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.

Map reference: Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World

Area
Total area total: 342,000 km²
Land: 341,500 km²

Land boundaries: total 5,504 km, Angola 201 km, Cameroon 523 km, Central African Republic 467 km, Gabon 1,903 km, Zaire 2,410 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

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

Land use
Arable land: 2%
Permanent crops: 0%
Meadows and pastures: 29%
Forest and woodland: 62%
Other: 7%

Irrigated land: 40 km² (1989)

Natural hazards: NA

Geography
Note: about 70% of the population lives in Brazzaville, Pointe Noire, or along the railroad between them

Population: 2,446,902 (July 1994 est.)
Growth rate: 2.38% (1994 est.)

Nationality: noun:Congolese (singular and plural)

Ethnic groups: south:Kongo 48%

Languages: French (official), African languages (Lingala and Kikongo are the most widely used)

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

Population growth rate: 2.38% (1994 est.)

Birth rate: 40.27 births/1000 population (1994 est.)

Death rate: 16.49 deaths/1000 population (1994 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (1994 est.)

Environment
Current issues: air pollution from vehicle emissions; water pollution from the dumping of raw sewage; deforestation

Infant mortality rate: 111 deaths/1000 live births (1994 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 47.56 years
Male: 45.76 years
Female: 49.41 years (1994 est.)

Total fertility rate: 5.3 children born/woman (1994 est.)

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
Total population: 57%
Male: 70%
Female: 44%

Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of the Congo
Conventional short form:
Former: Congo/Brazzaville

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

Independence: 15 August 1960 (from France)

National holiday: Congolese National Day, 15 August (1960)

Constitution: new constitution approved by referendum March 1992

Legal system: based on French civil law system and customary law

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Pascal LISSOUBA (since August 1992); election last held 2-16 August 1992 (next to be held August 1997); results - President Pascal LISSOUBA won with 61% of the vote
Head of government: Prime Minister Jacques Joachim YHOMBI-OPANGO (since 23 June 1993)

Legislative branch: Army, Navy (including Marines), Air Force, National Police
National Assembly Assemblee Nationale: election last held 3 October 1993; results - percentage vote by party NA; seats - (125 total) UPADS 64, URD/PCT 58, others 3
Senate: election last held 26 July 1992 (next to be held July 1998); results - percentage vote by party NA; seats - (60 total) UPADS 23, MCDDI 14, RDD 8, RDPS 5, PCT 2, others 8

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)

International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC, CCC, CEEAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, UDEAC, UN, UNAVEM II, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador William RAMSEY
From the us chancery: 4,891 Colorado Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,011
From the us telephone: (242) 83-20-70
From the us embassy: Avenue Amilcar Cabral, Brazzaville
From the us mailing address: B. P. 1015, Brazzaville
From the us FAX: [242] 83-63-38

Flag description: red, 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

Economy overview: Congo's 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. A reform program, supported by the IMF and World Bank, ran into difficulties in 1990-91 because of problems in changing to a democratic political regime and a heavy debt-servicing burden. Oil has supplanted forestry as the mainstay of the economy, providing about two-thirds of government revenues and exports. In the early 1980s rapidly rising oil revenues enabled Congo to finance large-scale development projects with growth averaging 5% annually, one of the highest rates in Africa. Subsequently, growth has slowed to an average of roughly 1.5% annually, only half the population growth rate. Political turmoil and misguided government investment have derailed economic reform programs sponsored by the IMF and World Bank.

Real gdp growth rate: NA

Real gdp per capita: $2,900 (1993 est.)

Agriculture products: accounts for 13% of GDP (including fishing and forestry; cassava accounts for 90% of food output; other crops - rice, corn, peanuts, vegetables; cash crops include coffee and cocoa; forest products important export earner; imports over 90% of food needs

Industries: petroleum, cement, lumbering, brewing, sugar milling, palm oil, soap, cigarette

Industrial production growth rate: 1.2% (1989; accounts for 33% of GDP; includes petroleum

Labor force: 79,100 wage earners
By occupation agriculture: 75%
By occupation commerce industry and government: 25%
By occupation note: 51% of population of working age; 40% of population economically active (1985)

Unemployment rate: NA%

Budget: revenues:$765 million

Fiscal year: calendar year

Exports: $1.1 billion (f.o.b., 1990)
Commodities: crude oil 72%, lumber, plywood, coffee, cocoa, sugar, diamonds
Partners: US, France, other EC countries

Imports: $704 million (c.i.f., 1990)
Commodities: foodstuffs, consumer goods, intermediate manufactures, capital equipment
Partners: France, Germany, Italy, Spain, other EC countries, US, Japan, Brazil

Debt external: $4.1 billion (1991)

Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1 - 592.05 (January 1994), 283.16 (1993), 264.69 (1992), 282.11 (1991), 272.26 (1990), 319.01 (1989)
Note: beginning 12 January 1994, the CFA franc was devalued to CFAF 100 per French franc from CFAF 50 at which it had been fixed since 1948

Electricity
Capacity: 140,000 kW
Production: 315 million kWh
Consumption per capita: 135 kWh (1991)

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $NA, NA% of GDP

Airports: 41
Usable: 37
With permanentsurface runways: 5
With runways over 3659 m: 0
With runways 2440-3659 m: 1
With runways 1220-2439 m: 16

Pipelines: crude oil 25 km

Waterways: the Congo and Ubangi (Oubangui) Rivers provide 1,120 km of commercially navigable water transport; the rest are used for local traffic only

Disputes international: long segment of boundary with Zaire along the Congo River is indefinite (no division of the river or its islands has been made)