1996 Edition

Description

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

Location

0 00 N, 25 00 E -- Central Africa, northeast of Angola Flag ----

Area

comparative area

slightly more than one-fourth the size of US

land area

2,267,600 sq km

total area

2,345,410 sq km

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

current issues

poaching threatens wildlife populations; water pollution; deforestation; 1.2 million Rwandan refugees are responsible for significant deforestation, soil erosion, and wildlife poaching in eastern Zaire

international agreements

party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83; signed, but not ratified - Desertification, Environmental Modification

natural hazards

periodic droughts in south; volcanic activity

Geographic coordinates

0 00 N, 25 00 E

Geographic note

straddles Equator; very narrow strip of land that controls the lower Congo river and is only outlet to South Atlantic Ocean; dense tropical rain forest in central river basin and eastern highlands

International disputes

Tanzania-Zaire-Zambia tripoint in Lake Tanganyika may no longer be indefinite since it has been informally 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 sq km (1989 est.)

Land boundaries

border countries

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

total

10,271 km

Land use

arable land

3%

forest and woodland

78%

meadows and pastures

4%

other

15%

permanent crops

0%

Location

Central Africa, northeast of Angola

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

exclusive economic zone

boundaries with neighbors

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

Terrain

vast central basin is a low-lying plateau; mountains in east

highest point

Margherita Peak (Mount Stanley) 5,110 m

lowest point

Atlantic Ocean 0 m

Age structure

0-14 years: 48% (male 11,161,347; female 11,124,583) 15-64 years: 49% (male 11,197,097; female 11,783,524) 65 years and over: 3% (male 539,775; female 692,213) (July 1996 est.)

Birth rate

48.1 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Death rate

16.9 deaths/1,000 population (1996 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

108 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Languages

French (official), Lingala (a lingua franca trade language), Kingwana (a dialect of Kiswahili or Swahili), Kikongo, Tshiluba

Life expectancy at birth

female

48.47 years (1996 est.)

male

44.97 years

total population

46.7 years

Literacy

age 15 and over can read and write in French, Lingala, Kingwana, or Tshiluba (1995 est.)

female

67.7%

male

86.6%

total population

77.3%

Nationality

adjective

Zairian

noun

Zairian(s)

Net migration rate

-14.56 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)

note

in 1994, more than one million refugees fled into Zaire to escape the fighting between the Hutus and the Tutsis in Rwanda and Burundi; a small number of these returned to their homes in 1995 despite fear of the ongoing violence; additionally, Zaire is host to about 100,000 Angolan, and about 100,000 Sudanese refugees

Population

46,498,539 (July 1996 est.)

Population growth rate

1.67% (1996 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant 20%, Kimbanguist 10%, Muslim 10%, other syncretic sects and traditional beliefs 10%

Sex ratio

all ages

0.97 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

at birth

1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years

1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female

Total fertility rate

6.64 children born/woman (1996 est.)

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

Capital

Kinshasa

Constitution

24 June 1967, amended August 1974, revised 15 February 1978; amended April 1990; new transitional constitution promulgated in April 1994

Data code

CG

Diplomatic representation in US

chancery

1800 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009

chief of mission

Ambassador TATANENE Manata

telephone

[1] (202) 234-7690, 7691

Executive branch

cabinet

National Executive Council, appointed by mutual agreement of the president and the prime minister

chief of state

President Marshal MOBUTU Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu wa Za Banga (since 24 November 1965) elected for a seven-year term by popular vote; election last held 29 July 1984 (next to be held by 9 July 1997); results - President MOBUTU was reelected without opposition

head of government

Prime Minister Leon KENGO wa Dondo (since 14 June 1994) elected by the High Council of the Republic

FAX

[243] (88) 43805, ext. 2308 or 43467

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

Independence

30 June 1960 (from Belgium)

International organization participation

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, CEEAC, CEPGL, ECA, FAO, G-19, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO

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

parliament

a single body consisting of the High Council of the Republic and the Parliament of the Transition with membership equally divided between presidential supporters and opponents

Name of country

conventional long form

Republic of Zaire

conventional short form

Zaire

former

Belgian Congo Congo/Leopoldville Congo/Kinshasa

local long form

Republique du Zaire

local short form

Zaire

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); Union of Federalists and Independent Republicans (UFERI); Unified Lumumbast Party (PALU), Antoine GIZENGA; Union of Independent Democrats (UDI), Leon KENGO wa Dondo

