1993 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1993 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Area
total area: 2,345,410 km2 land area: 2,267,600 km2 comparative area: slightly more than one-quarter the size of US
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
Coastline
37 km
Environment
dense tropical rain forest in central river basin and eastern highlands; periodic droughts in south
International disputes
Tanzania-Zaire-Zambia tripoint in Lake Tanganyika may no longer be indefinite since it is reported that the indefinite section of the Zaire-Zambia boundary has been settled; long section with Congo along the Congo River is indefinite (no division of the river or its islands has been made)
Irrigated land
100 km2 (1989 est.)
Land boundaries
total 10,271 km, Angola 2,511 km, Burundi 233 km, Central African Republic 1,577 km, Congo 2,410 km, Rwanda 217 km, Sudan 628 km, Uganda 765 km, Zambia 1,930 km
Land use
arable land: 3% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 4% forest and woodland: 78% other: 15%
Location
Central Africa, between Congo and Zambia
Map references
Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World
Maritime claims
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
Natural resources
cobalt, copper, cadmium, petroleum, industrial and gem diamonds, gold, silver, zinc, manganese, tin, germanium, uranium, radium, bauxite, iron ore, coal, hydropower potential
Note
straddles Equator; very narrow strip of land that controls the lower Congo River and is only outlet to South Atlantic Ocean
Terrain
vast central basin is a low-lying plateau; mountains in east
People and Society
Birth rate
48.43 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate
16.91 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Ethnic divisions
over 200 African ethnic groups, the majority are Bantu; four largest tribes - Mongo, Luba, Kongo (all Bantu), and the Mangbetu-Azande (Hamitic) make up about 45% of the population
Infant mortality rate
113.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Labor force
15 million (13% of the labor force is wage earners; 51% of the population is of working age) by occupation: agriculture 75%, industry 13%, services 12% (1985)
Languages
French, Lingala, Swahili, Kingwana, Kikongo, Tshiluba
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 47.26 years male: 45.45 years female: 49.12 years (1993 est.)
Literacy
age 15 and over can read and write (1990) total population: 72% male: 84% female: 61%
Nationality
noun: Zairian(s) adjective: Zairian
Net migration rate
0.52 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Population
41,345,738 (July 1993 est.)
Population growth rate
3.2% (1993 est.)
Religions
Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant 20%, Kimbanguist 10%, Muslim 10%, other syncretic sects and traditional beliefs 10%
Total fertility rate
6.7 children born/woman (1993 est.)
Government
Administrative divisions
10 regions (regions, singular - region) and 1 town* (ville); Bandundu,, Bas-Zaire, Equateur, Haut-Zaire, Kasai-Occidental, Kasai-Oriental, Kinshasa*, Maniema, Nord-Kivu, Shaba, Sud-Kivu, Independence: 30 June 1960 (from Belgium)
Capital
Kinshasa
Chief of State
President Marshal MOBUTU Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu wa Za Banga (since 24 November 1965)
Constitution
24 June 1967, amended August 1974, revised 15 February 1978; amended April 1990; new constitution to be put to referendum in 1993
Digraph
CG
Diplomatic representation in US
chief of mission: Ambassador TATANENE Manata chancery: 1800 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: (202) 234-7690 or 7691
Executive branch
president, prime minister, Executive Council (cabinet)
FAX
[243] (12) 21232 consulate general: Lubumbashi (closed and evacuated in October 1991 because of the poor security situation)
Flag
light green with a yellow disk in the center bearing a black arm holding a red flaming torch; the flames of the torch are blowing away from the hoist side; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia
Head of Government
Interim Prime Minister Faustin BIRINDWA (since 18 March 1993)
Judicial branch
Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)
Legal system
based on Belgian civil law system and tribal law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch
unicameral National Parliament; anti-Mobutu opposition claims National Parliament replaced by High Council
Legislative Council
last held 6 September 1987 (next to be scheduled by High Council); results - MPR was the only party; seats - (210 total) MPR 210; note - MPR still holds majority of seats but some deputies have joined other parties
Member of
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, CEEAC, CEPGL, ECA, FAO, G-19, G-24, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Names
conventional long form: Republic of Zaire conventional short form: Zaire local long form: Republique du Zaire local short form: Zaire former: Belgian Congo Congo/Leopoldville Congo/Kinshasa
