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Republic of the Congo Country Guide

Explore Republic of the Congo in Africa

Republic of the Congo with the capital city Brazzaville is located in Africa (Western Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean). It covers some 342,000 square kilometres (slightly smaller than Montana) with 3,039,126 citizens.

Interactive map of Republic of the Congo

The topography includes coastal plain, southern basin, central plateau, northern basin. The average density of population is approximately 9 per km². The notable climate conditions in Republic of the Congo can be described as tropical with rainy season (March to June), dry season (June to October), persistent high temperatures and humidity and particularly enervating climate astride the Equator. Possible natural disasters include seasonal flooding.

To reach someone in Republic of the Congo dial +242 prior to a number. There are 24,300 installed telephones. And there are 2,171,000 registered mobile phones. The cellular networks commonly support frequencies of 900/1800 MHz. Websites registered in this country end with the top level domain ".cg". If you want to bring electric equipment on your trip (e.g. laptop power supply), note the local power outlet of 230V - 50Hz.

About the flag and history of Republic of the Congo

Republic of the Congo Flag Icon

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.


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.



Geography Quick-Facts

SummaryContinent: Africa
Neighbours: Central African Republic, Gabon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, Angola
Capital: Brazzaville
Size342,000 square kilometers (km² or sqkm) or 132,046 square miles (mi² or sqmi)
slightly smaller than Montana
Population3,039,126
CurrencyName Franc, Currency Code:XAF
Country Top Level Domain (cTLD).cg
Telephone Country Prefix+242
Mobile Phone Connections2,171,000
Landline Phone Connections24,300

Country Position in World Rankings

Information about single country attributes and how these compare against the rest of the world. The information below is compiled with data from 2013. As such, it may differ a bit to the Information above in the text (which is from 2010).

Geography

Value nameValueWorld Rank
Area342,000 (sq km)64

People and Society

Value nameValueWorld Rank
Population4,492,689 123
Population growth rate2.86 (%)15
Birth rate39.63 (births/1,000 population)9
Death rate11.03 (deaths/1,000 population)38
Maternal mortality rate560.00 (deaths/100,000 live births)15
Infant mortality rate72.45 (deaths/1,000 live births)16
Life expectancy at birth55.60 (years)201
Total fertility rate5.49 (children born/woman)11
Health expenditures2.50 (% of GDP)187
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate3.40 (%)18
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS77,000 46
HIV/AIDS - deaths5,100 37
Obesity - adult prevalence rate4.70 (%)163
Children under the age of 5 years underweight11.80 (%)60
Education expenditures6.20 (% of GDP)33

Economy

Value nameValueWorld Rank
GDP (purchasing power parity)19,410,000,000 135
GDP - real growth rate3.80 (%)88
GDP - per capita (PPP)4,700 164
Labor force2,890,000 104
Unemployment rate53.00 (%)195
Investment (gross fixed)45.20 (% of GDP)4
Taxes and other revenues58.80 (% of GDP)8
Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)15.50 (% of GDP)4
Public debt18.30 (% of GDP)131
Inflation rate (consumer prices)5.10 (%)140
Central bank discount rate4.75 (%)77
Commercial bank prime lending rate15.00 (%)45
Stock of narrow money3,341,000,000 115
Stock of broad money3,753,000,000 136
Stock of domestic credit2,392,000,000 135
Industrial production growth rate12.00 (%)5
Current account balance1,277,000,000 41
Exports12,350,000,000 86
Imports4,751,000,000 130
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold6,033,000,000 84
Debt - external4,225,000,000 123

Energy

Value nameValueWorld Rank
Electricity - production559,000,000 (kWh)160
Electricity - consumption588,000,000 (kWh)166
Electricity - imports470,000,000 (kWh)79
Electricity - installed generating capacity559,000 (kW)133
Electricity - from fossil fuels51.20 (% of total installed capacity)156
Electricity - from hydroelectric plants48.80 (% of total installed capacity)42
Crude oil - production298,000 (bbl/day)36
Crude oil - exports290,000 (bbl/day)26
Crude oil - proved reserves1,600,000,000 (bbl)36
Refined petroleum products - production10,460 (bbl/day)105
Refined petroleum products - consumption10,710 (bbl/day)153
Refined petroleum products - exports5,146 (bbl/day)97
Refined petroleum products - imports5,326 (bbl/day)153
Natural gas - production946,000,000 (cu m)66
Natural gas - consumption930,000,000 (cu m)91
Natural gas - exports39,000,000 (cu m)47
Natural gas - proved reserves90,610,000,000 (cu m)59
Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy6,518,000 (Mt)116

Communications

Value nameValueWorld Rank
Telephones - main lines in use14,200 196
Telephones - mobile cellular3,885,000 117
Internet hosts45 216
Internet users245,200 136

Transportation

Value nameValueWorld Rank
Airports25 129
Railways886 (km)94
Roadways17,289 (km)117
Waterways1,120 (km)62
Merchant marine1 147

Military

Value nameValueWorld Rank
Military expenditures1.70 (% of GDP)86

Data based on CIA facts book 2010 & 2013, wikipedia, national statistical offices and their census releases

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