copper, phosphates, natural gas, hydropower
Land use: arable land: 1% permanent crops: 0% other: 99% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 10 sq km (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
People Congo, Republic of the
Population: 2,958,448 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 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 42.4% (male 630,985; female 622,024) 15-64
years: 54.3% (male 783,238; female 823,882) 65 years and over: 3.3%
(male 39,369; female 58,950) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.18% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 37.91 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death rate: 16.1 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 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 (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 97.91 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: 51.24 years (2002 est.) male: Total fertility
rate: 4.94 children born/woman (2002 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
and other 3% note: may be half that in 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.)
Government Congo, Republic of the
Country name: Republic of the Congo conventional short form:
Congo/Brazzaville, Congo local long form: Republique du Congo
Government type: republic
Capital: Brazzaville
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: constitution approved by referendum in 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 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 NA 2009) head of government:
civil war in which he toppled elected president Pascal LISSOUBA); note -
the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet:
SASSOU-NGUESSO reelected president; percent of vote - Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO
89.4%, Joseph Kignoumbi Kia MBOUNGOU 2.7%
Legislative branch: unicameral National Transitional Council (75 seats,
members elected by reconciliation forum of 1,420 delegates in January
1998); note - the National Transitional Council will be replaced by a
bicameral Parliament, with a National Assembly and Senate, following
elections in 2002 elections: National Transitional Council - last held
NA January 1998 (next to be held in 2002); note - at that election
the National Transitional Council is to be replaced by a bicameral
legislature 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]; 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 [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, BDEAC, CCC,
CEEAC, CEMAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW (signatory),
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Serge
MOMBOULI FAX: [1] (202) 726-1860 telephone: [1] (202) 726-5500 chancery:
4891 Colorado Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20011
Diplomatic representation from the US: NA mailing address: 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 Congo, Republic of the
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, contributing to a 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's budget deficit. Given a fragile peace, agreements with the IMF
and the World Bank, and general international support for reconstruction
and development, prospects for structural reform and 4% growth in 2002-03
appear strong.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $2.5 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 4.2% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $900 (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 10% industry: 48% services:
42% (2001 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3% (2001 est.)
Labor force: NA
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues: $870 million expenditures: $970 million, including
capital expenditures of $NA (1997 est.)
Industries: petroleum extraction, cement, lumber, brewing, sugar,
palm oil, soap, flour, cigarettes
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: 302 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 0.66% hydro: 99.34%
other: 0% (1999) nuclear: 0%
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., 2001)
Exports - commodities: petroleum 90%, lumber, plywood, sugar, cocoa,
coffee, diamonds
Exports - partners: US 20.9%, South Korea 15.5%, China 6.7%, Germany 3.2%
(2000)
Imports: $725 million (f.o.b., 2001)
Imports - commodities: petroleum products, capital equipment,
construction materials, foodstuffs
Imports - partners: France 20.5%, US 9.8%, Italy 7.5%, Belgium 3.8%
(2000)
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
Currency code: XAF
Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US
dollar - 742.79 (January 2002), 733.04 (2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.70
(1999), 589.95 (1998), 583.67 (1997); 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
Communications Congo, Republic of the
Telephones - main lines in use: 22,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 250,000 (2001)
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 3 (2001)
Radios: 341,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (2002)
Televisions: 33,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .cg
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Internet users: 500 (2000)
Transportation Congo, Republic of the
Railways: total: 894 km narrow gauge: 894 km 1.067-m gauge (2000 est.)
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: 33 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 4 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m:
3 (2001)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 29 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 914 to
1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 12 (2001)
Military Congo, Republic of the
Military branches: Army, Air Force, Navy, Gendarmerie, National Police
Military manpower - military age: 20 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 702,048 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 356,388
(2002 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 32,350
(2002 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $84 million (FY01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.8% (FY01)
Transnational Issues Congo, Republic of the
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)
This page was last updated on 1 January 2002
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Congo, Democratic Republic of the
Introduction
Congo, Democratic Republic of the
Background: Since 1997 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 in 1994 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 by the DROC, Zimbabwe, Angola, Uganda, Namibia,
Rwanda, and Congolese armed rebel groups RCD-G and MLC, but sporadic
fighting continued. KABILA was assassinated on 16 January 2001 and his
son Joseph KABILA was named head of state on 26 January 2001. Despite
taking a radically different approach than his father, the new president
has been equally unsuccessful in ending the war.
Geography Congo, Democratic Republic of the
Location: Central Africa, northeast of Angola
Geographic coordinates: 0 00 N, 25 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 2,345,410 sq km water: 77,810 sq km land: 2,267,600 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 (of
which 225 km is the boundary of Angola's discontiguous Cabinda Province),
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
Coastline: 37 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: 1% other: 96% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 110 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: periodic droughts in south; Congo River floods
(seasonal); in the east, in the Great Rift Valley, there are active
volcanoes
Environment - current issues: poaching threatens wildlife populations;
water pollution; deforestation; refugees responsible for significant
deforestation, soil erosion, and wildlife poaching; mining of minerals
(coltan - a mineral used in creating capacitors, diamonds, and gold)
causing environmental damage
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; has 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
People Congo, Democratic Republic of the
Population: 55,225,478 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 2002 est.)
Age structure: 48.2% (male 13,369,493; female 13,256,174) 15-64 years:
(male 581,568; female 813,944) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.79% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 45.55 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death rate: 14.93 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Net migration rate: -2.75 migrant(s)/1,000 population note: one million
refugees fled into Zaire (now called the Democratic Republic of the Congo
or DROC) in 1994 as a result of the ethnic fighting in Rwanda; 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 and
additional refugees have returned in subsequent years; 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 (2002 est.)
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:
0.71 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 98.05 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: 51.13 years (2002 est.) male: Total fertility
rate: 6.77 children born/woman (2002 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.)
Government Congo, Democratic Republic of the
Country name: conventional long form: Democratic Republic of the Congo
conventional short form: none local short form: none former: Congo
Free State, Belgian Congo, Congo/Leopoldville, Congo/Kinshasa, Zaire
local long form: Government type: dictatorship; presumably undergoing
a transition to representative government
Capital: Kinshasa
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 was not ratified by a national
referendum; one outcome of the ongoing inter-Congolese dialogue is to
be a new constitution
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: President Joseph KABILA (since
26 January 2001); note - following the assassination of his father,
Laurent Desire KABILA, on 16 January 2001, Joseph KABILA succeeded
to the presidency; the president is both the chief of state and
head of government head of government: assassination of his father,
Laurent Desire KABILA, on 16 January 2001, Joseph KABILA succeeded to
the presidency; the president is both the chief of state and head of
government cabinet: National Executive Council, appointed by the president
elections: before Laurent Desire KABILA seized power on 16 May 1997, 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,
there was also a prime minister who was elected by the High Council
of the Republic; note - elections were not held in 1991 as called for
by the constitution note: November 1965 until forced into exile on 16
May 1997 when his government was overthrown militarily by Laurent Desire
KABILA; KABILA immediately assumed governing authority and 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 election results:
results of the last election were: MOBUTU Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu wa Za
Banga reelected president in 1984 without opposition
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 Laurent Desire
KABILA
Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Cour Supreme
Political parties and leaders: Democratic Social Christian Party or
PDSC [Andre BO-BOLIKO]; Forces for Renovation for Union and Solidarity
or FONUS [Joseph OLENGHANKOY]; National Congolese Lumumbist Movement or
MNC [Francois LUMUMBA]; Popular Movement of the Revolution or MPR [three
factions: MPR-Fait Prive (Catherine NZUZI wa Mbombo); MPR/Vunduawe (Felix
VUNDUAWE); MPR/Mananga (MANANGA Dintoka Mpholo)]; 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 [two factions: UFERI (Lokambo OMOKOKO); UFERI/OR
(Adolph Kishwe MAYA)]
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, Interpol, IOC, IOM,
ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW (signatory), 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 FAX: [1] (202) 234-2609 telephone: [1] (202) 234-7690,
7691 chancery: 1800 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Aubrey HOOKS embassy: 310 Avenue des
Unit 31550, APO AE 09828 telephone:
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 Congo, Democratic Republic of the