$NA
Agriculture - products:
coffee, sugar, palm oil, rubber, tea, quinine, cassava (tapioca), palm oil, bananas, root crops, corn, fruits; wood products
Industries:
mining (diamonds, gold, copper, cobalt, coltan, zinc), mineral processing, consumer products (including textiles, footwear, cigarettes, processed foods and beverages), cement, commercial ship repair
Industrial production growth rate:
NA%
Electricity - production:
8.217 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 98
Electricity - consumption:
5.997 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 102
Electricity - exports:
1.916 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
6 million kWh (2007 est.)
Oil - production:
19,960 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 75
Oil - consumption:
11,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 146
Oil - exports:
20,090 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 90
Oil - imports:
11,350 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 137
Oil - proved reserves:
180 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 59
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 198
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 199
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008) country comparison to the world: 185
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 194
Natural gas - proved reserves:
991.1 million cu m (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 99
Current account balance:
-$402 million (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 101
Exports:
$6.1 billion (2007) country comparison to the world: 102 $1.587 billion (2006)
Exports - commodities:
diamonds, gold, copper, cobalt, wood products, crude oil, coffee
Exports - partners:
China 48.4%, Belgium 15.8%, Finland 9.8%, US 8.3%, Zambia 4.5% (2008)
Imports:
$5.2 billion (2007) country comparison to the world: 113 $2.263 billion (2006)
Imports - commodities:
foodstuffs, mining and other machinery, transport equipment, fuels
Imports - partners:
South Africa 28.7%, Belgium 10%, Zambia 7.2%, Zimbabwe 6%, China 5.9%, Kenya 5.1%, France 4.7% (2008)
Debt - external:
$10 billion (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 87 $10 billion (2006 est.)
Exchange rates:
Congolese francs (CDF) per US dollar - NA (2007), 464.69 (2006), 437.86 (2005), 401.04 (2004), 405.34 (2003)
Communications ::Congo, Democratic Republic of the
Telephones - main lines in use:
37,300 (2008) country comparison to the world: 174
Telephones - mobile cellular:
9.263 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 63
Telephone system:
general assessment: fixed line infrastructure inadequate with the state-owned operator providing less than 1 connection per 1000 persons; given the backdrop of a wholly inadequate fixed-line infrastructure, the use of cellular services has surged and subscribership in 2008 approached 9.3 million - roughly 15 per 100 persons
domestic: barely adequate wire and microwave radio relay service in and between urban areas; domestic satellite system with 14 earth stations
international: country code - 243; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2008)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 3, FM 11, shortwave 2 (2001)
Television broadcast stations:
4 (2001)
Internet country code:
.cd
Internet hosts:
3,015 (2009) country comparison to the world: 143
Internet users:
290,000 (2008) country comparison to the world: 129
Transportation ::Congo, Democratic Republic of the
Airports:
194 (2009) country comparison to the world: 31
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 26
over 3,047 m: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 17
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 1 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 168
1,524 to 2,437 m: 19
914 to 1,523 m: 90
under 914 m: 59 (2009)
Pipelines:
gas 37 km; oil 39 km; refined products 756 km (2008)
Railways:
total: 4,007 km country comparison to the world: 42 narrow gauge: 3,882 km 1.067-m gauge (858 km electrified); 125 km 1.000-m gauge (2008)
Roadways:
total: 153,497 km country comparison to the world: 33 paved: 2,794 km
unpaved: 150,703 km (2004)
Waterways:
15,000 km (2008) country comparison to the world: 8
Merchant marine:
total: 1 country comparison to the world: 162 by type: petroleum tanker 1
foreign-owned: 1 (Congo, Republic of the 1) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Banana, Boma, Bukavu, Bumba, Goma, Kalemie, Kindu, Kinshasa,
Kisangani, Matadi, Mbandaka
Military ::Congo, Democratic Republic of the
Military branches:
Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Forces
d'Armees de la Republique Democratique du Congo, FARDC): Army,
National Navy (La Marine Nationale), Congolese Air Force (Force
Aerienne Congolaise, FAC) (2009)
Military service age and obligation:
18-45 years of age for voluntary military service (2009)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 14,101,263 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 8,925,355
females age 16-49: 9,047,356 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 814,199
female: 811,238 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
2.5% of GDP (2006) country comparison to the world: 65
Transnational Issues ::Congo, Democratic Republic of the
Disputes - international:
heads of the Great Lakes states and UN pledged in 2004 to abate tribal, rebel, and militia fighting in the region, including northeast Congo, where the UN Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC), organized in 1999, maintains over 16,500 uniformed peacekeepers; members of Uganda's Lords Resistance Army forces continue to seek refuge in Congo's Garamba National Park as peace talks with the Uganda government evolve; the location of the boundary in the broad Congo River with the Republic of the Congo is indefinite except in the Pool Malebo/Stanley Pool area; Uganda and DROC dispute Rukwanzi island in Lake Albert and other areas on the Semliki River with hydrocarbon potential; boundary commission continues discussions over Congolese-administered triangle of land on the right bank of the Lunkinda river claimed by Zambia near the DROC village of Pweto
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 132,295 (Angola); 37,313 (Rwanda); 17,777 (Burundi); 13,904 (Uganda); 6,181 (Sudan); 5,243 (Republic of Congo)
IDPs: 1.4 million (fighting between government forces and rebels since mid-1990s; most IDPs are in eastern provinces) (2007)
Trafficking in persons:
current situation: Democratic Republic of the Congo is a source and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and sexual exploitation; much of this trafficking occurs within the country's unstable eastern provinces and is perpetrated by armed groups outside government control
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Democratic Republic of the Congo is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking in persons in 2007; while some significant initial advances were noted, the government's capacity to apprehend, convict, or imprison traffickers remained weak; the government lacks sufficient financial, technical, and human resources to effectively address not only trafficking crimes, but also to provide basic levels of security in some parts of the country (2008)
Illicit drugs:
one of Africa's biggest producers of cannabis, but mostly for domestic consumption; traffickers exploit lax shipping controls to transit pseudoephedrine through the capital; while rampant corruption and inadequate supervision leaves the banking system vulnerable to money laundering, the lack of a well-developed financial system limits the country's utility as a money-laundering center (2008)
page last updated on November 11, 2009
======================================================================
@Congo, Republic of the (Africa)
Introduction ::Congo, Republic of 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 took office in 1992. A brief civil war in 1997 restored former Marxist President Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO, and ushered in a period of ethnic and political 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 was once one of Africa's largest petroleum producers, but with declining production it will need new offshore oil finds to sustain its oil earnings over the long term.
Geography ::Congo, Republic of 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 sq km country comparison to the world: 63 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
Coastline:
169 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 200 nm
Climate:
tropical; rainy season (March to June); dry season (June to October); persistent 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, gold, magnesium, natural gas, hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 1.45%
permanent crops: 0.15%
other: 98.4% (2005)
Irrigated land:
20 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
832 cu km (1987)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 0.03 cu km/yr (59%/29%/12%)
per capita: 8 cu m/yr (2000)
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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
about 70% of the population lives in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, or along the railroad between them
People ::Congo, Republic of the
Population:
4,012,809 country comparison to the world: 127 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, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2009 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 45.9% (male 927,599/female 915,540)
15-64 years: 51.2% (male 1,021,975/female 1,034,119)
65 years and over: 2.8% (male 46,687/female 66,889) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 16.8 years
male: 16.6 years
female: 17.1 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.754% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 20
Birth rate:
41.37 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 15
Death rate:
12.01 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 38
Net migration rate:
-1.82 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 136
Urbanization:
urban population: 61% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 2.7% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 79.78 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 22 male: 85.29 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 74.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 54.15 years country comparison to the world: 196 male: 52.9 years
female: 55.43 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
5.84 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 13
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
3.5% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 19
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
79,000 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 51
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
6,400 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 41
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease: malaria and African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness)
animal contact disease: rabies
water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2009)
Nationality:
noun: Congolese (singular and plural)
adjective: Congolese or Congo
Ethnic groups:
Kongo 48%, Sangha 20%, M'Bochi 12%, Teke 17%, Europeans and other 3%
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 is the most widespread)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 83.8%
male: 89.6%
female: 78.4% (2003 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 9 years
male: 10 years
female: 8 years (2003)
Education expenditures:
1.9% of GDP (2005) country comparison to the world: 169
Government ::Congo, Republic of the
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:
name: Brazzaville
geographic coordinates: 4 15 S, 15 17 E
time difference: UTC+1 (six hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
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; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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); note - the position of Prime Minister was abolished in September 2009
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 12 July 2009 (next to be held in 2016)
election results: Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO reelected president; percent of vote - Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO 78.6%, Joseph Kignoumbi Kia MBOUNGOU 7.5%, Nicephore Fylla de SAINT-EUDES 7%
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (72 seats; members are elected by indirect vote to serve five-year terms) and the National Assembly (137 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 5 August 2008 (next to be held in 2013); National Assembly - last held 24 June and 5 August 2007 (next to be held in 2012)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RMP 33, FDU 23, UPADS 2, independents 7, other 7; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PCT 46, MCDDI 11, UPADS 11, MAR 5, MSD 5, independents 37, other 22
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Cour Supreme
Political parties and leaders:
Action Movement for Renewal or MAR; Congolese Movement for Democracy
and Integral Development or MCDDI [Michel MAMPOUYA]; Congolese
Labour Party or PCT; Movement for Solidarity and Development or MSD;
Pan-African Union for Social Development or UPADS [Martin MBERI];
Rally of the Presidential Majority or RMP; 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; United Democratic
Forces or FDU [Sebastian EBAO]; many less important parties
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, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt,
ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU,
ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UNITAR, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador 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 Allan EASTHAM
embassy: Boulevard de la Revolution, BDEAC Building, 4th Floor, Brazzaville; note - a new embassy is expected to open in 2009
mailing address: B.P. 1015, Brazzaville
telephone: [242] 281-1481, 281-3368; note - until the new embassy in Brazzaville becomes operational, some duties will still be handled in the US embassy in Kinshasha, Democratic Republic of the Congo
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
note: uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia
Economy ::Congo, Republic of the
Economy - overview:
The economy is a mixture of subsistence agriculture, an industrial sector based largely on oil, and 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 through oil-backed loans that have contributed to a growing debt burden and chronic revenue shortfalls. Economic reform efforts have been undertaken with the support of international organizations, notably the World Bank and the IMF. However, 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. 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. Recovery of oil prices has boosted the economy's GDP and near-term prospects. In March 2006, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) treatment for Congo.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$15.39 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 133 $14.46 billion (2007 est.)
$14.7 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$10.77 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
6.4% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 48 -1.6% (2007 est.)
6.2% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$3,900 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 154 $3,800 (2007 est.)
$4,000 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 5.6%
industry: 57.1%
services: 37.3% (2006 est.)
Labor force:
NA
Unemployment rate:
NA%
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Investment (gross fixed):
34.5% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 9
Budget:
revenues: $4.515 billion
expenditures: $2.721 billion (2008 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
7.3% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 118 2.7% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
4.75% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 88 5.25% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
NA% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 46 15% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$NA (31 December 2008)
$1.4 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$NA (31 December 2008)
$204.3 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$NA (31 December 2008)
$NA (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares: