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Background:
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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. |
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Location:
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Western Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between
Angola and Gabon
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Geographic coordinates:
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1 00 S, 15 00 E
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Map references:
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Africa
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Area:
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total: 342,000 sq km
land: 341,500 sq km
water: 500 sq km
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller than Montana
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Land boundaries:
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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
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Coastline:
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169 km
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 200 nm
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Climate:
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tropical; rainy season (March to June); dry season (June to
October); persistent high temperatures and humidity;
particularly enervating climate astride the Equator |
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Terrain:
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coastal plain, southern basin, central plateau, northern
basin
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Berongou 903 m
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Natural resources:
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petroleum, timber, potash, lead, zinc, uranium, copper,
phosphates, gold, magnesium, natural gas, hydropower
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Land use:
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arable land: 1.45%
permanent crops: 0.15%
other: 98.4% (2005)
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Irrigated land:
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20 sq km (2003)
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Total renewable water resources:
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832 cu km (1987)
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Freshwater withdrawal
(domestic/industrial/agricultural):
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total: 0.03 cu km/yr (59%/29%/12%)
per capita: 8 cu m/yr (2000)
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Natural hazards:
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seasonal flooding
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Environment - current issues:
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air pollution from vehicle emissions; water pollution from
the dumping of raw sewage; tap water is not potable;
deforestation |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate
Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83,
Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
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Geography - note:
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about 70% of the population lives in Brazzaville,
Pointe-Noire, or along the railroad between them
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Population:
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3,903,318
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 (July 2008 est.)
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 46.1% (male 906,345/female 894,568)
15-64 years: 51% (male 989,126/female 1,002,682)
65 years and over: 2.8% (male 45,560/female 65,037)
(2008 est.)
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Median age:
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total: 16.7 years
male: 16.5 years
female: 17 years (2008 est.)
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Population growth rate:
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2.696% (2008 est.)
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Birth rate:
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41.76 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
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Death rate:
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12.28 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
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Net migration rate:
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-2.52 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 81.29 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 86.9 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 75.51 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 53.74 years
male: 52.52 years
female: 55 years (2008 est.)
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Total fertility rate:
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5.92 children born/woman (2008 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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4.9% (2003 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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90,000 (2003 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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9,700 (2003 est.)
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Major infectious diseases:
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degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal
diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease: malaria and African
trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness)
animal contact disease: rabies (2008)
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Nationality:
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noun: Congolese (singular and plural)
adjective: Congolese or Congo
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Ethnic groups:
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Kongo 48%, Sangha 20%, M'Bochi 12%, Teke 17%, Europeans and
other 3%
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Religions:
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Christian 50%, animist 48%, Muslim 2%
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Languages:
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French (official), Lingala and Monokutuba (lingua franca
trade languages), many local languages and dialects (of
which Kikongo is the most widespread) |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 83.8%
male: 89.6%
female: 78.4% (2003 est.)
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Country name:
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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
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Government type:
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republic
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Capital:
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name: Brazzaville
geographic coordinates: 4 15 S, 15 17 E
time difference: UTC+1 (six hours ahead of
Washington, DC during Standard Time)
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Administrative divisions:
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10 regions (regions, singular - region) and 1 commune*;
Bouenza, Brazzaville*, Cuvette, Cuvette-Ouest, Kouilou,
Lekoumou, Likouala, Niari, Plateaux, Pool, Sangha |
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Independence:
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15 August 1960 (from France)
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National holiday:
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Independence Day, 15 August (1960)
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Constitution:
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approved by referendum 20 January 2002
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Legal system:
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based on French civil law system and customary law; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal
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Executive branch:
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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%
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Legislative branch:
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bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (66 seats;
members are elected by indirect 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 July 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 - FDU 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
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme Court or Cour Supreme
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Political parties and leaders:
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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; United
Democratic Forces or FDU [Sebastian EBAO]; many less
important parties |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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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 |
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International organization participation:
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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, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador Serge MOMBOULI
chancery: 4891 Colorado Avenue NW, Washington, DC
20011
telephone: [1] (202) 726-5500
FAX: [1] (202) 726-1860
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador Robert WEISBERG
embassy: BDEAC Building, 4th Floor, Brazzaville note
- a new Embassy is expected to open in 2009
mailing address: NA
telephone: [242] 81-1480
FAX:: [243] 81-5324; note - until the new embassy in
Brazzaville is operational, some duties are still handled in
the US embassy in Kinshasha, Democratic Republic of the
Congo |
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Flag description:
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divided diagonally from the lower hoist side by a yellow
band; the upper triangle (hoist side) is green and the lower
triangle is red
note: uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia
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Economy - overview:
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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. |
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$13.23 billion (2007 est.)
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GDP (official exchange rate):
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$7.657 billion (2007 est.)
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GDP - real growth rate:
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-1.6% (2007 est.)
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GDP - per capita (PPP):
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$3,700 (2007 est.)
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 5.6%
industry: 57.1%
services: 37.3% (2006 est.)
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Labor force:
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NA
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Unemployment rate:
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NA%
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Population below poverty line:
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NA%
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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2.6% (2007 est.)
