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 but ushered in a period of ethnic 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 is one of Africa's largest petroleum producers with significant potential for offshore development.

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 gold magnesium natural gas hydropower

Land use
Arable land: 0.51%
Permanent crops: 0.13%
Other: 99.36% (2001)

Irrigated land: 10 km² (1998 est.)

Natural hazards: seasonal flooding

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

Population
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 and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2005 est.)
Growth rate: 1.31% (2005 est.)
Below poverty line: NA

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

Ethnic groups
Note: Europeans estimated at 8,500, mostly French, before the 1997 civil war; may be half that in 1998, following the widespread destruction of foreign businesses in 1997

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%

Age structure
0-14 years: 37.3% (male 571,011/female 563,414)
15-64 years: 59% (male 886,297/female 907,348)
65 years and over: 3.7% (male 45,799/female 65,257) (2005 est.)

Median age
Total: 20.7 years
Male: 20.2 years
Female: 21.1 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.31% (2005 est.)

Birth rate: 27.88 births/1000 population (2005 est.)

Death rate: 14.82 deaths/1000 population (2005 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2005 est.)

Environment
Current issues: air pollution from vehicle emissions; water pollution from the dumping of raw sewage; tap water is not potable; deforestation
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.01 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.01 male/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male/female
Total population: 0.98 male/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 92.41 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 98.48 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 86.16 deaths/1000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 52.26 years
Male: 51.17 years
Female: 53.39 years (2005 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.54 children born/woman (2005 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 4.9% (2003 est.)
People living with hivaids: 90,000 (2003 est.)
Deaths: 9,700 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: very high
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne disease: malaria (2004)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 83.8%
Male: 89.6%
Female: 78.4% (2003 est.)

Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of the Congo
Conventional short form: Congo (Brazzaville)
Local long form: Republique du Congo
Local short form: none
Former: Middle Congo, Congo/Brazzaville, Congo

Government type: republic

Capital: Brazzaville

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

Independence: 15 August 1960 (from France)

National holiday: Independence Day 15 August (1960)

Constitution: approved by referendum 20 January 2002

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

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO (since 25 October 1997, following the civil war in which he toppled elected president Pascal LISSOUBA); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
Head of government: President Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO (since 25 October 1997, following the civil war in which he toppled elected president Pascal LISSOUBA); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
Elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (eligible for a second seven-year term); election last held 10 March 2002 (next to be held NA 2009)
Election results: Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO reelected president; percent of vote - Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO 89.4%, Joseph Kignoumbi Kia MBOUNGOU 2.7%

Legislative branch
Elections: Senate - last held 11 July 2002 (next to be held July 2007); National Assembly - last held 27 May and 26 June 2002 (next to be held by NA May 2007)
Election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - FDP 56, other 10; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - FDP 83, UDR 6, UPADS 3, other 45

Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Cour Supreme

Political parties and leaders: the most important of the many parties are the Democratic and Patriotic Forces or FDP (an alliance of Convention for Alternative Democracy Congolese Labor Party or PCT Liberal Republican Party National Union for Democracy and Progress Patriotic Union for the National Reconstruction and Union for the National Renewal) [Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO president]; Congolese Movement for Democracy and Integral Development or MCDDI [Michel MAMPOUYA]; Pan-African Union for Social Development or UPADS [Martin MBERI]; Rally for Democracy and Social Progress or RDPS [Jean-Pierre Thystere TCHICAYA president]; Rally for Democracy and the Republic or RDR [Raymond Damasge NGOLLO]; Union for Democracy and Republic or UDR [leader NA]; Union of Democratic Forces or UFD [Sebastian EBAO]

International organization participation: ACCT ACP AfDB AU BDEAC CEMAC FAO FZ G-77 IBRD ICAO ICCt ICFTU ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC IOM ITU MIGA NAM OPCW (signatory) UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UNOCI UPU WCL WCO WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WToO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Serge MOMBOULI
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 Roger A. MEECE
From the us embassy: NA
From the us mailing address: NA
From the us telephone: [243] (88) 43,608
From the us note: the embassy is temporarily collocated with the US Embassy in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (US Embassy Kinshasa, 310 Avenue des Aviateurs, Kinshasa)

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 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. The government has mortgaged a substantial portion of its oil earnings contributing to a 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. Economic reform efforts continued with the support of international organizations notably the World Bank and the IMF. 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. However 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.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $2.324 billion (2004 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: 3.7% (2004 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $800 (2004 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 7.4%
Industry: 52%
Services: 40.6% (2004 est.)

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

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

Industrial production growth rate: 0% (2002 est.)

Labor force: NA

Unemployment rate: NA (2003)

Population below poverty line: NA

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

Budget
Revenues: $870.1 million
Expenditures: $1.102 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 1.8% (2004 est.)

Current account balance: $266 million (2004 est.)

Exports: $2.224 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Commodities: petroleum lumber plywood sugar cocoa coffee diamonds
Partners: China 26.8% Taiwan 19.2% North Korea 8.4% US 7.3% France 5.5% South Korea 4.8% (2004)

Imports: $749.3 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Commodities: capital equipment construction materials foodstuffs
Partners: France 32.7% US 10.1% Germany 6.2% Italy 6% China 5.2% Netherlands 4.5% (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $40.42 million (2004 est.)

Debt external: $5 billion (2000 est.)

Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 528.29 (2004) 581.2 (2003) 696.99 (2002) 733.04 (2001) 711.98 (2000)

Electricity
Production: 348 million kWh (2002)
Consumption: 573.6 million kWh (2002)
Exports: 0 kWh (2002)
Imports: 250 million kWh (2002)

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2001 est.)
Consumption: 0 m³ (2001 est.)
Exports: 0 m³ (2001 est.)
Imports: 0 m³ (2001 est.)
Proven reserves: 495.5 million m³ (1 January 2002)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 7,000 (2003)
Mobile cellular: 330,000 (2003)

Telephone system
General assessment: services barely adequate for government use; key exchanges are in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, and Loubomo; intercity lines frequently out of order
Domestic: primary network consists of microwave radio relay and coaxial cable
International: country code - 242; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Internet
Country code: .cg
Hosts: 46 (2003)
Users: 15,000 (2003)

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $126.5 million (2004)
Percent of gdp: 2.8% (2004)

Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001)

Airports: 32 (2004 est.)
With paved runways total: 4
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 3 (2004 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 28
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 6
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 11
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 11 (2004 est.)

Pipelines: gas 53 km; oil 646 km (2004)

Railways
Total: 894 km
Narrow gauge: 894 km 1.067-m gauge (2004)

Waterways: 4,385 km (on Congo and Oubanqui rivers) (2004)

Disputes international: about 7,000 Congolese refugees fleeing internal civil conflicts since the mid-1990s still reside in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; the location of the boundary in the broad Congo River with the Democratic Republic of the Congo is indefinite except in the Pool Malebo/Stanley Pool area

Refugees and internally displaced persons: 60,000 (multiple civil wars since 1992; most IDPs are ethnic Lari) (2004)