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. A brief civil war in 1997 restored former Marxist President SASSOU-NGUESSO.

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

Land boundaries
Total: 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 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

Elevation
Extremes 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 use
Arable land: 0%
Permanent crops: 0%
Permanent pastures: 29%
Forests and woodland: 62%
Other: 9% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 10 km² (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: seasonal flooding

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

Population: 2,583,198 (July 1997 est.)
Growth rate: 2.15% (1997 est.)

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

Ethnic groups: Kongo 48%, Sangha 20%, M'Bochi 12%, Teke 17%, Europeans 8,500 (mostly French)

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

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

Age structure
0-14 years: 43% (male 557,996; female 552,022)
15-64 years: 54% (male 677,313; female 707,569)
65 years and over: 3% (male 35,573; female 52,725) (July 1997 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.15% (1997 est.)

Birth rate: 38.79 births/1000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate: 17.3 deaths/1000 population (1997 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (1997 est.)

Environment
Current issues: air pollution from vehicle emissions; water pollution from the dumping of raw sewage; tap water is not potable; deforestation

Sex ratio
At 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: 0.68 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 106.1 deaths/1000 live births (1997 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 45.73 years
Male: 44.24 years
Female: 47.27 years (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate: 5.06 children born/woman (1997 est.)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 74.9%
Male: 83.1%
Female: 67.2% (1995 est.)

Country name
Conventional 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

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)
Head of government: Prime Minister David Charles GANAO (since 2 September 1996)
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 armed clashes between political parties in early July seemed likely to delay it); prime minister appointed by the president
Election results: Pascal LISSOUBA elected president; percent of vote - Pascal LISSOUBA 61%

Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (125 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms) and the Senate (60 seats; members are elected by local and regional councils to serve six-year terms)
Elections: National Assembly - last held 3 October 1993 (next to be held NA 1998); Senate - last held November 1996 (next to be held NA 2002)
Election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UPADS 64, URD/PCT 58, others 3; Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - 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, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, UDEAC, UN, UNAVEM III, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Dieudonne Antoine GANGA
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 (10 June 1996)
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

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

Economy 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 about 90% 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. Recent efforts to implement economic reforms have begun to show progress; the government and the IMF signed an aid agreement in mid-1996.

Real gdp growth rate: 0.9% (1995 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,960 (1995 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 11.4%
Industry: 35.2%
Services: 53.4% (1993)

Agriculture products: cassava (tapioca) accounts for 90% of food output, 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%

Budget
Revenues: $870 million
Expenditures: $970 million, including capital expenditures of $N/A (1997 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Exports
Total value: $952 million (f.o.b., 1994)
Commodities: crude oil 90%, lumber, plywood, sugar, cocoa, coffee, diamonds
Partners: Belgium-Luxembourg 24.3%, Taiwan 20.2%, US 14.9%, Italy 14.8% (1995 est.)

Imports
Total value: $559 million (f.o.b. 1994)
Commodities: intermediate manufactures, capital equipment, construction materials, foodstuffs, petroleum products
Partners: France 31.2%, Netherlands 24.6%, Italy 11.4%, US 6.9% (1995 est.)

Debt external: $5.3 billion (1996)

Exchange rates: CFA francs (CFAF) per US$1 - 541.69 (January 1997), 511.55 (1996), 499.15 (1995), 555.20 (1994), 283.16 (1993), 264.69 (1992)
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: 165,000 kW (1995)
Production: 440 million kWh (1994)
Consumption per capita: 223 kWh (1994 est.)

Telephones: 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)

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $110 million (1993)
Percent of gdp: 3.8% (1993)

Airports: 34 (1996 est.)
With paved runways total: 13
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 3
With paved runways under 914 m: 9 (1996 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 21
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 7
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 14 (1996 est.)

Pipelines: crude oil 25 km

Railways
Total: 795 km (includes 285 km private track)
Narrow gauge: 795 km 1.067-m gauge (1995 est.)

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

Merchant marine: total:1 cargo ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,218 GRT/4,100 DWT (1996 est.)

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