Congo, Republic of the

§1. Congo, Republic of Introduction the

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.

§2. Congo, Republic of Geography the

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

Geographic coordinates:
  1 00 S, 15 00 E

Map references:
  Africa

Area:
  total: 342,000 kmē
  land: 341,500 kmē
  water: 500 kmē

Area - comparative:
  slightly smaller than Montana

Land boundaries:
  total: 5,504 km border countries: 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 highest point: Mount Berongou 903 m

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

Land use:
  arable land: 0%
  permanent crops: 0%
  permanent pastures: 29%
  forests and woodland: 62%
  other: 9% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land:
  10 kmē (1993 est.)

Natural hazards:
  seasonal flooding

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

Environment - international agreements:
  party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
    Species, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94,
    Wetlands
  signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

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

§3. Congo, Republic of People the

Population:
  2,894,336
  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 2001 est.)

Age structure:
  0-14 years: 42.43% (male 618,411; female 609,633)
  15-64 years: 54.23% (male 765,501; female 804,125)
  65 years and over: 3.34% (male 38,772; female 57,894) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate:
  2.2% (2001 est.)

Birth rate:
  38.24 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate:
  16.22 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate:
  0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Sex ratio:
  at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
  under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
  15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
  65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female
  total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
  99.73 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
  total population: 47.57 years male: 44.38 years
  female: 50.85 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate:
  5 children born/woman (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
  6.43% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
  86,000 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
  8,600 (1999 est.)

Nationality:
  noun: Congolese (singular and plural)
  adjective: Congolese or Congo

Ethnic groups:
  Kongo 48%, Sangha 20%, M'Bochi 12%, Teke 17%, Europeans NA%; note -
  Europeans estimated at 8,500, mostly French, before the 1997 civil war; may
  be half that of 1998, following the widespread destruction of foreign
  businesses in 1997

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

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

Literacy:
  definition: age 15 and over can read and write
  total population: 74.9%
  male: 83.1%
  female: 67.2% (1995 est.)

§4. Congo, Republic of Government the

Country name:
  conventional long form: Republic of the Congo
  conventional short form: none
  local long form: Republique du Congo
  local short form: none
  former: Middle Congo, 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:
  Independence Day, 15 August (1960)

Constitution:
  Draft constitution approved by transitional parliament in September 2000

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 five-year term; election
    last held 16 August 1992 (next was to be held 27 July 1997 but will be
    delayed for several years pending the drafting of a new constitution)
  election results: Pascal LISSOUBA elected president in 1992; percent of
    vote - Pascal LISSOUBA 61.3%, Bernard KOLELAS 38.7%; note - LISSOUBA was
    deposed in 1997, replaced by Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO

Legislative branch:
  unicameral National Transitional Council (75 seats, members elected by
  reconciliation forum of 1,420 delegates on NA January 1998); note - the
  National Transitional Council replaced the bicameral Parliament
  elections: National Transitional Council - last held NA January 1998 (next
    to be held NA 2001); note - at that election the National Transitional
    Council is to be replaced by a bicameral assembly
  election results: National Transitional Council - percent of vote by party
    - NA%; seats by party - NA

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];
  Association for Democracy and Social Progress or RDPS [Jean-Pierre Thystere
  TCHICAYA, president]; Congolese Movement for Democracy and Integral
  Development or MCDDI [Michel MAMPOUYA]; Pan-African Union for Social
  Development or UPADS [Martin MBERI]; Union of Democratic Forces or UFD
  [Sebastian EBAO]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
  Congolese Trade Union Congress or CSC; General Union of Congolese Pupils
  and Students or UGEEC; Revolutionary Union of Congolese Women or URFC;
  Union of Congolese Socialist Youth or UJSC

International organization participation:
  ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC, CCC, CEEAC, CEMAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO,
  ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC,
  IOM (observer), ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL,
  WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
  chief of mission: (vacant); Charge d'Affaires ad interim Serge MOMBOULI
    chancery: 4891 Colorado Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20011
  telephone: [1] (202) 726-5500
  FAX: [1] (202) 726-1860

Diplomatic representation from the US:
  chief of mission: Ambassador David H. KAEUPER embassy: NA
  mailing address: NA
  telephone: [243] (88) 43608
  FAX: [243] (88) 41036
  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

§5. Congo, Republic of Economy the

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.
  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. 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 of the Congo's budget deficit.
  Even with the IMF's renewed confidence and high world oil prices, Congo is
  unlikely to realize growth of more than 5% in 2001-02. With the return to
  fragile peace, the IMF approved a $14 million credit in November 2000 to
  aid post-conflict reconstruction.

GDP:
  purchasing power parity - $3.1 billion (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
  3.8% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita:
  purchasing power parity - $1,100 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
  agriculture: 10% industry: 48%
  services: 42% (1999 est.)

Population below poverty line:
  NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
  lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  3.5% (2000 est.)

Labor force:
  NA

Unemployment rate:
  NA%

Budget:
  revenues: $870 million
  expenditures: $970 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997
    est.)

Industries:
  petroleum extraction, cement kilning, lumbering, brewing, sugar milling,
  palm oil, soap, flour, cigarette making

Industrial production growth rate:
  NA%

Electricity - production:
  302 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source:
  fossil fuel: 0.66% hydro: 99.34%
  nuclear: 0%
  other: 0% (1999)

Electricity - consumption:
  406.9 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports:
  0 kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports:
  126 million kWh (1999)

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

Exports:
  $2.6 billion (f.o.b., 2000)

Exports - commodities:
  petroleum 50%, lumber, plywood, sugar, cocoa, coffee, diamonds

Exports - partners:
  US 23%, Benelux 14%, Germany, Italy, Taiwan, China (1998)

Imports:
  $870 million (f.o.b., 2000)

Imports - commodities:
  petroleum products, capital equipment, construction materials, foodstuffs

Imports - partners:
  France 23%, US 9%, Belgium 8%, UK 7%, Italy (1997 est.)

Debt - external:
  $5 billion (1999 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
  $159.1 million (1995)

Currency:
  Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority
  is the Bank of the Central African States

Currency code:
  XAF

Exchange rates:
  Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 699.21
  (January 2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.70 (1999), 589.95 (1998), 583.67 (1997),
  511.55 (1996); note - from 1 January 1999, the XAF is pegged to the euro at
  a rate of 655.957 XAF per euro

Fiscal year:
  calendar year

§6. Congo, Republic of Communications the

Telephones - main lines in use:
  22,000 (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
  1,000 (1996)

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: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:
  AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 1 (1999)

Radios:
  341,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
  1 (1999)

Televisions:
  33,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
  .cg

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
  1 (2000)

Internet users:
  500 (2000)

§7. Congo, Republic of Transportation the

Railways:
  total: 894 km
  narrow gauge: 894 km 1.067-m gauge (2000)

Highways:
  total: 12,800 km
  paved: 1,242 km
  unpaved: 11,558 km (1996)

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

Pipelines:
  crude oil 25 km

Ports and harbors:
  Brazzaville, Impfondo, Ouesso, Oyo, Pointe-Noire

Airports:
  33 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
  total: 4 over 3,047 m: 1
  1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 (2000 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
  total: 29 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7
  914 to 1,523 m: 12
  under 914 m: 10 (2000 est.)

§8. Congo, Republic of Military the

Military branches:
  Army, Air Force, Navy, Gendarmerie

Military manpower - military age:
  20 years of age

Military manpower - availability:
  males age 15-49: 684,922 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
  males age 15-49: 347,946 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
  males: 32,350 (2001 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
  $110 million (FY93)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
  3.8% (FY93)

§9. Congo, Republic of Transnational Issues the

Disputes - international:
  most of the Congo river boundary with the Democratic Republic of the Congo
  is indefinite (no agreement has been reached on the division of the river
  or its islands, except in the Stanley Pool/Pool Malebo area)
