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 is 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.

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

1 00 S, 15 00 E

Africa

total: 342,000 sq km
country comparison to the world: 64
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: 1.46%
permanent crops: 0.18%
other: 98.36% (2011)

20 sq km (2003)

832 cu km (2011)

total: 0.05 cu km/yr (69%/26%/4%)
per capita: 13.99 cu m/yr (2005)

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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

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

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

Kongo 48%, Sangha 20%, M'Bochi 12%, Teke 17%, Europeans and other 3%

French (official), Lingala and Monokutuba (lingua franca trade languages), many local languages and dialects (of which Kikongo is the most widespread)

Christian 50%, animist 48%, Muslim 2%

4,574,099 (July 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 124
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, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected

0-14 years: 45.1% (male 1,020,784/female 1,006,148)
15-24 years: 20.6% (male 464,410/female 460,955)
25-54 years: 28.2% (male 636,447/female 628,629)
55-64 years: 3.4% (male 67,117/female 84,919)
65 years and over: 2.7% (male 50,358/female 72,922) (2013 est.)

total dependency ratio: 84.9 %
youth dependency ratio: 78.7 %
elderly dependency ratio: 6.3 %
potential support ratio: 15.9 (2013)

total: 17.1 years
male: 16.9 years
female: 17.3 years (2013 est.)

2.86% (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 16

39.63 births/1,000 population (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 9

11.03 deaths/1,000 population (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 38

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 81

urban population: 63.7% of total population (2011)
rate of urbanization: 2.84% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

BRAZZAVILLE (capital) 1.611 million (2011)

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.79 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2013 est.)

19.8 (2011-12 est.)

560 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)
country comparison to the world: 16

total: 72.45 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 16
male: 77.76 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 66.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2013 est.)

total population: 55.6 years
country comparison to the world: 201
male: 54.27 years
female: 56.96 years (2013 est.)

5.49 children born/woman (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 11

44.7% (2011/12)

2.5% of GDP (2011)
country comparison to the world: 186

0.1 physicians/1,000 population (2007)

1.6 beds/1,000 population (2005)

3.4% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 18

77,000 (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 46

5,100 (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 37

degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease: malaria and dengue fever
animal contact disease: rabies
water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2013)

4.7% (2008)
country comparison to the world: 163

11.8% (2005)
country comparison to the world: 60

6.2% of GDP (2010)
country comparison to the world: 33

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 83.8%
male: 89.6%
female: 78.4% (2003 est.)

total: 9 years
male: 10 years
female: 9 years (2003)

total number: 252,171
percentage: 25 % (2005 est.)

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 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

12 departments (departments, singular - department); Bouenza, Brazzaville, Cuvette, Cuvette-Ouest, Kouilou, Lekoumou, Likouala, Niari, Plateaux, Pointe-Noire, Pool, Sangha

15 August 1960 (from France)

Independence Day, 15 August (1960)

previous 1992; latest approved by referendum 20 January 2002 (2002)

mixed legal system of French civil law and customary law

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

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); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Denis SASSOU-Nguesso (since 25 October 1997); note - the position of prime minister was abolished in September 2009
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 on 12 July 2009 (next to be held in 2016)
election results: Denis SASSOU-Nguesso reelected president; percent of vote - Denis SASSOU-Nguesso 78.6%, Joseph Kignoumbi Kia MBOUNGOU 7.5%, Nicephore Fylla de SAINT-EUDES 7%, other 6.9%

bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (72 seats; members elected by indirect vote to serve five-year terms) and the National Assembly (139 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held on 5 August 2008 (next to be held in July 2014); National Assembly - last held on 15 July and 5 August 2012 (next to be held in 2018)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RMP 33, FDU 23, UPADS 2, independents 7, other 7; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PCT (and allies) 117, UPADS 7, independents 12, vacant 3

highest court(s): Supreme Court or Cour Supreme (consists of NA judges)
judge selection and term of office: judges elected by parliament and serve until retirement age
subordinate courts: courts of appeal; regional and district courts; employment tribunals; juvenile courts

Action Movement for Renewal or MAR

Congolese Trade Union Congress or CSC

ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, EITI (candidate country), FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

chief of mission: Ambassador Serge MOMBOULI (since 31 July 2001)
chancery: 1720 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: [1] (202) 726-5500
FAX: [1] (202) 726-1860

chief of mission: Ambassador Stephanie S. Sullivan (since 12 August 2013)
embassy: 70-83 Section D, Maya-Maya Boulevard, Brazzaville;
mailing address: B.P. 1015, Brazzaville
telephone: [242] 06 612-200

divided diagonally from the lower hoist side by a yellow band; the upper triangle (hoist side) is green and the lower triangle is red; green symbolizes agriculture and forests, yellow the friendship and nobility of the people, red is unexplained but has been associated with the struggle for independence
note: uses the popular Pan-African colors of Ethiopia

lion; elephant

name: "La Congolaise" (The Congolese)
lyrics/music: Jacques TONDRA and Georges KIBANGHI/Jean ROYER and Joseph SPADILIERE
note: originally adopted 1959, restored 1991

The economy is a mixture of subsistence hunting and 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. Natural gas is increasingly being converted to electricity rather than being flared, greatly improving energy prospects. New mining projects, particularly iron ore, that may enter production as early as late 2013 may add as much as $1 billion to annual government revenue. Economic reform efforts have been undertaken with the support of international organizations, notably the World Bank and the IMF, including recently concluded Article IV consultations. 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 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 boosted the economy's GDP from 2009-12. In March 2006, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) treatment for Congo, which received $1.9 billion in debt relief under the program in 2010. Congo also restructured old defaulted London Club debt in 2007, which effectively cancelled 80% of its private debt. Contracts with China have increased Congo's publicly held debt. Officially the country became a net external creditor as of 2011, with external debt representing less than 22% of GDP and debt servicing less than 3% of government revenue.