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Type of government

republic with a strong presidential system

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission

Ambassador Daniel H. SIMPSON

embassy

310 Avenue des Aviateurs, Kinshasa

mailing address

Unit 31550, APO AE 09828

telephone

[243] (12) 21533 through 21535

Agriculture

coffee, sugar, palm oil, rubber, tea, quinine, cassava (tapioca), palm oil, bananas, root crops, corn, fruits; wood products

Budget

expenditures

$479 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1996 est.)

revenues

$479 million

Currency

1 zaire (Z) = 100 makuta

Economic aid

recipient

ODA, $NA

Economic overview

Zaire's economy has continued to disintegrate, although Prime Minister KENGO has had some success in slowing the rate of economic decline. While meaningful economic figures are difficult to come by, Zaire's hyperinflation, chronic large government deficits, and plunging mineral production have made the country one of the world's poorest. Most formal transactions are conducted in hard currency as indigenous bank notes 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 IMF nor put in place the financial measures advocated by it. Although short-term prospects for improvement remain doubtful, improved political stability would boost Zaire's long-term potential to effectively exploit its vast mineral and agricultural resources.

Electricity

capacity

2,830,000 kW

consumption per capita

133 kWh (1993)

production

6.2 billion kWh

Exchange rates

new zaires (Z) per US$1 - 10,618 (October 1995), 1,194 (1994), 3 (1993); zaire (Z) per US$1 - 645,549 (1992), 15,587 (1991)

note

on 22 October 1993 the new zaire, equal to 3,000,000 old zaires, was introduced

Exports

$419 million (f.o.b., 1994)

commodities

copper, coffee, diamonds, cobalt, crude oil

partners

US, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, UK, Japan, South Africa

External debt

$11.3 billion (December 1993 est.)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $16.5 billion (1995 est.)

GDP composition by sector

agriculture

NA%

industry

NA%

services

NA%

GDP per capita

$400 (1995 est.)

GDP real growth rate

-7.4% (1995 est.)

Illicit drugs

illicit producer of cannabis, mostly for domestic consumption

Imports

$382 million (c.i.f., 1994)

commodities

consumer goods, foodstuffs, mining and other machinery, transport equipment, fuels

partners

South Africa, US, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK

Industrial production growth rate

-20% (1993)

Industries

mining, mineral processing, consumer products (including textiles, footwear, cigarettes, processed foods and beverages), cement, diamonds

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

12% monthly average (1995 est.)

Labor force

14.51 million (1993 est.)

by occupation

agriculture 65%, industry 16%, services 19% (1991 est.)

Unemployment rate

NA%

Branches

Army, Navy, Air Force, National Gendarmerie, paramilitary Civil Guard, Special Presidential Division

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $46 million, 1.5% of GDP (1990)

Manpower availability

males age 15-49

10,025,536

males fit for military service

5,108,385 (1996 est.)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 10, FM 4, shortwave 0

Radios

3.87 million (1992 est.)

Telephone system

domestic

barely adequate wire and microwave radio relay service in and between urban areas; domestic satellite system with 14 earth stations

international

satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Telephones

34,000 (1991 est.)

Television broadcast stations

18

Televisions

55,000 (1992 est.) Defense

Airports

total

217

with paved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m

15

with paved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m

3

with paved runways 914 to 1 523 m

2

with paved runways over 3 047 m

4

with paved runways under 914 m

82

with unpaved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m

17

with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m

94 (1995 est.)

Highways

paved

290 km

total

145,000 km

unpaved

144,710 km (1991 est.)

Merchant marine

none

Pipelines

petroleum products 390 km

Ports

Banana, Boma, Bukavu, Bumba, Goma, Kalemie, Kindu, Kinshasa, Kisangani, Matadi, Mbandaka

Railways

narrow gauge

3,987 km 1.067-m gauge (858 km electrified); 125 km 1.000-m gauge; 1,026 km 0.600-m gauge

total

5,138 km (1995); note - severely reduced trackage in use because of civil strife

Waterways

15,000 km including the Congo, its tributaries, and unconnected lakes