1998 Edition

Area

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

Area-comparative

slightly smaller than Montana

Climate

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

Coastline

169 km

Elevation extremes

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

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, Endangered Species, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94 signed, but not ratified: Desertification, Law of the Sea

Geographic coordinates

1 00 S, 15 00 E

Geography-note

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

Irrigated land

10 sq km (1993 est.)

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

Land use

arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 29% forests and woodland: 62% other: 9% (1993 est.)

Location

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

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 200 nm

Natural hazards

seasonal flooding

Natural resources

petroleum, timber, potash, lead, zinc, uranium, copper, phosphates, natural gas

Terrain

coastal plain, southern basin, central plateau, northern basin

Age structure

0-14 years: 43% (male 569,382; female 563,327) 15-64 years: 54% (male 700,507; female 734,447) 65 years and over: 3% (male 36,383; female 54,077) (July 1998 est.)

Birth rate

38.5 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Death rate

16.45 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Ethnic groups

Kongo 48%, Sangha 20%, M'Bochi 12%, Teke 17%, Europeans NA%; note - Europeans estimated at 8,500, mostly French, before the 1997 civil war; may be half of that in 1998, following the widespread destruction of foreign businesses in 1997

Infant mortality rate

102.69 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 47.07 years male: 45.29 years female: 48.89 years (1998 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 74.9% male: 83.1% female: 67.2% (1995 est.)

Nationality

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

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Population

2,658,123 (July 1998 est.)

Population growth rate

2.21% (1998 est.)

Religions

Christian 50%, animist 48%, Muslim 2%

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 (1998 est.)

Total fertility rate

4.98 children born/woman (1998 est.)

Administrative divisions

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

Constitution

new constitution approved by referendum March 1992 but is now being redrafted by President SASSOU-NGUESSO

Country name

conventional long form: Republic of the Congo conventional short form: none local long form: Republique du Congo local short form: none former: Congo/Brazzaville, Congo

Data code

CF

Executive branch

chief of state: President Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO (inaugurated on 25 October 1997) head of government: prime minister (vacant) appointed from the majority party by the president cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 16 August 1992 (next was to be held 27 July 1997 but will be delayed for several years pending the drafting of a new constitution which will change term to seven years) election results: Pascal LISSOUBA elected president; percent of vote-Pascal LISSOUBA 61%, Bernard KOLELAS 39%

FAX

[1] (202) 726-1860 Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador J. Aubrey HOOKS embassy: Avenue Amilcar Cabral, Brazzaville mailing address: B. P. 1015, Brazzaville telephone: [242] 83 20 70

[242] 83 63 38 note: 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

Government type

republic

Independence

15 August 1960 (from France)

International organization participation

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC, CCC, CEEAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, UDEAC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: (vacant); Charge d'Affaires ad interim Serge MONBOULI chancery: 4891 Colorado Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20011 telephone: [1] (202) 726-5500

Judicial branch

Supreme Court (Cour Supreme) Political parties and leaders: the most important of the many political parties are Congolese Labor Party or PCT [Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO, president]; Association for Democracy and Development or RDD [Joachim YHOMBI-OPANGO, president]; Association for Democracy and Social Progress or RDPS [Jean-Pierre Thystere TCHICAYA, president]; Congolese Movement for Democracy and Integral Development or MCDDI [Michel MAMPOUYA, leader]; Pan-African Union for Social Development or UPADS [Martin MBERI, leader]; Union of Democratic Forces or UFD [Sebastian EBAO, leader]; Union for Democratic Renewal or URD; Union for Development and Social Progress or UDPS [Jean-Michael BOKAMBA-YANGOUMA, leader] Political pressure groups and leaders: Union of Congolese Socialist Youth or UJSC; Congolese Trade Union Congress or CSC; Revolutionary Union of Congolese Women or URFC; General Union of Congolese Pupils and Students or UGEEC

Legal system

based on French civil law system and customary law

Legislative branch

bicameral parliament consists of an Assemblee Nationale or National Assembly (125 seats, members are elected by direct popular vote for five-year terms) and a Senat or Senate (60 seats, members are elected by direct popular vote for six-year terms); note-the National Assembly which was elected on 3 October 1993 was dissolved; it has been replaced by a transitional advisory parliament of 75 members named by the National Reconciliation Forum of January 1998 elections: National Assembly-last held 3 October 1993 (next to be held NA); Senate - last held November 1996 (next to be held NA) election results: National Assembly-percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party - UPADS 64, URD/PCT 58, others 3; Senate-percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party-UPADS 23, MCDDI 14, RDD 8, RDPS 5, PCT 2, others 8

National capital

Brazzaville

National holiday

Congolese National Day, 15 August (1960)

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agriculture-products

cassava (tapioca) accounts for 90% of food output, sugar, rice, corn, peanuts, vegetables, coffee, cocoa; forest products

Budget

revenues: $870 million expenditures: $970 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997 est.)

