Republic of Congo
Republic of Congo
Satellite picture of Brazzaville, Republic of Congo (north side of the Congo River) and Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (south side of the river), and the Malebo Pool of the Congo River. Source: NASA
The Republic of Congo is a nation of four-and-a-quarter million people in western Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and Gabon.
About 70% of the population lives in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, or along the railroad between them
Current Environmental Issues:
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- air pollution from vehicle emissions;
- water pollution from the dumping of raw sewage;
- tap water is not potable; and,
- deforestation
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 new offshore oil finds to sustain its oil earnings over the long term.
Geography
Location: Western Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and Gabon
Geographic Coordinates: 1 00 S, 15 00 E
Area: 342,000 km2 (341,500 km2 land and 500 km2 water)
Land Boundaries: 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
Natural Hazards: seasonal flooding
Terrain: Coastal plain, southern basin, central plateau, northern basin
Elevation Extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Berongou 903 m
Climate: Tropical; rainy season (March to June); dry season (June to October); persistent high temperatures and humidity; particularly enervating climate astride the Equator
Topography of the Republic of Congo. Source: Wikimedia Commons
Ecology and Biodiversity
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Ecoregions of the Republic of Congo. Source: World Wildlife Fund |
Government
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Government Type: Republic Capital: Brazzaville - 1.292 million (2009) Administrative Divisions: 10 regions (regions, singular - region) and 1 commune (Brazzaville);
Independence Date: 15 August 1960 (from France) Legal System: based mixed legal system of French civil law and customary law. The Republic of Congo has not submitted an International Court of Justice ( ICJ) jurisdiction declaration. It accepts International Criminal Court (ICCt) jurisdiction. Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal |
Source: Jean-François Blanc/Wikimedia Commons |
International Environmental Agreements
The Republic of Congo has ratified international agreements on: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, and Wetlands. It has signed, but not ratified the Law of the Sea.
People and Society
Population: 4,243,929 (July 2011 est.)
Ethnic groups: Kongo 48%, Sangha 20%, M'Bochi 12%, Teke 17%, Europeans and other 3%
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| Lingston Falls on the Congo River, just below Brazzaville and Kinshasa. Source: Wikimedia Commons. |
Age Structure:
0-14 years: 45.6% (male 973,332/female 960,100)
15-64 years: 51.7% (male 1,091,531/female 1,101,057)
65 years and over: 2.8% (male 48,383/female 69,526) (2011 est.)
Population Growth Rate: 2.835% (2011 est.)
Birth Rate: 40.55 births/1,000 population (2011 est.)
Death Rate: 11.49 deaths/1,000 population (July 2011 est.)
Net Migration Rate: -0.71 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2011 est.)
Life Expectancy at Birth: 54.91 years (2011 est.)
Total Fertility Rate: 5.68 children born/woman (2011 est.)
Languages: French (official), Lingala and Monokutuba (lingua franca trade languages), many local languages and dialects (of which Kikongo is the most widespread)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 83.8%
male: 89.6%
female: 78.4% (2003 est.)
Urbanization: 62% of total population (2010) growing at an annual rate of change of 3% (2010-15 est.)
Water
Total Renewable Water Resourecs: 832 cu km (1987)
Freshwater Withdrawal (59% domestic, 29% industrial, 12% agricultural):
Per Capita Freshwater Withdrawal: 8 cu m/yr (2000)
Access to improved sources of drinking water: 71% of population
Access to improved sanitation facilities: 30% of population
Agriculture
Agricultural Products: cassava (tapioca), sugar, rice, corn, peanuts, vegetables, coffee, cocoa; forest products
Irrigated Land: 20 sq km (2003)
Resources
Natural Resources: petroleum, timber, potash, lead, zinc, uranium, copper, phosphates, gold, magnesium, natural gas, hydropower
Land Use:
arable land: 1.45%
permanent crops: 0.15%
other: 98.4% (2005)
Energy
| Energy in the Republic of Congo | |||||
| Production | Consumption | Exports | Imports | Reserves | |
| Electricity |
352 million kWh (2005) |
572 million kWh (2005) |
0 kWh (2005) |
418 million kWh (2005) |
|
| Oil | 235,900 bbl/day |
7,000 bbl/day (2005 est.) |
229,700 bbl/day (2004 est.) |
11,410 bbl/day (2004) |
1.506 billion bbl (1 January 2006 est.) |
| Natural Gas |
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.) |
| Source: CIA Factbook | |||||
Economy
The economy is a mixture of subsistence agriculture, an industrial sector based largely on oil and support services, and government spending.
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.
Characterized by budget problems and overstaffing, 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.
The drop in oil prices during the global crisis reduced oil revenue by about 30%, but the subsequent 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, receiving $1.9 billion in debt relief under the program in 2010.
GDP (Purchasing Power Parity): $18.36 billion (2011 est.)
GDP (Official Exchange Rate): $15.1 billion (2011 est.)
GDP- per capita (PPP): $4,600 (2011 est.)
GDP- composition by sector:
agriculture: 4.1%
industry: 68.7%
services: 27.2% (2011 est.)
Industries: petroleum extraction, cement, lumber, brewing, sugar, palm oil, soap, flour, cigarettes
Exports: petroleum, lumber, plywood, sugar, cocoa, coffee, diamonds
Imports: capital equipment, construction materials, foodstuffs
Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF)
Ports and Terminals: Brazzaville, Djeno, Impfondo, Ouesso, Oyo, Pointe-Noire
Citation
Central Intelligence Agency (Lead Author);CIA World Factbook (Content Source);Lakhdar Boukerrou, Peter Saundry (Topic Editor) "Republic of Congo". In: Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds. Cutler J. Cleveland (Washington, D.C.: Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment). [First published in the Encyclopedia of Earth June 1, 2009; Last revised Date February 6, 2012; Retrieved February 9, 2012 <http://www.eoearth.org/article/Republic_of_Congo>
The Author
The Central Intelligence Agency was created in 1947 with the signing of the National Security Act by President Harry S. Truman. The act also created a Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) to serve as head of the United States intelligence community; act as the principal adviser to the President for intelligence matters related to the national security; and serve as head of the Central Intelligence Agency. The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 amended the National Securit ... (Full Bio)
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