%, Protestant 19.9%, Salutiste 2.2%, Muslim 1.6%, Kimbanguiste 1.5%, other 8.1%, none 11.3% (2007 est.)

Demographic profile: The Republic of the Congo is one of the most urbanized countries in Africa, with nearly 70% of Congolese living in urban areas. The population is concentrated in the southwest of the country, mainly in the capital Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, and along the railway line that connects the two. The tropical jungles in the north of the country are sparsely populated. Most Congolese are Bantu, and most belong to one of four main ethnic groups, the Kongo, Teke, Mbochi, and Sangha, which consist of over 70 subgroups.

Age structure
0-14 years: 40.44% (male 1,159,264/female 1,136,501)
15-64 years: 56.15% (male 1,598,111/female 1,590,032)
65 years and over: 3.41% (2023 est.) (male 88,323/female 105,262)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 78.8
Youth dependency ratio: 74
Elderly dependency ratio: 4.8
Potential support ratio: 20.9 (2021 est.)

Median age
Total: 20.5 years (2023 est.)
Male: 20.3 years
Female: 20.7 years

Population growth rate: 2.4% (2023 est.)

Birth rate: 29.1 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution: the population is primarily located in the south, in and around the capital of Brazzaville as shown in this

Urbanization
Urban population: 69.2% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 3.19% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 2.638 million BRAZZAVILLE (capital), 1.336 million Pointe-Noire (2023)

Environment
Current issues: air pollution from vehicle emissions; water pollution from raw sewage; tap water is not potable; deforestation; wildlife protection
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands
International agreements signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants
Particulate matter emissions: 29.48 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 3.28 megatons (2016 est.)
Methane emissions: 2.24 megatons (2020 est.)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female
Total population: 1 male(s)/female (2023 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 19.6 years (2011/12 est.)
Note: data represents median age at first birth among women 20-49

Maternal mortality ratio: 282 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 31.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
Male: 34.3 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 28.4 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 72.2 years (2023 est.)
Male: 70.8 years
Female: 73.6 years

Total fertility rate: 3.86 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 30.1% (2014/15)

Drinking water source
Improved urban: 97.5% of population
Improved rural: 56.4% of population
Improved total: 84.2% of population
Unimproved urban: 2.5% of population
Unimproved rural: 43.6% of population
Unimproved total: 15.8% of population (2020 est.)

Current health expenditure: 4.5% of GDP (2020)

Physicians density: 0.1 physicians/1,000 population (2018)

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access
Improved urban:
Unimproved urban:

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: very high (2023)
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases: malaria and dengue fever
Water contact diseases: schistosomiasis
Animal contact diseases: rabies
Note: on 31 August 2023, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Travel Alert for polio in Africa; the Republic of the Congo is currently considered a high risk to travelers for circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses (cVDPV); vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV) is a strain of the weakened poliovirus that was initially included in oral polio vaccine (OPV) and that has changed over time and behaves more like the wild or naturally occurring virus; this means it can be spread more easily to people who are unvaccinated against polio and who come in contact with the stool or respiratory secretions, such as from a sneeze, of an “infected” person who received oral polio vaccine; the CDC recommends that before any international travel, anyone unvaccinated, incompletely vaccinated, or with an unknown polio vaccination status should complete the routine polio vaccine series; before travel to any high-risk destination, the CDC recommends that adults who previously completed the full, routine polio vaccine series receive a single, lifetime booster dose of polio vaccine

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 9.6% (2016)

Alcohol consumption
Per capita total: 5.74 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita beer: 5.11 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita wine: 0.1 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita spirits: 0.52 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita other alcohols: 0.01 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Tobacco use
Total: 14.5% (2020 est.)
Male: 26.8% (2020 est.)
Female: 2.1% (2020 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 12.3% (2014/15)

Education expenditures: 4.5% of GDP (2020 est.)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 80.6%
Male: 85.9%
Female: 75.4% (2021)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 11 years
Male: 11 years
Female: 11 years (2012)

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 42.3% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 42.2%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 42.5%


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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of the Congo
Conventional short form: Congo (Brazzaville)
Local long form: Republique du Congo
Local short form: Congo
Former: French Congo, Middle Congo, People's Republic of the Congo, Congo/Brazzaville
Etymology: named for the Congo River, which makes up much of the country's eastern border; the river name derives from Kongo, a Bantu kingdom that occupied its mouth at the time of Portuguese discovery in the late 15th century and whose name stems from its people the Bakongo, meaning "hunters"

Government type: presidential republic

Capital
Name: Brazzaville
Geographic coordinates: 4 15 S, 15 17 E
Time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Etymology: named after the Italian-born French explorer and humanitarian, Pierre Savorgnan de BRAZZA (1852-1905), who promoted French colonial interests in central Africa and worked against slavery and the abuse of African laborers

Administrative divisions: 12 departments (departments, singular - department); Bouenza, Brazzaville, Cuvette, Cuvette-Ouest, Kouilou, Lekoumou, Likouala, Niari, Plateaux, Pointe-Noire, Pool, Sangha

Dependent areas

Independence: 15 August 1960 (from France)

National holiday: Independence Day, 15 August (1960)

Constitution
History: several previous; latest approved by referendum 25 October 2015
Amendments: proposed by the president of the republic or by Parliament; passage of presidential proposals requires Supreme Court review followed by approval in a referendum; such proposals may also be submitted directly to Parliament, in which case passage requires at least three-quarters majority vote of both houses in joint session; proposals by Parliament require three-fourths majority vote of both houses in joint session; constitutional articles including those affecting the country’s territory, republican form of government, and secularity of the state are not amendable

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
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of the Republic of the Congo
Dual citizenship recognized: no
Residency requirement for naturalization: 10 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Denis SASSOU-Nguesso (since 1997)
Head of government: Prime Anatole Collinet MAKOSSO (since 12 May 2021)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
Elections/appointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for 2 additional terms); election last held on 21 March 2021 (next to be held on 21 March 2,026)
Election results: 2021: Denis SASSOU-Nguesso reelected president in the first round; percent of vote - Denis SASSOU-Nguesso (PCT) 88.4%, Guy Price Parfait KOLELAS (MCDDI) 8.0%, other 3.6% 2016: Denis SASSOU-Nguesso reelected president in the first round; percent of vote - Denis SASSOU-Nguesso (PCT) 60.4%, Guy Price Parfait KOLELAS (MCDDI) 15.1%, Jean-Marie MOKOKO (independent) 13.9%, Pascal Tsaty MABIALA (UPADS) 4.4%, other 6.2% 

Legislative branch
Description:
Elections:
Election results:

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Supreme Court or Cour Supreme (consists of NA judges); Constitutional Court (consists of 9 members); note - a High Court of Justice, outside the judicial authority, tries cases involving treason by the president of the republic
Judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges elected by Parliament and serve until age 65; Constitutional Court members appointed by the president of the republic - 3 directly by the president and 6 nominated by Parliament; members appointed for renewable 9-year terms with one-third of the membership renewed every 3 years
Subordinate courts: Court of Audit and Budgetary Discipline; courts of appeal; regional and district courts; employment tribunals; juvenile courts

Political parties and leaders:
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Eugene S. YOUNG (since 30 March 2022)
From the us embassy: 70-83 Section D, Boulevard Denis Sassou N'Guesso, Brazzaville
From the us mailing address: 2,090 Brazzaville Place, Washington DC 20,521-2,090
From the us telephone: [242] 06 612-2000, [242] 05 387-9,700
From the us email address and website:

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
Note: uses the popular Pan-African colors of Ethiopia

National symbols: lion, elephant; national colors: green, yellow, red

National anthem
Name: "La Congolaise" (The Congolese)
Lyrics/music: Jacques TONDRA and Georges KIBANGHI/Jean ROYER and Joseph SPADILIERE
Note: originally adopted 1959, restored 1991

National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites: 2 (natural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales:


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Economy overview: primarily an oil- and natural resources-based economy; recovery from mid-2010s oil devaluation has been slow and curtailed by COVID-19; extreme poverty increasing, particularly in southern rural regions; attempting to implement recommended CEMAC reforms; increasing likelihood of debt default

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real gdp growth rate:

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 47.6% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 9.6% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 42.5% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 0.1% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 62.9% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -62.7% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 9.3% (2017 est.)
Industry: 51% (2017 est.)
Services: 39.7% (2017 est.)

Agriculture products: cassava, sugar cane, oil palm fruit, cassava leaves, bananas, plantains, roots/tubers, game meat, vegetables, mangoes/guavas

Industries: petroleum extraction, cement, lumber, brewing, sugar, palm oil, soap, flour, cigarettes

Industrial production growth rate: -7.91% (2021 est.)

Labor force: 2.268 million (2021 est.)