$18.89 billion (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 135
note: data are in 2012 US dollars

$13.51 billion (2012 est.)

3.8% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 93

$4,600 (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 163
note: data are in 2012 US dollars

56.2% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 3

household consumption: 22.7%
government consumption: 12.5%
investment in fixed capital: 53.6%
investment in inventories: 1%
exports of goods and services: 102.6%
imports of goods and services: -92.4%

agriculture: 3.4%
industry: 76.8%
services: 19.9% (2012 est.)

cassava (tapioca), sugar, rice, corn, peanuts, vegetables, coffee, cocoa; forest products

petroleum extraction, cement, lumber, brewing, sugar, palm oil, soap, flour, cigarettes

4% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 74

2.89 million (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 106

53% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 195

46.5% (2011 est.)

lowest 10%: 2.1%
highest 10%: 37.1% (2005)

revenues: $5.83 billion
expenditures: $4.949 billion (2012 est.)

43.2% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 29

6.5% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 10

31.8% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 113

calendar year

3.9% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 121

4.25% (31 December 2009)
country comparison to the world: 76

14.8% (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 45

$4.403 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 103

$3.753 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 136

$-1.448 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 186

$NA

$187.9 million (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 51

$10.53 billion (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 92

petroleum, lumber, plywood, sugar, cocoa, coffee, diamonds

China 39%, US 13%, France 9.5%, Australia 8.8%, Netherlands 6.8%, Spain 5.3%, India 5.2% (2012)

$4.45 billion (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 134

capital equipment, construction materials, foodstuffs

France 19.5%, China 13.5%, Brazil 9.1%, US 6.1%, India 5.8%, Italy 4.8%, Belgium 4.4% (2012)

$5.568 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 90

$2.999 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 137

Cooperation Financiere en Afrique Centrale francs (XAF) per US dollar -

559 million kWh (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 161

588 million kWh (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 166

0 kWh (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 177

495 million kWh (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 78

559,000 kW (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 133

51.2% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 152

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 61

48.8% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 44

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 165

291,900 bbl/day (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 35

290,000 bbl/day (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 27

0 bbl/day (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 170

1.6 billion bbl (1 January 2013 es)
country comparison to the world: 37

13,820 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 101

10,710 bbl/day (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 152

4,288 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 93

4,156 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 162

946 million cu m (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 65

930 million cu m (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 91

39 million cu m (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 51

0 cu m (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 173

90.61 billion cu m (1 January 2013 es)
country comparison to the world: 58

6.858 million Mt (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 114

14,900 (2012)
country comparison to the world: 196

4.283 million (2012)
country comparison to the world: 118

general assessment: primary network consists of microwave radio relay and coaxial cable with services barely adequate for government use; key exchanges are in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, and Loubomo; intercity lines frequently out of order
domestic: fixed-line infrastructure inadequate providing less than 1 connection per 100 persons; in the absence of an adequate fixed line infrastructure, mobile-cellular subscribership has surged to 90 per 100 persons
international: country code - 242; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2011)

1 state-owned TV and 3 state-owned radio stations; several privately owned TV and radio stations; satellite TV service is available; rebroadcasts of several international broadcasters are available (2007)

.cg

45 (2012)
country comparison to the world: 215

245,200 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 136

27 (2013)
country comparison to the world: 125

total: 8
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 (2013)

total: 19
1,524 to 2,437 m: 8
914 to 1,523 m: 9
under 914 m:

gas 232 km; liquid petroleum gas 4 km; oil 982 km (2013)

total: 886 km
country comparison to the world: 94
narrow gauge: 886 km 1.067-m gauge (2008)

total: 17,289 km
country comparison to the world: 118
paved: 864 km
unpaved: 16,425 km (2004)

1,120 km (commercially navigable on Congo and Oubanqui rivers above Brazzaville; there are many ferries across the river to Kinshasa; the Congo south of Brazzaville-Kinshasa to the coast is not navigable because of rapids, thereby necessitating a rail connection to Pointe Noire; other rivers are used for local traffic only) (2011)
country comparison to the world: 62

registered in other countries: 1 (Democratic Republic of the Congo 1) (2010)
country comparison to the world: 155

major seaport(s): Pointe-Noire
river port(s): Brazzaville (Congo); Impfondo (Oubangi); Ouesso (Sangha); Oyo (Alima)
oil/gas terminal(s): Djeno

Congolese Armed Forces (Forces Armees Congolaises, FAC): Army (Armee de Terre), Navy, Congolese Air Force (Armee de l'Air Congolaise); Gendarmerie; Special Presidential Security Guard (GSSP) (2013)

18 years of age for voluntary military service; women can serve in the Armed Forces (2012)

males age 16-49: 928,664
females age 16-49: 914,265 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49: 577,944
females age 16-49: 566,587 (2010 est.)

male: 50,000
female: 49,641 (2010 est.)

the location of the boundary in the broad Congo River with the Democratic Republic of the Congo is undefined except in the Pool Malebo/Stanley Pool area