Countries
| TalkMarkets Country Stats | |
|---|---|
| Exchanges | 0 |
| Public Issuers | |
| Members | 0 |
Disputes - international: 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
Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 124,244 (Democratic Republic of Congo); 7,775 (Rwanda)
IDPs: 7,800 (multiple civil wars since 1992)
Trafficking in persons: current situation: Republic of the Congo is a source and destination country for children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor or, to a lesser extent, sex trafficking; most child trafficking victims are from Benin, though Togo, Mali, Guinea, Cameroon, Senegal, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are also sources of victims subjected to forced domestic labor, market vending, and fishing, as well as commercial sexual exploitation
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - the 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; the government enacted the Child Protection Code in June 2010, informally referred victims to foster care, and continued implementation of its 2009-10 National Action Plan; a lack of trained law enforcement personnel and adequate, consistent funding for prevention efforts seriously limited the government's ability to address trafficking and assist victims
Military branches: 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)
Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service; women allowed to serve
Manpower available for military service: males age 16-49: 928,664, females age 16-49: 914,265
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually: male: 50,000, female: 49,641
Military expenditures: 0.9% of GDP
country comparison to the world: 142
Airports: 25
country comparison to the world: 129
Pipelines: gas 65 km; oil 273 km (2010)
Railways: 886 km
country comparison to the world: 94
Roadways: 17,289 km
country comparison to the world: 117
Waterways: 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)
country comparison to the world: 62
Merchant marine: registered in other countries: 1 (Democratic Republic of the Congo 1)
country comparison to the world: 148
Ports and terminals: Brazzaville, Djeno, Impfondo, Ouesso, Oyo, Pointe-Noire
Telephones - main lines in use: 42,000
country comparison to the world: 169
Telephones - mobile cellular: 3.799 million
country comparison to the world: 114
Telephone system: 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 only 1 connection per 100 persons; in the absence of an adequate fixed line infrastructure, mobile-cellular subscribership has surged and now exceeds 90 per 100 persons
international: country code - 242; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Broadcast media: 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
Internet country code: .cg
Internet hosts: 43
country comparison to the world: 214
Internet users: 245,200
country comparison to the world: 136
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, which received $1.9 billion in debt relief under the program in 2010.
Government type: republic
Administrative divisions: 10 regions (regions, singular - region) and 1 commune*; Bouenza, Brazzaville*, Cuvette, Cuvette-Ouest, Kouilou, Lekoumou, Likouala, Niari, Plateaux, Pool, Sangha
Legal system: mixed legal system of French civil law and customary law
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Ethnic groups: Kongo 48%, Sangha 20%, M'Bochi 12%, Teke 17%, Europeans and other 3%
Languages: French (official), Lingala and Monokutuba (lingua franca trade languages), many local languages and dialects (of which Kikongo is the most widespread)
Religions: Christian 50%, animist 48%, Muslim 2%
Population: 4,366,266
country comparison to the world: 125
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
Median age: 17.1 years
male: 16.9 years
female: 17.3 years
Population growth rate: 2.849%
country comparison to the world: 15
Net migration rate: -0.35 migrant(s)/1,000 population
country comparison to the world: 133
Urbanization: population: 62% of total population
rate of urbanization: 3% annual rate of change
Major cities - population: BRAZZAVILLE (capital) 1.292 million
Life expectancy at birth: 55.27 years
country comparison to the world: 199
male: 53.95 years
female: 56.62 years
Total fertility rate: 5.59 children born/woman
country comparison to the world: 10
Health expenditures: 3% of GDP
country comparison to the world: 179
Major infectious diseases: 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
water contact disease: schistosomiasis
Education expenditures: 1.9% of GDP
country comparison to the world: 157
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 83.8%
male: 89.6%
female: 78.4% (2003 est.)
Location: Central Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and Gabon
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
Climate: tropical; rainy season (March to June); dry season (June to October); persistent high temperatures and humidity; particularly enervating climate astride the Equator
Terrain: coastal plain, southern basin, central plateau, northern basin
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%
Natural hazards: seasonal flooding
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, 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
Geography - note: about 70% of the population lives in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, or along the railroad between them
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.
Congo, Republic of the (Congo-Brazzaville)
Founded:Currency:
Language:
