| 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. |
| Location: |
Central Africa,
northeast of Angola |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
0 00 N, 25 00 E |
| Area: |
total:
2,345,410 sq km
land: 2,267,600 sq km
water: 77,810 sq km |
| 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 |
| 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 sq km (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 |
| 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.) |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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.) |
| 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) |
| 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 |
| 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) |
| 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.) |
| 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) |
| 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 |
|
