1986 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1986 (Internet Archive)
Geography
Agriculture
cash crops — sugarcane, wood, coffee, cocoa, palm kernels, peanuts, tobacco; food crops — root crops, rice, corn, bananas, manioc, fish
Area
200km BRAZZAVILLE Gull ol Guinea ^Poinle Nan Srr regional map VII Land 342,000 km2; slightly smaller than Montana; 63% dense forest or wood, 31% meadow, 4% urban or waste, 2% cultivated (est.)
Branches
presidential executive, Council of State; judiciary; all policy made by Congolese Labor Party Central Committee and Politburo
Budget
(1984) revenues, $721 million; current expenditures, $508 million; development expenditures, $241 million
Capital
Brazzaville
Coastline
169 km People Population; 1,853,000 (July 1986), average annual growth rate 3.0%
Communists
unknown number of Communists and sympathizers
Elections
elections for local and regional organs and the National Assembly were held in July 1979 — the first elections since June Political parties and leaders: Congolese Labor Party (PCT) is the only legal party; Party Congress held in July 1984 — Sassou unanimously elected to another 5-year term as president and party chairman
Electric power
175,000 kW capacity (1985); 306 million kWh produced (1985), 170 kWh per capita
Ethnic divisions
about 15 ethnic groups divided into some 75 tribes, almost all Bantu; most important ethnic groups are Kongo (48%) in the south, Sangha (20%) and M'Bochi (12%) in the north, Teke (17%) in the center; about 8,500 Europeans, mostly French
Exports
$1.3 billion (f.o.b., 1984); oil (90%), lumber, tobacco, veneer, plywood, coffee,
Fishing
catch 31,926 metric tons (1982)
GDP
about $1.8 billion (1984), $1,140 per capita; real growth rate 2.5% per year (1984); 80% of economy is private sector, predominantly French owned and operated
Government leaders
Col. Denis SASSOUNGUESSO, President and party chairman (since 1979); Ange Edouard POUNGUI, Prime Minister (since July 1984)
Imports
$618 million (f.o.b., 1984); machinery, transport equipment, manufactured consumer goods, iron and steel, foodstuffs, chemical products, sugar
Infant mortality rate
200/1,000(1983)
Labor force
about 40% of population economically active (1983); 75% agriculture, 25% commerce, industry, government; 79,100 wage earners; 40,000-60,000 unemployed
Land boundaries
4,514 km Water
Language
French (official); many African languages with Lingala and Kikongo most widely used
Legal system
based on French civil law system and customary law; constitution adopted 1973
Life expectancy
men 63
Limits of territorial waters (claimed)
200 nm
Literacy
over 50%
Major industries
crude oil, cement, sawmills, brewery, cigarettes, sugar mill, soap
Major trade partners
France, other EC countries, US
Member of
Af DB, Conference of East and Central African States, EAMA, ECA, EIB (associate), FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, ITU, NAM, OAU, UDEAC, UEAC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO Economy
National holiday
National Day, 15 August
Nationality
noun — Congolese (sing., pi.); adjective — Congolese or Congo
Natural resources
petroleum, wood, potash, lead, zinc, uranium, phosphates, natural gas
Official name
People's Republic of the
Organized labor
20% of total labor force (1979 est.) Government
Other political or pressure groups
Union of Congolese Socialist Youth (UJSC), Congolese Trade Union Congress (CSC), Revolutionary Union of Congolese Women (URFC), General Union of Congolese Pupils and Students (UGEEC)
Political subdivisions
nine regions divided into districts
Religion
48% animist, 47% Christian, 2% Muslim
Suffrage
universal over age 18
Type
people's republic