Congo, Republic of the

Radio broadcast stations

AM 4, FM 1, shortwave 0

Radios

NA

Telephone system

services barely adequate for government use; key exchanges are in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, and Loubomo; inter-city lines frequently out of order domestic: primary network consists of microwave radio relay and coaxial cable international : satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Telephones

18,000 (1983 est.)

Television broadcast stations

4 (1987 est.)

Televisions

8,500 (1993 est.)

Agriculture - products

cassava (tapioca) accounts for 90% of food output, sugar, rice, corn, peanuts, vegetables, coffee, cocoa; forest products

Budget

revenues : $870 million expenditures: $970 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997 est.)

Currency

1 Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes

Debt - external

$5.3 billion (1996)

Economic aid

recipient: ODA, $NA

Economy - overview

The economy is a mixture of village agriculture and handicrafts, an industrial sector based largely on oil, support services, and a government characterized by budget problems and overstaffing. Oil has supplanted forestry as the mainstay of the economy, providing about 90% 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. Subsequently, falling oil prices cut GDP growth by half. Moreover, the government has mortgaged a substantial portion of its oil earnings, contributing to the government's shortage of revenues. The 12 January 1994 devaluation of Franc Zone currencies by 50% resulted in inflation of 61% in 1994 but inflation has subsided since. Recent efforts to implement economic reforms have begun to show progress; the government and the IMF signed an aid agreement in mid-1996.

Electricity - capacity

165,000 kW (1995)

Electricity - consumption per capita

223 kWh (1994 est.)

Electricity - production

440 million kWh (1994)

Exchange rates

CFA francs (CFAF) per US$1 - 541.69 (January 1997), 511.55 (1996), 499.15 (1995), 555.20 (1994), 283.16 (1993), 264.69 (1992) note: beginning 12 January 1994, the CFA franc was devalued to CFAF 100 per French franc from CFAF 50 at which it had been fixed since 1948

Exports

total value: $952 million (f.o.b., 1994) commodities: crude oil 90%, lumber, plywood, sugar, cocoa, coffee, diamonds partners: Belgium-Luxembourg 24.3%, Taiwan 20.2%, US 14.9%, Italy 14.8% (1995 est.)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $4.9 billion (1995 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 11.4% industry: 35.2% services: 53.4% (1993)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $1,960 (1995 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

0.9% (1995 est.)

Imports

total value: $559 million (f.o.b. 1994) commodities : intermediate manufactures, capital equipment, construction materials, foodstuffs, petroleum products partners: France 31.2%, Netherlands 24.6%, Italy 11.4%, US 6.9% (1995 est.)

Industrial production growth rate

NA%

Industries

petroleum extraction, cement kilning, lumbering, brewing, sugar milling, palm oil, soap, cigarette making

Inflation rate - consumer price index

3% (1996 est.)

Labor force

NA

Unemployment rate

NA%

Area

total: 342,000 sq km land: 341,500 sq km water: 500 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Montana

Climate

tropical; rainy season (March to June); dry season (June to October); constantly high temperatures and humidity; particularly enervating climate astride the Equator

Coastline

169 km

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Berongou 903 m

Environment - current issues

air pollution from vehicle emissions; water pollution from the dumping of raw sewage; tap water is not potable; deforestation

Environment - international agreements

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94 signed, but not ratified: Desertification, Law of the Sea

Geographic coordinates

1 00 S, 15 00 E

Geography - note

about 70% of the population lives in Brazzaville, Pointe Noire, or along the railroad between them

Irrigated land

10 sq km (1993 est.)

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

Land use

arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures : 29% forests and woodland: 62% other: 9% (1993 est.)

Location

Western Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and Gabon

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 200 nm

Natural hazards

seasonal flooding

Natural resources

petroleum, timber, potash, lead, zinc, uranium, copper, phosphates, natural gas

Terrain

coastal plain, southern basin, central plateau, northern basin

Administrative divisions

9 regions (regions, singular - region) and 1 commune*; Bouenza, Brazzaville*, Cuvette, Kouilou, Lekoumou, Likouala, Niari, Plateaux, Pool, Sangha

Constitution

new constitution approved by referendum March 1992

Country name

conventional long form: Republic of the Congo conventional short form: none local long form : Republique du Congo local short form: none former: Congo/Brazzaville, Congo

Data code

CF

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador J. Aubrey HOOKS (10 June 1996) embassy: Avenue Amilcar Cabral, Brazzaville mailing address: B. P. 1015, Brazzaville telephone: [242] 83 20 70

