| 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. |
| Location: |
Western Africa,
bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and Gabon |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
1 00 S, 15 00 E |
| Area: |
total:
342,000 sq km
land: 341,500 sq km
water: 500 sq km |
| 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 |
| 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 sq km (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 |
| 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.) |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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.) |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
1 (1999) |
| Televisions: |
33,000 (1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.cg |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
1 (2000) |
| Internet
users: |
500 (2000) |
| 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
- 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.) |
| 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) |
| 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) |
|
