Congo, Republic of the

§1. Congo Introduction

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 to hope for
  new offshore oil finds to sustain its oil earnings over the long term.

§2. Congo Geography

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 km²
  land: 341,500 km²
  water: 500 km²

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:
  10 km² (1998 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 People

Population:
  3,702,314
  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 2006 est.)

Age structure:
  0-14 years: 46.4% (male 864,407/female 853,728)
  15-64 years: 50.7% (male 930,390/female 945,545)
  65 years and over: 2.9% (male 44,430/female 63,814) (2006 est.)

Median age:
  total: 16.6 years
  male: 16.4 years
  female: 16.9 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
  2.6% (2006 est.)

Birth rate:
  42.57 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate:
  12.93 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate:
  -3.62 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:
  at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
  under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
  15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
  65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female
  total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
  total: 85.29 deaths/1,000 live births
  male: 91 deaths/1,000 live births
  female: 79.41 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
  total population: 52.8 years
  male: 51.65 years
  female: 53.98 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate:
  6.07 children born/woman (2006 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
  4.9% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
  90,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
  9,700 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:
  degree of risk: very high
  food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid
    fever
  vectorborne disease: malaria (2005)

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.)

§4. Congo Government

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:
  Brazzaville

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

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 seven-year term
    (eligible for a second seven-year term); election last held 10 March 2002
    (next to be held in 2009)
  election results: Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO reelected president; percent of vote
    - Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO 89.4%, Joseph Kignoumbi Kia MBOUNGOU 2.7%

Legislative branch:
  bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (66 seats; members are elected
  by popular 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 11 July 2002 (next to be held July 2007);
    National Assembly - last held 27 May and 26 June 2002 (next to be held by
    May 2007)
  election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
    FDP 56, other 10; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA;
    seats by party - FDP 83, UDR 6, UPADS 3, other 45

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];
  Congolese Movement for Democracy and Integral Development or MCDDI [Michel
  MAMPOUYA]; Pan-African Union for Social Development or UPADS [Martin
  MBERI]; 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 [leader
  NA]; 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, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU,
  ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITU,
  MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW (signatory), UN, UN Security Council (temporary),
  UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO,
  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 (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Mark BIEDLINGMAIER
  embassy: NA
  mailing address: NA
  telephone: [243] (88) 43608
  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 Economy

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.
  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. The Republic of Congo
  may be eligible for an IMF-World Bank heavily indebted poor countries
  (HIPC) initiative in early 2006, provided it meets the strict fiscal and
  monetary targets set out for it under a new three-year Poverty Reduction
  and Growth Facility (PRGF) with the IMF.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
  $2.616 billion (2005 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
  $4.789 billion (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
  8% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
  $700 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
  agriculture: 6.7%
  industry: 62.4%
  services: 30.9% (2005 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%

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  2% (2005 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
  28.9% of GDP (2005 est.)

Budget:
  revenues: $1.328 billion
  expenditures: $1.065 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005
    est.)

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

Industries:
  petroleum extraction, cement, lumber, brewing, sugar, palm oil, soap,
  flour, cigarettes

Industrial production growth rate:
  0% (2002 est.)

Electricity - production:
  343 million kWh (2003)

Electricity - consumption:
  619 million kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports:
  0 kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports:
  300 million kWh (2003)

Oil - production:
  267,100 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - consumption:
  5,200 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports:
  NA bbl/day

Oil - imports:
  NA bbl/day

Oil - proved reserves:
  93.5 million bbl (1 January 2002)

Natural gas - production:
  0 m³ (2003 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
  0 m³ (2003 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
  0 m³

Natural gas - imports:
  0 m³

Natural gas - proved reserves:
  90.61 billion m³ (1 January 2002)

Current account balance:
  $195.6 million (2005 est.)

Exports:
  $2.209 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

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

Exports - partners:
  China 26.8%, Taiwan 19.2%, North Korea 8.4%, US 7.3%, France 5.5%, South
  Korea 4.8% (2004)

Imports:
  $806.5 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Imports - commodities:
  capital equipment, construction materials, foodstuffs

Imports - partners:
  France 32.7%, US 10.1%, Germany 6.2%, Italy 6%, China 5.2%, Netherlands
  4.5% (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
  $102.2 million (2005 est.)

Debt - external:
  $5 billion (2000 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
  $159.1 million (1995)

Currency (code):
  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 - 527.47 (2005),
  528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001)

Fiscal year:
  calendar year

§6. Congo Communications

Telephones - main lines in use:
  13,800 (2004)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
  383,700 (2004)

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: country code - 242; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat
    (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:
  AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 3 (2001)

Television broadcast stations:
  1 (2002)

Internet country code:
  .cg

Internet hosts:
  46 (2004)

Internet users:
  36,000 (2005)

§7. Congo Transportation

Airports:
  32 (2005)

Airports - with paved runways:
  total: 4
  over 3,047 m: 1
  2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
  1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2005)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
  total: 28
  1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
  914 to 1,523 m: 11
  under 914 m: 11 (2005)

Pipelines:
  gas 53 km; oil 646 km (2004)

Railways:
  total: 894 km
  narrow gauge: 894 km 1.067-m gauge (2004)

Roadways:
  total: 12,800 km
  paved: 1,242 km
  unpaved: 11,558 km (1999)

Waterways:
  4,385 km (on Congo and Oubanqui rivers) (2005)

Merchant marine:
  by type: cargo 1
  foreign-owned: 1 (France 1)
  registered in other countries: 1 (unknown 1) (2005)

Ports and terminals:
  Brazzaville, Djeno, Impfondo, Ouesso, Oyo, Pointe-Noire

§8. Congo Military

Military branches:
  Congolese Armed Forces (FAC): Army, Air Force (Armee de l'Air Congolaise),
    Navy, Gendarmerie, Republican Guard (2005)

Military service age and obligation:
  18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001)

Manpower available for military service:
  males age 18-49: 686,123 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
  males age 18-49: 360,492 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
  males: 34,281 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
  $85.22 million (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
  1.4% (2005 est.)

§9. Congo Transnational Issues

Disputes - international:
  about 7,000 Congolese refugees fleeing internal civil conflicts since the
  mid-1990s still reside in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; the
  location of the boundary in the broad Congo River with the Democratic
  Republic of the Congo is indefinite except in the Pool Malebo/Stanley Pool
  area

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
  refugees (country of origin): 53,834 (Democratic Republic of Congo)
  IDPs: 60,000 (multiple civil wars since 1992; most IDPs are ethnic Lari)
    (2005)


<Factbook 2006>
