Congo, Democratic Republic of the Introduction Geography People Government Economy Communications Transportation Military Transnational Issues

§1. Congo, Democratic Republic of Introduction the

Background:
  Since 1994 the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DROC; formerly called
  Zaire) has been rent by ethnic strife and civil war, touched off by a
  massive inflow of refugees from the fighting in Rwanda and Burundi. The
  government of former president MOBUTU Sese Seko was toppled by a rebellion
  led by Laurent KABILA in May 1997; his regime was subsequently challenged
  by a Rwanda- and Uganda-backed rebellion in August 1998. Troops from
  Zimbabwe, Angola, Namibia, Chad, and Sudan intervened to support the
  Kinshasa regime. A cease-fire was signed on 10 July 1999, but sporadic
  fighting continued. KABILA was assassinated in January 2001 and his son
  Joseph KABILA was named head of state. The new president quickly began
  overtures to end the war.

§2. Congo, Democratic Republic of Geography the

Location:
  Central Africa, northeast of Angola

Geographic coordinates:
  0 00 N, 25 00 E

Map references:
  Africa

Area:
  total: 2,345,410 kmē
  land: 2,267,600 kmē
  water: 77,810 kmē

Area - comparative:
  slightly less than one-fourth the size of the US

Land boundaries:
  total: 10,744 km border countries: Angola 2,511 km, Burundi 233 km, Central
    African Republic 1,577 km, Republic of the Congo 2,410 km, Rwanda 217 km,
    Sudan 628 km, Tanzania 473 km, Uganda 765 km, Zambia 1,930 km

Coastline:
  37 km

Maritime claims:
  exclusive economic zone: boundaries with neighbors territorial sea: 12 NM

Climate:
  tropical; hot and humid in equatorial river basin; cooler and drier in
  southern highlands; cooler and wetter in eastern highlands; north of
  Equator - wet season April to October, dry season December to February;
  south of Equator - wet season November to March, dry season April to
  October

Terrain:
  vast central basin is a low-lying plateau; mountains in east

Elevation extremes:
  lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Pic Marguerite on Mont
    Ngaliema (Mount Stanley) 5,110 m

Natural resources:
  cobalt, copper, cadmium, petroleum, industrial and gem diamonds, gold,
  silver, zinc, manganese, tin, germanium, uranium, radium, bauxite, iron
  ore, coal, hydropower, timber

Land use:
  arable land: 3%
  permanent crops: 0%
  permanent pastures: 7%
  forests and woodland: 77%
  other: 13% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land:
  100 kmē (1993 est.)

Natural hazards:
  periodic droughts in south; volcanic activity

Environment - current issues:
  poaching threatens wildlife populations; water pollution; deforestation;
  refugees who arrived in mid-1994 were responsible for significant
  deforestation, soil erosion, and wildlife poaching in the eastern part of
  the country (most of those refugees were repatriated in November and
  December 1996)

Environment - international agreements:
  party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
    Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test
    Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94,
    Wetlands
  signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification

Geography - note:
  straddles Equator; very narrow strip of land that controls the lower Congo
  river and is only outlet to South Atlantic Ocean; dense tropical rain
  forest in central river basin and eastern highlands

§3. Congo, Democratic Republic of People the

Population:
  53,624,718
  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: 48.24% (male 12,988,488; female 12,878,232)
  15-64 years: 49.21% (male 12,931,886; female 13,459,109)
  65 years and over: 2.55% (male 575,113; female 791,890) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate:
  3.1% (2001 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
  0.14 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) note: one million refugees
    fled into Zaire (now called the Democratic Republic of the Congo or DROC)
    in 1994 to escape the fighting between the Hutus and the Tutsis; fighting
    in the DROC between rebels and government forces in October 1996 caused
    875,000 refugees to return to Rwanda in late 1996 and early 1997; an
    additional 173,000 Rwandan refugees disappeared in early 1997 and are
    assumed to have been killed by Zairian forces; fighting between the
    Congolese government and Uganda- and Rwanda-backed Congolese rebels
    spawned a regional war in DROC in August 1998, which left 1.8 million
    Congolese displaced in DROC and caused 300,000 Congolese refugees to flee
    to surrounding countries

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: 0.73 male(s)/female
  total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

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

Life expectancy at birth:
  total population: 48.94 years male: 46.96 years
  female: 50.98 years (2001 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
  5.07% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
  1.1 million (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
  95,000 (1999 est.)

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

Ethnic groups:
  over 200 African ethnic groups of which the majority are Bantu; the four
  largest tribes - Mongo, Luba, Kongo (all Bantu), and the Mangbetu-Azande
  (Hamitic) make up about 45% of the population

Religions:
  Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant 20%, Kimbanguist 10%, Muslim 10%, other
  syncretic sects and indigenous beliefs 10%

Languages:
  French (official), Lingala (a lingua franca trade language), Kingwana (a
  dialect of Kiswahili or Swahili), Kikongo, Tshiluba

Literacy:
  definition: age 15 and over can read and write French, Lingala, Kingwana,
    or Tshiluba
  total population: 77.3%
  male: 86.6%
  female: 67.7% (1995 est.)

§4. Congo, Democratic Republic of Government the

Country name:
  conventional long form: Democratic Republic of the Congo
  conventional short form: none
  local long form: Republique Democratique du Congo
  local short form: none
  former: Congo Free State, Belgian Congo, Congo/Leopoldville,
    Congo/Kinshasa, Zaire
  abbreviation: DROC

Government type:
  dictatorship; presumably undergoing a transition to representative
  government

Capital:
  Kinshasa

Administrative divisions:
  10 provinces (provinces, singular - province) and one city* (ville);
  Bandundu, Bas-Congo, Equateur, Kasai-Occidental, Kasai-Oriental, Katanga,
  Kinshasa*, Maniema, Nord-Kivu, Orientale, Sud-Kivu

Independence:
  30 June 1960 (from Belgium)

National holiday:
  Independence Day, 30 June (1960)

Constitution:
  24 June 1967, amended August 1974, revised 15 February 1978, amended April
  1990; transitional constitution promulgated in April 1994; in November
  1998, a draft constitution was approved by former President Laurent KABILA
  but it has not been ratified by a national referendum

Legal system:
  based on Belgian civil law system and tribal law; has not accepted
  compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch:
  chief of state: Joseph KABILA (since 26 January 2001); note - the president
    succeeded his father Laurent Desire KABILA after his assassination on 16
    January 2001; as president he is both chief of state and head of
    government
  head of government: Joseph KABILA (since 26 January 2001); note - the
    president succeeded his father Laurent Desire KABILA after his
    assassination on 16 January 2001; as president he is both chief of state
    and head of government
  cabinet: National Executive Council, appointed by the president
  elections: before Laurent Desire KABILA seized power, the president was
    elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; election last held 29 July
    1984 (next was scheduled to be held in May 1997); formerly, the prime
    minister was elected by the High Council of the Republic; note -
    elections were not held in 1991 as called for by the constitution
  election results: results of the last election were: MOBUTU Sese Seko Kuku
    Ngbendu wa Za Banga reelected president in 1984 without opposition
  note: Marshal MOBUTU Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu wa Za Banga was president from
    24 November 1965 until forced into exile on 16 May 1997 when his
    government was overthrown militarily by Laurent Desire KABILA, who
    immediately assumed governing authority; KABILA pledged to hold elections
    by April 1999, but in December 1998 announced that elections would be
    postponed until all foreign military forces attempting to topple the
    government had withdrawn from the country; KABILA was assassinated in
    January 2001 and was succeeded by his son Joseph KABILA

Legislative branch:
  a 300-member Transitional Constituent Assembly established in August 2000
  elections: NA; members of the Transitional Constituent Assembly were
    appointed by former President KABILA

Judicial branch:
  Supreme Court or Cour Supreme

Political parties and leaders:
  Democratic Social Christian Party or PDSC [Andre BO-BOLIKO]; Popular
  Movement of the Revolution or MPR [leader NA]; Unified Lumumbast Party or
  PALU [Antoine GIZENGA]; Union for Democracy and Social Progress or UDPS
  [Etienne TSHISEKEDI wa Mulumba]; Union of Federalists and Independent
  Republicans or UFERI [Kouyoumba MUCHULI Mulembe]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
  NA

International organization participation:
  ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, CEEAC, CEPGL, ECA, FAO, G-19, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD,
  ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat,
  Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW,
  PCA, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
  WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
  chief of mission: Ambassador Faida MITIFU chancery: 1800 New Hampshire
    Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
  telephone: [1] (202) 234-7690, 7691
  FAX: [1] (202) 234-2609

Diplomatic representation from the US:
  chief of mission: Ambassador William Lacy SWING embassy: 310 Avenue des
    Aviateurs, Kinshasa
  mailing address: Unit 31550, APO AE 09828
  telephone: [243] (12) 21804, 21807
  FAX: [243] (88) 43805

Flag description:
  light blue with a large yellow five-pointed star in the center and a
  columnar arrangement of six small yellow five-pointed stars along the hoist
  side

§5. Congo, Democratic Republic of Economy the

Economy - overview:
  The economy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo - a nation endowed with
  vast potential wealth - has declined drastically since the mid-1980s. The
  new government instituted a tight fiscal policy that initially curbed
  inflation and currency depreciation, but these small gains were quickly
  reversed when the foreign-backed rebellion in the eastern part of the
  country began in August 1998. The war has dramatically reduced national
  output and government revenue and has increased external debt. Foreign
  businesses have curtailed operations due to uncertainty about the outcome
  of the conflict and because of increased government harassment and
  restrictions. The war has intensified the impact of such basic problems as
  an uncertain legal framework, corruption, raging inflation, and lack of
  openness in government economic policy and financial operations. A number
  of IMF and World Bank missions have met with the government to help it
  develop a coherent economic plan but associated reforms are on hold.

GDP:
  purchasing power parity - $31 billion (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
  -15% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita:
  purchasing power parity - $600 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
  agriculture: 58% industry: 17%
  services: 25% (1997 est.)

Population below poverty line:
  NA%

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  540% (2000 est.)

Labor force:
  14.51 million (1993 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
  agriculture 65%, industry 16%, services 19% (1991 est.)

Unemployment rate:
  NA%

Budget:
  revenues: $269 million
  expenditures: $244 million, including capital expenditures of $24 million
    (1996 est.)

Industries:
  mining (diamonds, copper, zinc), mineral processing, consumer products
  (including textiles, footwear, cigarettes, processed foods and beverages),
  cement

Industrial production growth rate:
  NA%

Electricity - production:
  5.268 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source:
  fossil fuel: 2.05% hydro: 97.95%
  nuclear: 0%
  other: 0% (1999)

Electricity - consumption:
  4.55 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports:
  404 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports:
  55 million kWh (1999)

Agriculture - products:
  coffee, sugar, palm oil, rubber, tea, quinine, cassava (tapioca), palm oil,
  bananas, root crops, corn, fruits; wood products

Exports:
  $960 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)

Exports - commodities:
  diamonds, copper, coffee, cobalt, crude oil

Exports - partners:
  Benelux 62%, US 18%, South Africa, Finland, Italy (1999)

Imports:
  $660 million (c.i.f., 2000 est.)

Imports - commodities:
  foodstuffs, mining and other machinery, transport equipment, fuels

Imports - partners:
  South Africa 28%, Benelux 14%, Nigeria 9%, Kenya 7%, China (1999)

Debt - external:
  $13 billion (1998 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
  $195.3 million (1995)

Currency:
  Congolese franc (CDF)

Currency code:
  CDF

Exchange rates:
  Congolese francs per US dollar - 50 (January 2001), 4.5 (January 2000),
  4.02 (1999), 1.61 (1998), 1.31 (1997), 0.50 (1996)
  note: on 30 June 1998 the Congolese franc was introduced, replacing the new
    zaire

Fiscal year:
  calendar year

§6. Congo, Democratic Republic of Communications the

Telephones - main lines in use:
  21,000 (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
  8,900 (1997)

Telephone system:
  general assessment: NA domestic: barely adequate wire and microwave radio
    relay service in and between urban areas; domestic satellite system with
    14 earth stations
  international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:
  AM 3, FM 12, shortwave 1 (1999)

Radios:
  18.03 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
  20 (1999)

Televisions:
  6.478 million (1997)

Internet country code:
  .cd

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
  2 (2000)

Internet users:
  1,500 (1999)

§7. Congo, Democratic Republic of Transportation the

Railways:
  total: 5,138 km (1995)
  note: severely reduced route-distance in use because of damage to
    facilities by civil strife
  narrow gauge: 3,987 km 1.067-m gauge (858 km electrified); 125 km 1.000-m
    gauge; 1,026 km 0.600-m gauge (2000)

Highways:
  total: 157,000 km (including 30 km of expressways)(1996)
  paved: NA km
  unpaved: NA km

Waterways:
  15,000 km (including the Congo and its tributaries, and unconnected lakes)

Pipelines:
  petroleum products 390 km

Ports and harbors:
  Banana, Boma, Bukavu, Bumba, Goma, Kalemie, Kindu, Kinshasa, Kisangani,
  Matadi, Mbandaka

Merchant marine:
  none (2000 est.)

Airports:
  232 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
  total: 24 over 3,047 m: 4
  2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
  1,524 to 2,437 m: 15
  914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2000 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
  total: 208 1,524 to 2,437 m: 20
  914 to 1,523 m: 96
  under 914 m: 92 (2000 est.)

§8. Congo, Democratic Republic of Military the

Military branches:
  Army, Navy, Air Force, Special Presidential Security Group

Military manpower - availability:
  males age 15-49: 11,615,554 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
  males age 15-49: 5,915,251 (2001 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
  $250 million (FY97)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
  4.6% (FY97)

§9. Congo, Democratic Republic of Transnational Issues the

Disputes - international:
  the Democratic Republic of the Congo is in the grip of a civil war that has
  drawn in military forces from neighboring states, with Uganda and Rwanda
  supporting the rebel movements that occupy much of the eastern portion of
  the state; most of the Congo river boundary with the Republic of the Congo
  is indefinite (no agreement has been reached on the division of the river
  or its islands, except in the Pool Malebo/Stanley Pool area)

Illicit drugs:
  illicit producer of cannabis, mostly for domestic consumption