Unemployment rate:

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 42.3% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 42.2%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 42.5%

Population below poverty line: 40.9% (2011 est.)

Gini index
Coefficient distribution of family income: 48.9 (2011 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10%: 2.1%
Highest 10%: 37.1% (2005)

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $3.399 billion (2018 est.)
Expenditures: $2.628 billion (2018 est.)
Surplus  or deficit: -7% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Taxes and other revenues: 8.95% (of GDP) (2020 est.)

Public debt:

Revenue
From forest resources: 3.17% of GDP (2018 est.)
From coal: 0% of GDP (2018 est.)

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:
Note: Data are in current year dollars and do not include illicit exports or re-exports.
Partners: China 49%, United Arab Emirates 15%, India 6%, Italy 5% (2019)
Commodities: copper, crude petroleum, refined petroleum, lumber, tin (2021)

Imports:
Partners: China 15%, France 12%, Belgium 6%, Angola 5% (2019)
Commodities: ships, chicken products, refined petroleum, processed fish, packaged medicines (2019)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

Debt external:

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Access population without electricity: 3 million (2020)
Access electrification-total population: 49.6% (2021)
Access electrification-urban areas: 66.9% (2021)
Access electrification-rural areas: 12.3% (2021)
Installed generating capacity: 629,000 kW (2020 est.)
Consumption: 2,065,580,000 kWh (2019 est.)
Exports: 44 million kWh (2019 est.)
Imports: 23 million kWh (2019 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 1.623 billion kWh (2019 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 70.1% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources solar: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources wind: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 29.9% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources biomass and waste: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

Coal
Production: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Consumption: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Exports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Imports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Proven reserves: 0 metric tons (2019 est.)

Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 270,900 bbl/day (2021 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 12,600 bbl/day (2019 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate exports: 331,700 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate imports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 2.882 billion barrels (2021 est.)

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 15,760 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products exports: 5,766 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports: 7,162 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 1.4 billion cubic meters (2019 est.)
Consumption: 1.4 billion cubic meters (2019 est.)
Exports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Imports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Proven reserves: 283.989 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 4.523 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 1.777 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 2.747 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: 16.156 million Btu/person (2019 est.)


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 17,000 (2020 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: (2020 est.) less than 1
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 5,558,658 (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 97 (2021 est.)

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

Internet
Country code: .cg
Users total: 1,794,390 (2021 est.)
Users percent of population: 32.1% (2021 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 1,000 (2020 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 0.02 (2020 est.)


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Military expenditures:

Military and security forces: Congolese Armed Forces (Forces Armees Congolaises, FAC): Army, Navy, Congolese Air Force, Gendarmerie (2023)
Note: the Gendarmerie is a paramilitary force with domestic law enforcement and security responsibilities; it is under the Ministry of Defense, but also reports to the Ministry of Interior; the Ministry of Interior also controls the National Police

Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; conscription ended in 1969 (2022)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 3 (2020)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 12
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 333,899 (2018)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 4.6 million (2018) mt-km

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: TN

Airports: 27 (2021)
With paved runways: 8
With paved runways note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)
With unpaved runways: 19
With unpaved runways note: unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control

Heliports

Pipelines: 232 km gas, 4 km liquid petroleum gas, 982 km oil (2013)

Railways
Total: 510 km (2014)
Narrow gauge: 510 km (2014) 1.067-m gauge

Roadways
Total: 23,324 km (2017)
Paved: 3,111 km (2017)
Unpaved: 20,213 km (2017)
Note: road network in Congo is composed of 23,324 km of which 17,000 km are classified as national, departmental, and routes of local interest: 6,324 km are non-classified routes

Waterways: 1,120 km (2011) (commercially navigable on Congo and Oubangui 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, necessitating a rail connection to Pointe-Noire; other rivers are used for local traffic only)

Merchant marine
Total: 11 (2022)
By type: general cargo 1, oil tanker 1, other 9

Ports and terminals
Major seaports: Pointe-Noire
Oil terminals: Djeno
River ports:


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Disputes international: Republic of the Congo-Democratic Republic of Congo(DRC): the location of the boundary in the broad Congo River is indefinite except in the Pool Malebo/Stanley Pool area

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees country of origin: 33,585 (Central African Republic), 28,396 (Democratic Republic of the Congo) (refugees and asylum seekers)(2023)
IDPs: 27,000 (multiple civil wars since 1992) (2022)

Illicit drugs