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
Africa
total: 342,000 sq km ; land: 341,500 sq km ; water: 500 sq km
slightly smaller than Montana
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)
832 cu km (1987)
Total: 0.03 cu km/yr (59%/29%/12%) ; Per capita: 8 cu m/yr (2000)
seasonal flooding
air pollution from vehicle emissions; water pollution from the dumping of raw sewage; tap water is not potable; deforestation
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands ; signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
about 70% of the population lives in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, or along the railroad between them
3,800,610 ; 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 2007 est.)
0-14 years: 46.3% (male 885,039/female 873,753) ; 15-64 years: 50.8% (male 958,992/female 973,445) ; 65 years and over: 2.9% (male 44,994/female 64,387) (2007 est.)
total: 16.7 years ; male: 16.4 years ; female: 17 years (2007 est.)
2.639% (2007 est.)
42.16 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
12.59 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
-3.17 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female ; under 15 years: 1.013 male(s)/female ; 15-64 years: 0.985 male(s)/female ; 65 years and over: 0.699 male(s)/female ; total population: 0.988 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
total: 83.26 deaths/1,000 live births ; male: 88.93 deaths/1,000 live births ; female: 77.42 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
total population: 53.29 years ; male: 52.1 years ; female: 54.52 years (2007 est.)
5.99 children born/woman (2007 est.)
4.9% (2003 est.)
90,000 (2003 est.)
9,700 (2003 est.)
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.)
degree of risk: very high ; food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever ; vectorborne disease: malaria (2007)

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
name: Brazzaville ; geographic coordinates: 4 15 S, 15 17 E ; time difference: UTC+1 (six hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
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
chief of state: President Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO (since 25 October 1997, following the civil war in which he toppled elected president Pascal LISSOUBA); ; head of government: Prime Minister Isidore MVOUBA (since 7 January 2005) ; cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president ; elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 10 March 2002 (next to be held in 2009) ; election results: Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO reelected president; percent of vote - Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO 89.4%, Joseph Kignoumbi Kia MBOUNGOU 2.7%
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 in 2008); National Assembly - last held 24 June and 5 August 2007 (next to be held in 2012) ; 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 - PCT 46, MCDDI 11, UPADS 11, MAR 5, MSD 5, independents 37, other 22
Supreme Court or Cour Supreme
Action Movement for Renewal or MAR; Congolese Movement for Democracy and Integral Development or MCDDI [Michel MAMPOUYA]; Congolese Labour Party or PCT; Movement for Solidarity and Development or MSD; Pan-African Union for Social Development or UPADS [Martin MBERI]; Rally for Democracy and Social Progress or RDPS [Jean-Pierre Thystere TCHICAYA, president]; Rally for Democracy and the Republic or RDR [Raymond Damasge NGOLLO]; Union for Democracy and Republic or UDR; Union of Democratic Forces or UFD [Sebastian EBAO]; many less important parties
Congolese Trade Union Congress or CSC; General Union of Congolese Pupils and Students or UGEEC; Revolutionary Union of Congolese Women or URFC; Union of Congolese Socialist Youth or UJSC
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW (signatory), UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
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
chief of mission: Ambassador Serge MOMBOULI ; chancery: 4891 Colorado Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20011 ; telephone: [1] (202) 726-5500 ; FAX: [1] (202) 726-1860
chief of mission: Ambassador Robert WEISBERG ; embassy: BDEAC Building, 4th Floor, Brazzaville ; mailing address: NA ; telephone: [242] 81-1480 ; FAX:: [243] 81-5324





The economy is a mixture of subsistance agriculture, an industrial sector based largely on oil, and 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. In March 2006, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) treatment for Congo.
$13.97 billion (2007 est.)
$5.368 billion (2007 est.)
2.8% (2007 est.)
$3,700 (2007 est.)
agriculture: 5.6% ; industry: 57.1% ; services: 37.3% (2006 est.)
NA

NA%
NA%
lowest 10%: NA% ; highest 10%: NA%

7% (2007 est.)
31.5% of GDP (2007 est.)
revenues: $3.639 billion ; expenditures: $2.104 billion (2007 est.)

cassava (tapioca), sugar, rice, corn, peanuts, vegetables, coffee, cocoa; forest products
petroleum extraction, cement, lumber, brewing, sugar, palm oil, soap, flour, cigarettes
-1% (2007 est.)
7.341 billion kWh (2005)
fossil fuel: 0.3% ; hydro: 99.7% ; nuclear: 0% ; other: 0% (2001)
5.272 billion kWh (2005)
1.8 billion kWh (2005)
6 million kWh (2005)
19,750 bbl/day (2005 est.)
11,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)
20,750 bbl/day (2004)
11,410 bbl/day (2004)
187 million bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
115.1 million cu m (2005 est.)
115.1 million cu m (2005 est.)
0 cu m (2005 est.)
0 cu m (2005)
86.9 billion cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
$1.094 billion (2007 est.)
$6.455 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
petroleum, lumber, plywood, sugar, cocoa, coffee, diamonds
US 35.9%, China 31.4%, Taiwan 9.9%, South Korea 8% (2006)
$1.724 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
France 21.7%, China 12.1%, Zimbabwe 8.3%, US 6.9%, India 6.4%, Italy 5.1%, Belgium 4.8% (2006)

$2.242 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
$5 billion (2000 est.)


$NA
Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States
XAF
Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 483.6 (2007), 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003)
calendar year
$1.449 billion (2005)
15,900 (2005)
490,000 (2005)
general assessment: services barely adequate for government use; key exchanges are in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, and Loubomo; intercity lines frequently out of order; fixed-line infrastructure inadequate providing less than 1 connection per 100 persons; mobile-cellular subscribership has surged reaching 16 per 100 persons ; 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)
341,000 (1997)
1 (2001)
33,000 (1997)
.cg
3 (2007)
1 (2000)
70,000 (2006)

31 (2007)
total: 5 ; over 3,047 m: 2 ; 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 ; 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2007)
total: 26 ; 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 ; 914 to 1,523 m: 10 ; under 914 m: 9 (2007)

gas 89 km; liquid petroleum gas 4 km; oil 744 km (2006)
total: 894 km ; narrow gauge: 894 km 1.067-m gauge (2006)
total: 17,289 km ; paved: 864 km ; unpaved: 16,425 km (2004)
1,125 km (commercially navigable on Congo and Oubanqui rivers) (2006)
registered in other countries: 1 (Congo, Democratic Republic of the 1) (2007)
Brazzaville, Djeno, Impfondo, Ouesso, Oyo, Pointe-Noire

Congolese Armed Forces (Forces Armees Congolaises, FAC): Army, Navy, Congolese Air Force (Armee de l'Air Congolaise), Gendarmerie, Republican Guard (2007)
18 years of age for voluntary military service; women allowed to serve (2007)
males age 18-49: 688,628 ; females age 18-49: 685,388 (2005 est.)
males age 18-49: 406,016 ; females age 18-49: 394,745 (2005 est.)
males age 18-49: 38,464 ; females age 18-49: 38,082 (2005 est.)
3.1% (2006)

Congo hosts about 63,000 refugees from neighboring states, primarily from the Pool border area of 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): 56,380 (Democratic Republic of Congo), 6,478 (Rwanda) ; IDPs: 48,000 (multiple civil wars since 1992; most IDPs are ethnic Lari) (2006)


