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.
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
about 70% of the population lives in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, or along the railroad between them
Population
3,800,610
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 2007 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years
46.3% (male 885,039/female 873,753)
15-64 years
50.8% (male 958,992/female 973,445)
65 years and over
2.9% (male 44,994/female 64,387) (2007 est.)
Median age
total
16.7 years
male
16.4 years
female
17 years (2007 est.)
Population growth rate
2.639% (2007 est.)
Birth rate
42.16 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Death rate
12.59 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Net migration rate
-3.17 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth
1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years
1.013 male(s)/female
15-64 years
0.985 male(s)/female
65 years and over
0.699 male(s)/female
total population
0.988 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Infant mortality rate
total
83.26 deaths/1,000 live births
male
88.93 deaths/1,000 live births
female
77.42 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population
53.29 years
male
52.1 years
female
54.52 years (2007 est.)
Total fertility rate
5.99 children born/woman (2007 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 (2007)
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.)
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 16 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
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)
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 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 in 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
Democratic and Patriotic Forces or FDP [Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO, president] (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); 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; Union of Democratic Forces or UFD [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
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. 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)
$5.099 billion (2006 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate)
$5.163 billion (2006 est.)
GDP - real growth rate
7.5% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP)
$1,400 (2006 est.)
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture
6.2%
industry
55.3%
services
38.5% (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%
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
2.6% (2006 est.)
Investment (gross fixed)
27.2% of GDP (2006 est.)
Budget
revenues
$2.985 billion
expenditures
$1.664 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.)
Congolese Armed Forces (FAC): Army, Navy, Congolese Air Force (Armee de l'Air Congolaise), Gendarmerie, Republican Guard (2007)
Military service age and obligation
18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001)
Manpower available for military service
males age 18-49
688,628
females age 18-49
685,388 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service
males age 18-49
406,016
females age 18-49
394,745 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually
males age 18-49
38,464
females age 18-49
38,082 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP
3.1% (2006)
Disputes - international
Congo hosts about 63,000 refugees from neighboring states, primarily from the Pool border area of 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)
56,380 (Democratic Republic of Congo), 6,478 (Rwanda)
IDPs
48,000 (multiple civil wars since 1992; most IDPs are ethnic Lari) (2006)
