| GEOGRAPHY |
| Country name: |
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 |
| Capital: |
Brazzaville |
| Location: |
Western Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and Gabon |
| Geographic
Coordinates: |
1 00 S, 15 00 E |
| Area: |
total: 342,000 sq km
land: 341,500 sq km
water: 500 sq km |
| Area
Comparative: |
slightly smaller than Montana |
| 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 |
| Coastline: |
169 km |
| Maritime
Claims: |
territorial sea: 200 nm |
| Climate: |
tropical; rainy season (March to June); dry season (June to October); constantly high temperatures and humidity; particularly enervating climate astride the Equator |
| Terrain: |
coastal plain, southern basin, central plateau, northern basin |
| Elavation
Extremes: |
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Berongou 903 m |
| Natural
Resources: |
petroleum, timber, potash, lead, zinc, uranium, copper, phosphates, gold, magnesium, natural gas, hydropower |
| GOVERNEMENT |
| Governement
Type: |
republic |
| Administratives
Divisions: |
10 regions (regions, singular - region) and 1 commune*; Bouenza, Brazzaville*, Cuvette, Cuvette-Ouest, Kouilou, Lekoumou, Likouala, Niari, Plateaux, Pool, Sangha |
| Independence |
15 August 1960 (from France) |
| National
Holiday: |
Independence Day, 15 August (1960) |
| Constitution: |
constitution approved by referendum 20 January 2002 |
| Legal
System; |
based on French civil law system and customary law |
| Suffrage |
18 years of age; universal |
| Executive
Branch: |
chief of state: President Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO (since 25 October 1997, following the civil war in which he toppled elected president Pascal LISSOUBA); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO (since 25 October 1997, following the civil war in which he toppled elected president Pascal LISSOUBA); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (eligible for a second seven-year term); election last held 10 March 2002 (next to be held NA 2009)
election results: Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO reelected president; percent of vote - Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO 89.4%, Joseph Kignoumbi Kia MBOUNGOU 2.7% |
| Legislative
Branch: |
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 July 2007); National Assembly - last held 27 May and 26 June 2002 (next to be held by NA May 2007)
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 - FDP 83, UDR 6, UPADS 3, other 45 |
| Judicial
Branch: |
Supreme Court or Cour Supreme |
| Political
parties and Leaders: |
the most important of the many parties are the Democratic and Patriotic Forces or FDP (an alliance of Convention for Alternative Democracy, Congolese Labor Party or PCT, Liberal Republican Party, National Union for Democracy and Progress, Patriotic Union for the National Reconstruction, and Union for the National Renewal) [Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO, president]; Congolese Movement for Democracy and Integral Development or MCDDI [Michel MAMPOUYA]; 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 [leader NA]; Union of Democratic Forces or UFD [Sebastian EBAO] |
| PEOPLE |
| Population: |
3,039,126
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 2005 est.) |
| Age structure: |
0-14 years: 37.3% (male 571,011/female 563,414)
15-64 years: 59% (male 886,297/female 907,348)
65 years and over: 3.7% (male 45,799/female 65,257) (2005 est.) |
| Median age: |
total: 20.7 years
male: 20.2 years
female: 21.1 years (2005 est.) |
| Nationality: |
noun: Congolese (singular and plural)
adjective: Congolese or Congo |
| Ethnic groups: |
Kongo 48%, Sangha 20%, M'Bochi 12%, Teke 17%, Europeans and other 3%
note: Europeans estimated at 8,500, mostly French, before the 1997 civil war; may be half that in 1998, following the widespread destruction of foreign businesses in 1997 |
| Religions: |
Christian 50%, animist 48%, Muslim 2% |
| Languages: |
French (official), Lingala and Monokutuba (lingua franca trade languages), many local languages and dialects (of which Kikongo is the most widespread) |
| COMUNICATIONS |
| Telephones - main
lines in use: |
7,000 (2003) |
| Telephones - mobile
cellular: |
330,000 (2003) |
| Telephone system: |
general assessment: services barely adequate for government use; key exchanges are in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, and Loubomo; intercity lines frequently out of order
domestic: primary network consists of microwave radio relay and coaxial cable
international: country code - 242; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
| Radio broadcast
stations: |
AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 3 (2001) |
| Television broadcast
stations: |
1 (2002) |
| Internet country
code: |
.cg |
| Internet hosts: |
46 (2003) |
| Internet users: |
15,000 (2003) |
| TRANSPORT |
| Railways: |
total: 894 km
narrow gauge: 894 km 1.067-m gauge (2003) |
| Highways: |
total: 12,800 km
paved: 1,242 km
unpaved: 11,558 km (1999 est.) |
| Waterways: |
4,385 km (on Congo and Oubanqui rivers) (2004) |
| Pipelines: |
gas 53 km; oil 646 km (2004) |
| Ports and harbors: |
Brazzaville, Impfondo, Ouesso, Oyo, Pointe-Noire |
| Merchant marine: |
|
| Airports: |
32 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with
paved runways: |
total: 4
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with
unpaved runways: |
total: 28
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 11
under 914 m: 11 (2004 est.) |
| Heliports: |
|