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Dieudonne Antoine GANGA chancery: 4891 Colorado Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20011 telephone: [1] (202) 726-5500

Executive branch

chief of state: President Pascal LISSOUBA (since August 1992) head of government: Prime Minister David Charles GANAO (since 2 September 1996) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections : president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 16 August 1992 (next was to be held 27 July 1997 but armed clashes between political parties in early July seemed likely to delay it); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Pascal LISSOUBA elected president; percent of vote - Pascal LISSOUBA 61%

FAX

[1] (202) 726-1860

FAX

[242] 83 63 38

Flag description

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

Government type

republic

Independence

15 August 1960 (from France)

International organization participation

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC, CCC, CEEAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, UDEAC, UN, UNAVEM III, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO

Judicial branch

Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)

Legal system

based on French civil law system and customary law

Legislative branch

bicameral Parliament consists of the National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (125 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms) and the Senate (60 seats; members are elected by local and regional councils to serve six-year terms) elections: National Assembly - last held 3 October 1993 (next to be held NA 1998); Senate - last held November 1996 (next to be held NA 2002) election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UPADS 64, URD/PCT 58, others 3; Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UPADS 23, MCDDI 14, RDD 8, RDPS 5, PCT 2, others 8

National capital

Brazzaville

National holiday

Congolese National Day, 15 August (1960)

Political parties and leaders

the most important of the many political parties are Congolese Labor Party or PCT [Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO, president]; Association for Democracy and Development or RDD [Joachim Yhombi OPANGO, president]; Association for Democracy and Social Progress or RDPS [Jean-Pierre Thystere TCHICAYA, president]; Congolese Movement for Democracy and Integral Development or MCDDI [Bernard KOLELAS, leader]; Pan-African Union for Social Development or UPADS [Pascal LISSOUBA, leader]; Union of Democratic Forces or UFD [David Charles GANAO, leader]; Union for Democratic Renewal or URD; Union for Development and Social Progress or UDPS [Jean-Michael BOKAMBA-YANGOUMA, leader]

Political pressure groups and leaders

Union of Congolese Socialist Youth or UJSC; Congolese Trade Union Congress or CSC; Revolutionary Union of Congolese Women or URFC; General Union of Congolese Pupils and Students or UGEEC

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Military - note

under the terms of a 1994 peace agreement, which ended two years of civil strife, members of militias who supported the three main political parties are being integrated into the military forces

Military branches

Army, Navy (includes Marines), Air Force, National Police

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$110 million (1993)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

3.8% (1993)

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49 : 601,771 (1997 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males : 306,757 (1997 est.)

Military manpower - military age

20 years of age

Military manpower - reaching military age annually

males: 26,081 (1997 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years: 43% (male 557,996; female 552,022) 15-64 years: 54% (male 677,313; female 707,569) 65 years and over: 3% (male 35,573; female 52,725) (July 1997 est.)

Birth rate

38.79 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate

17.3 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Ethnic groups

Kongo 48%, Sangha 20%, M'Bochi 12%, Teke 17%, Europeans 8,500 (mostly French)

Infant mortality rate

106.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Languages

French (official), African languages (Lingala and Kikongo are the most widely used)

Life expectancy at birth

total population : 45.73 years male: 44.24 years female: 47.27 years (1997 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 74.9% male: 83.1% female : 67.2% (1995 est.)

Nationality

noun: Congolese (singular and plural) adjective: Congolese or Congo

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Population

2,583,198 (July 1997 est.)

Population growth rate

2.15% (1997 est.)

Religions

Christian 50%, animist 48%, Muslim 2%

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over : 0.68 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate

5.06 children born/woman (1997 est.)

Disputes - international

long segment of boundary with Democratic Republic of the Congo along the Congo River is indefinite (no division of the river or its islands has been made) COOK ISLANDS (free association with New Zealand)

Airports

34 (1996 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 13 over 3,047 m : 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 under 914 m: 9 (1996 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 21 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 914 to 1,523 m : 14 (1996 est.)

Highways

total: 12,760 km paved: 1,238 km unpaved : 11,522 km (1995 est.)

Merchant marine

total : 1 cargo ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,218 GRT/4,100 DWT (1996 est.)

Pipelines

crude oil 25 km

Ports and harbors

Brazzaville, Impfondo, Ouesso, Oyo, Pointe-Noire

Railways

total: 795 km (includes 285 km private track) narrow gauge: 795 km 1.067-m gauge (1995 est.)

Waterways

the Congo and Ubangi (Oubangui) Rivers provide 1,120 km of commercially navigable water transport; other rivers are used for local traffic only