Currency

1 Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes

Debt-external

$5.3 billion (1996)

Economic aid

recipient: ODA, $NA

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 about 90% 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. Subsequently, falling oil prices cut GDP growth by half. Moreover, the government has mortgaged a substantial portion of its oil earnings, contributing to the government's 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 continue with the support of international organizations, notably the World Bank and the IMF.

Electricity-capacity

118,000 kW (1995)

Electricity-consumption per capita

220 kWh (1995)

Electricity-production

438 million kWh (1995)

Exchange rates

CFA francs (CFAF) per US$1-608.36 (January 1998), 583.67 (1997), 511.55 (1996), 499.15 (1995), 555.20 (1994), 283.16 (1993) note: beginning 12 January 1994, the CFA franc was devalued to CFAF 100 per French franc from CFAF 50 at which it had been fixed since 1948

Exports

total value: $1.2 billion (f.o.b., 1995) commodities: crude oil 90%, lumber, plywood, sugar, cocoa, coffee, diamonds partners: Belgium-Luxembourg 24.3%, Taiwan 20.2%, US 14.9%, Italy 14.8% (1995 est.)

Fiscal year

calendar year Communications

GDP

purchasing power parity-$5.25 billion (1996 est.)

GDP-composition by sector

agriculture: 11.4% industry: 35.2% services: 53.4% (1993)

GDP-per capita

purchasing power parity-$2,000 (1996 est.)

GDP-real growth rate

4% (1996 est.)

Imports

total value: $670 million (f.o.b. 1995) commodities: intermediate manufactures, capital equipment, construction materials, foodstuffs, petroleum products partners: France 31.2%, Netherlands 24.6%, Italy 11.4%, US 6.9% (1995 est.)

Industrial production growth rate

NA%

Industries

petroleum extraction, cement kilning, lumbering, brewing, sugar milling, palm oil, soap, cigarette making

Inflation rate-consumer price index

3% (1996 est.)

Labor force

NA

Radio broadcast stations

AM 4, FM 1, shortwave 0

Radios

NA

Telephone system

services barely adequate for government use; key exchanges are in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, and Loubomo; inter-city lines frequently out-of-order domestic: primary network consists of microwave radio relay and coaxial cable international: satellite earth station-1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Telephones

18,000 (1983 est.)

Television broadcast stations

4 (1987 est.)

Televisions

8,500 (1993 est.)

Unemployment rate

NA%

Airports

37 (1997 est.) Airports-with paved runways: total: 4 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 (1997 est.) Airports-with unpaved runways: total: 33 1,524 to 2,437 m: 8 914 to 1,523 m: 15 under 914 m: 10 (1997 est.)

Highways

total: 12,800 km paved: 1,242 km unpaved: 11,558 km (1996 est.)

Merchant marine

total: 1 cargo ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,918 GRT/4,100 DWT (1997 est.)

Pipelines

crude oil 25 km Ports and harbors: Brazzaville, Impfondo, Ouesso, Oyo, Pointe-Noire

Railways

total: 795 km (includes 285 km private track) narrow gauge: 795 km 1.067-m gauge (1995 est.)

Waterways

the Congo and Ubangi (Oubangui) Rivers provide 1,120 km of commercially navigable water transport; other rivers are used for local traffic only

Military branches

Army, Navy (includes Marines), Air Force, National Police

Military expenditures-dollar figure

$110 million (1993)

Military expenditures-percent of GDP

3.8% (1993)

Military manpower-availability

males age 15-49: 623,924 (1998 est.) Military manpower-fit for military service: males: 317,997 (1998 est.)

Military manpower-military age

20 years of age

Military manpower-reaching military age annually

males: 27,354 (1998 est.)

Disputes-international

long segment of the boundary with Democratic Republic of the Congo along the Congo River is indefinite (no division of the river or its islands has been made) (self-governing in free association with New Zealand)