National holiday
Anniversary of the Regime (Second Republic), 24 November (1965)
Political parties and leaders
sole legal party until January 1991 - Popular Movement of the Revolution (MPR); other parties include Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS), Etienne TSHISEKEDI wa Mulumba; Democratic Social Christian Party (PDSC), Joseph ILEO; Union of Federalists and Independent Republicans (UFERI), NGUZ a Karl-I-Bond; Unified Lumumbast Party (PALU), leader NA
President
last held 29 July 1984 (next to be scheduled by High Council, the opposition-controlled transition legislature); results - President MOBUTU was reelected without opposition
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Type
republic with a strong presidential system
US diplomatic representation
chief of mission: Deputy Chief of Mission John YATES embassy: 310 Avenue des Aviateurs, Kinshasa mailing address: APO AE 09828 telephone: [243] (12) 21532, 21628
Economy
Agriculture
cash crops - coffee, palm oil, rubber, quinine; food crops - cassava, bananas, root crops, corn
Budget
revenues $NA, expenditures $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Currency
1 zaire (Z) = 100 makuta
Economic aid
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $1.1 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $6.9 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $35 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $263 million; except for humanitarian aid to private organizations, no US assistance was given to Zaire in 1992
Electricity
2,580,000 kW capacity; 6,000 million kWh produced, 160 kWh per capita (1991)
Exchange rates
zaire (Z) per US$1 - 2,000,000 (January1993), 15,587 (1991), 719 (1990), 381 (1989), 187 (1988), 112 (1987)
Exports
$1.5 billion (f.o.b., 1992 est.) commodities: copper, coffee, diamonds, cobalt, crude oil partners: US, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, UK, Japan, South Africa
External debt
$9.2 billion (May 1992 est.)
Fiscal year
calendar year
Illicit drugs
illicit producer of cannabis, mostly for domestic consumption
Imports
$1.2 billion (f.o.b., 1992 est.) commodities: consumer goods, foodstuffs, mining and other machinery, transport equipment, fuels partners: South Africa, US, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK
Industrial production
growth grate NA%
Industries
mining, mineral processing, consumer products (including textiles, footwear, and cigarettes), processed foods and beverages, cement, diamonds
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
35-40% per month (1992 est.)
National product
GDP - exchange rate conversion - $9.2 billion (1992, at 1990 exchange rate)
National product per capita
$235 (1992, at 1990 exchange rate)
National product real growth rate
-6% (1992 est.)
Overview
In 1992, Zaire's formal economy continued to disintegrate. While meaningful economic figures are difficult to come by, Zaire's hyperinflation, the largest government deficit ever, and plunging mineral production have made the country one of the world's poorest. Most formal transactions are conducted in hard currency as indigenous banknotes have lost almost all value, and a barter economy now flourishes in all but the largest cities. Most individuals and families hang on grimly through subsistence farming and petty trade. The government has not been able to meet its financial obligations to the International Momentary Fund or put in place the financial measures advocated by the IMF. Although short-term prospects for improvement are dim, improved political stability would boost Zaire's long-term potential to effectively exploit its vast wealth of mineral and agricultural resources.
Unemployment rate
NA%
Communications
Airports
total: 281 usable: 235 with permanent-surface runways: 25 with runways over 3,659 m: 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 6 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 73
Highways
146,500 km total; 2,800 km paved, 46,200 km gravel and improved earth; 97,500 unimproved earth
Inland waterways
15,000 km including the Congo, its tributaries, and unconnected lakes
Merchant marine
1 passenger cargo ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 15,489 GRT/13,481 DWT
Pipelines
petroleum products 390 km
Ports
Matadi, Boma, Banana
Railroads
5,254 km total; 3,968 km 1.067-meter gauge (851 km electrified); 125 km 1.000-meter gauge; 136 km 0.615-meter gauge; 1,025 km 0.600-meter gauge; limited trackage in use because of civil strife
Telecommunications
barely adequate wire and microwave service; broadcast stations - 10 AM, 4 FM, 18 TV; satellite earth stations - 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 14 domestic
Military and Security
Branches
Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary National Gendarmerie, Civil Guard, Special Presidential Division
Defense expenditures
exchange rate conversion - $49 million, 0.8% of GDP (1988)
Manpower availability
males age 15-49 8,879,731; fit for military service 4,521,768 (1993 est.)