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; 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
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
======================================================================
@Congo, Republic of the
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
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, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, 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
People
Congo, Republic of the
Population:
3,903,318
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
2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 46.1% (male 906,345/female 894,568)
15-64 years: 51% (male 989,126/female 1,002,682)
65 years and over: 2.8% (male 45,560/female 65,037) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 16.7 years
male: 16.5 years
female: 17 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.696% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
41.76 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
12.28 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
-2.52 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 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 (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 81.29 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 86.9 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 75.51 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 53.74 years
male: 52.52 years
female: 55 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
5.92 children born/woman (2008 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 and protozoal diarrhea,
hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease: malaria and African trypanosomiasis (sleeping
sickness)
animal contact disease: rabies (2008)
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)
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);
head of government: Prime Minister Isidore MVOUBA (since 7 January
2005)
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 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 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 11 July 2002 (next to be held in July
2008); 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 - FDU 56, other 10; 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 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, [242] 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):
$12.86 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$7.657 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
-1.6% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$3,400 (2007 est.)
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):
40.4% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $3.295 billion
expenditures: $2.444 billion (2007 est.)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.7% (2007 est.)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
15% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$1.4 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$204.3 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
NA
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:
-12% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production:
444 million kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
564 million kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
411 million kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 0.3%
hydro: 99.7%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
Oil - production:
261,000 bbl/day
Oil - consumption:
7,677 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
230,200 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - imports:
1,702 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved reserves:
1.6 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)
Natural gas - production:
180 million cu m (2006 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
180 million cu m (2006 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
90.61 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)
Current account balance:
-$1.491 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$5.8 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
petroleum, lumber, plywood, sugar, cocoa, coffee, diamonds
Exports - partners:
US 41%, China 36.5%, Taiwan 3.6% (2007)
Imports:
$2.634 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
capital equipment, construction materials, foodstuffs
Imports - partners:
France 18.1%, South Korea 14.7%, China 12.6%, Italy 10.3%, India
4.7%, US 4.2% (2007)
Economic aid - recipient:
$1.449 billion (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$2.206 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$5 billion (2000 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA
Currency (code):
Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible
authority is the Bank of the Central African States
Currency code:
XAF
Exchange rates:
Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 483.6
(2007), 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003)
Communications
Congo, Republic of the
Telephones - main lines in use:
15,900 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
1.334 million (2007)
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; fixed-line infrastructure inadequate
providing less than 1 connection per 100 persons; in the absence of
an adequate fixed line infrastructure, mobile-cellular
subscribership has surged reaching 35 per 100 persons
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)
Radios:
341,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
1 (2001)
Televisions:
33,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.cg
Internet hosts:
5 (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)
Internet users:
70,000 (2006)
Transportation
Congo, Republic of the
Airports:
31 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 5
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 26
1,524 to 2,437 m: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 10
under 914 m: 9 (2007)
Pipelines:
gas 89 km; liquid petroleum gas 4 km; oil 758 km (2007)
Railways:
total: 894 km
narrow gauge: 894 km 1.067-m gauge (2006)
Roadways:
total: 17,289 km
paved: 864 km
unpaved: 16,425 km (2004)
Waterways:
1,125 km (commercially navigable on Congo and Oubanqui rivers) (2006)
Merchant marine:
registered in other countries: 1 (Congo, Democratic Republic of the
1) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Brazzaville, Djeno, Impfondo, Ouesso, Oyo, Pointe-Noire
Military
Congo, Republic of the
Military branches:
Congolese Armed Forces (Forces Armees Congolaises, FAC): Army, Navy,
Congolese Air Force (Armee de l'Air Congolaise), Gendarmerie,
Special Presidential Security Guard (GSSP) (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for voluntary military service; women allowed to
serve (2007)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 842,771
females age 16-49: 833,624 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 519,296
females age 16-49: 509,564 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 45,671
female: 45,248 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
3.1% of GDP (2006)
Transnational Issues
Congo, Republic of the
Disputes - international:
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): 46,341 (Democratic Republic of Congo);
6,564 (Rwanda)
IDPs: 48,000 (multiple civil wars since 1992; most IDPs are ethnic
Lari) (2007)
Trafficking in persons:
current situation: Republic of the Congo is a source and destination
country for children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and
commercial sexual exploitation; girls are trafficked from rural
areas within the country for commercial sexual exploitation, forced
street vending, and domestic servitude; children are trafficked from
other African countries for domestic servitude, forced market
vending, and forced labor in the fishing industry
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Republic of the Congo is on the
Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to show evidence of increasing
efforts to combat trafficking in persons in 2007; struggling to
recover from six years of civil conflict that ended in 2003, the
Republic of the Congo's capacity to address trafficking is
handicapped; the government neither monitors its borders for
trafficking activity nor provides specialized anti-trafficking
training for law enforcement officials; the government does not
encourage victims to assist in trafficking investigations or
prosecutions, and has not taken measures to reduce demand for
commercial sex acts in the Republic of the Congo (2008)
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
======================================================================
@Cook Islands
Introduction
Cook Islands
Background:
Named after Captain COOK, who sighted them in 1770, the islands
became a British protectorate in 1888. By 1900, administrative
control was transferred to New Zealand; in 1965, residents chose
self-government in free association with New Zealand. The emigration
of skilled workers to New Zealand and government deficits are
continuing problems.
Geography
Cook Islands
Location:
Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about half way
between Hawaii and New Zealand
Geographic coordinates:
21 14 S, 159 46 W
Map references:
Oceania
Area:
total: 236.7 sq km
land: 236.7 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
1.3 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
120 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Climate:
tropical oceanic; moderated by trade winds; a dry season from April
to November and a more humid season from December to March
Terrain:
low coral atolls in north; volcanic, hilly islands in south
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Te Manga 652 m
Natural resources:
NEGL
Land use:
arable land: 16.67%
permanent crops: 8.33%
other: 75% (2005)
Irrigated land:
NA
Natural hazards:
typhoons (November to March)
Environment - current issues:
NA
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone
Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
the northern Cook Islands are seven low-lying, sparsely populated,
coral atolls; the southern Cook Islands, where most of the
population lives, consist of eight elevated, fertile, volcanic
isles, including the largest, Rarotonga, at 67 sq km
People
Cook Islands
Population:
12,271 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: (male 1,834/female 1,624)
15-64 years: (male 3,973/female 3,747)
65 years and over: (male 542/female 551)
Median age:
total: 29.8 years
male: 29 years
female: 30.4 years (2001 census)
Population growth rate:
NA (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
16.71 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
NA (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2001 census)
Infant mortality rate:
total: NA
male: NA
female: NA (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: NA
male: NA
female: NA (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
3.1 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Nationality:
noun: Cook Islander(s)
adjective: Cook Islander
Ethnic groups:
Cook Island Maori (Polynesian) 87.7%, part Cook Island Maori 5.8%,
other 6.5% (2001 census)
Religions:
Cook Islands Christian Church 55.9%, Roman Catholic 16.8%,
Seventh-Day Adventists 7.9%, Church of Latter Day Saints 3.8%, other
Protestant 5.8%, other 4.2%, unspecified 2.6%, none 3% (2001 census)
Languages:
English (official), Maori
Literacy:
definition: NA
total population: 95%
male: NA%
female: NA%
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 10 years
male: 10 years
female: 10 years (2005)
Education expenditures:
0.2% of GDP (2001)
People - note:
2001 census counted a resident population of 15,017
Government
Cook Islands
Country name: