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.

Western Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and Gabon

1 00 S, 15 00 E

total: 342,000 sq km
land: 341,500 sq km
water: 500 sq km

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

169 km

territorial sea: 200 nm

tropical; rainy season (March to June); dry season (June to October); persistent high temperatures and humidity; particularly enervating climate astride the Equator

coastal plain, southern basin, central plateau, northern basin

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Berongou 903 m

petroleum, timber, potash, lead, zinc, uranium, copper, phosphates, gold, magnesium, natural gas, hydropower

arable land: 1.45%
permanent crops: 0.15%
other: 98.4% (2005)

20 sq km (2003)

seasonal flooding

air pollution from vehicle emissions; water pollution from the dumping of raw sewage; tap water is not potable; deforestation

about 70% of the population lives in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, or along the railroad between them

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.)

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.)

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

2.6% (2006 est.)

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

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

-3.62 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

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.)

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.)

total population: 52.8 years
male: 51.65 years
female: 53.98 years (2006 est.)

6.07 children born/woman (2006 est.)

4.9% (2003 est.)

90,000 (2003 est.)

9,700 (2003 est.)

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

noun: Congolese (singular and plural)
adjective: Congolese or Congo

Kongo 48%, Sangha 20%, M'Bochi 12%, Teke 17%, Europeans and other 3%

Christian 50%, animist 48%, Muslim 2%

French (official), Lingala and Monokutuba (lingua franca trade languages), many local languages and dialects (of which Kikongo is the most widespread)

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 83.8%
male: 89.6%
female: 78.4% (2003 est.)

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

republic

Brazzaville

10 regions (regions, singular - region) and 1 commune*; Bouenza, Brazzaville*, Cuvette, Cuvette-Ouest, Kouilou, Lekoumou, Likouala, Niari, Plateaux, Pool, Sangha

15 August 1960 (from France)

Independence Day, 15 August (1960)

approved by referendum 20 January 2002

based on French civil law system and customary law

18 years of age; universal

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

Supreme Court or Cour Supreme

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.

$2.616 billion (2005 est.)

$4.789 billion (2005 est.)

8% (2005 est.)

$700 (2005 est.)

agriculture: 6.7%
industry: 62.4%
services: 30.9% (2005 est.)

2% (2005 est.)

28.9% of GDP (2005 est.)

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

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

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

343 million kWh (2003)

619 million kWh (2003)

300 million kWh (2003)

267,100 bbl/day (2005 est.)

5,200 bbl/day (2003 est.)

93.5 million bbl (1 January 2002)

90.61 billion cu m (1 January 2002)

$195.6 million (2005 est.)

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

petroleum, lumber, plywood, sugar, cocoa, coffee, diamonds

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

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

capital equipment, construction materials, foodstuffs

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

$102.2 million (2005 est.)

$5 billion (2000 est.)

$159.1 million (1995)

Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States

calendar year

13,800 (2004)

383,700 (2004)

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)

AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 3 (2001)

1 (2002)

.cg

46 (2004)

36,000 (2005)

32 (2005)

total: 4
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2005)

total: 28
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 11
under 914 m: 11 (2005)

gas 53 km; oil 646 km (2004)

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

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

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

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

Brazzaville, Djeno, Impfondo, Ouesso, Oyo, Pointe-Noire

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

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