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Investment (gross fixed):
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30.8% of GDP (2007 est.)
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Budget:
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revenues: $3.522 billion
expenditures: $2.377 billion (2007 est.)
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Agriculture - products:
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cassava (tapioca), sugar, rice, corn, peanuts, vegetables,
coffee, cocoa; forest products
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Industries:
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petroleum extraction, cement, lumber, brewing, sugar, palm
oil, soap, flour, cigarettes
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Industrial production growth rate:
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-6% (2007 est.)
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Electricity - production:
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352 million kWh (2005)
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Electricity - consumption:
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572 million kWh (2005)
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh (2005)
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Electricity - imports:
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418 million kWh (2005)
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Oil - production:
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235,900 bbl/day
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Oil - consumption:
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7,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)
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Oil - exports:
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229,700 bbl/day (2004 est.)
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Oil - imports:
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11,410 bbl/day (2004)
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Oil - proved reserves:
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1.506 billion bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
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Natural gas - production:
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115.1 million cu m (2005 est.)
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Natural gas - consumption:
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115.1 million cu m (2005 est.)
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Natural gas - exports:
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0 cu m (2005 est.)
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Natural gas - imports:
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0 cu m (2005)
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Natural gas - proved reserves:
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86.9 billion cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
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Current account balance:
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-$1.49 billion (2007 est.)
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Exports:
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$6.251 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
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Exports - commodities:
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petroleum, lumber, plywood, sugar, cocoa, coffee, diamonds
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Exports - partners:
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US 34.4%, China 31.2%, South Korea 9.5%, Taiwan 8.3%, Brazil
4.3% (2006)
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Imports:
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$1.762 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
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Imports - commodities:
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capital equipment, construction materials, foodstuffs
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Imports - partners:
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France 21.5%, China 14.6%, Italy 12.2%, India 5.6%, US 5%,
Belgium 4.4% (2006)
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$1.449 billion (2005)
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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
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$2.197 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
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Debt - external:
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$5 billion (2000 est.)
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Market value of publicly traded shares:
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$NA
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Currency (code):
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Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note -
responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African
States
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Exchange rates:
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Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar -
483.6 (2007), 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004),
581.2 (2003) |
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Fiscal year:
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calendar year
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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15,900 (2005)
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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490,000 (2005)
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Telephone system:
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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)
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 3 (2001)
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Television broadcast stations:
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1 (2001)
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Internet country code:
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.cg
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Internet hosts:
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3 (2007)
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Internet users:
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70,000 (2006)
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Airports:
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31 (2007)
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 5
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2007)
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 26
1,524 to 2,437 m: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 10
under 914 m: 9 (2007)
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Pipelines:
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gas 89 km; liquid petroleum gas 4 km; oil 758 km (2007)
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Railways:
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total: 894 km
narrow gauge: 894 km 1.067-m gauge (2006)
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Roadways:
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total: 17,289 km
paved: 864 km
unpaved: 16,425 km (2004)
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Waterways:
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1,125 km (commercially navigable on Congo and Oubanqui
rivers) (2006)
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Merchant marine:
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registered in other countries: 1 (Congo, Democratic
Republic of the 1) (2007)
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Ports and terminals:
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Brazzaville, Djeno, Impfondo, Ouesso, Oyo, Pointe-Noire
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Military branches:
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Congolese Armed Forces (Forces Armees Congolaises, FAC):
Army, Navy, Congolese Air Force (Armee de l'Air Congolaise),
Gendarmerie, Special Presidential Security Guard (GSSP)
(2008) |
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Military service age and obligation:
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18 years of age for voluntary military service; women
allowed to serve (2007)
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Manpower available for military service:
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males age 16-49: 842,771
females age 16-49: 833,624 (2008 est.)
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Manpower fit for military service:
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males age 16-49: 519,296
females age 16-49: 509,564 (2008 est.)
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Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
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males age 16-49: 45,671
females age 16-49: 45,248 (2008 est.)
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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3.1% (2006)
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Disputes - international:
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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 |
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Refugees and internally displaced persons:
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refugees (country of origin): 46,341 (Democratic
Republic of Congo); 6,564 (Rwanda)
IDPs: 48,000 (multiple civil wars since 1992; most
IDPs are ethnic Lari) (2007)
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Trafficking in persons:
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current situation: Republic of the Congo is a source
and destination country for children trafficked for the
purposes of forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation;
girls are trafficked from rural areas within the country for
commercial sexual exploitation, forced street vending, and
domestic servitude; children are trafficked from other
African countries for domestic servitude, forced market
vending, and forced labor in the fishing industry
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Republic of the
Congo is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to show
evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking in
persons in 2007; struggling to recover from six years of
civil conflict that ended in 2003, the Republic of the
Congo's capacity to address trafficking is handicapped; the
government neither monitors its borders for trafficking
activity nor provides specialized anti-trafficking training
for law enforcement officials; the government does not
encourage victims to assist in trafficking investigations or
prosecutions, and has not taken measures to reduce demand
for commercial sex acts in the Republic of the Congo (2008)
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This page was last updated on 24 July
2008
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