National name: République du Congo

President: Denis Sassou-Nguesso (1997)

Land area: 131,853 sq mi (341,499 sq km); total area: 132,047 sq mi (342,000 sq km)

Population (2006 est.): 3,702,314 (growth rate: 2.6%); birth rate: 42.6/1000; infant mortality rate: 85.3/1000; life expectancy: 52.8; density per sq mi: 28

Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Brazzaville, 1,169,900

Other large city: Pointe-Noire, 544,200

Monetary unit: CFA Franc

Languages: French (official), Lingala, Monokutuba, Kikongo, many local languages and dialects

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

Religions: Christian 50%, animist 48%, Islam 2%

Literacy rate: 84% (2003 est.)

Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2005 est.): $2.616 billion; per capita $700. Real growth rate: 8%. Inflation: 2%. Unemployment: n.a. Arable land: 1%. Agriculture: cassava (tapioca), sugar, rice, corn, peanuts, vegetables, coffee, cocoa; forest products. Labor force: n.a. Industries: petroleum extraction, cement, lumber, brewing, sugar, palm oil, soap, flour, cigarettes. Natural resources: petroleum, timber, potash, lead, zinc, uranium, copper, phosphates, natural gas, hydropower. Exports: $2.209 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.): petroleum, lumber, plywood, sugar, cocoa, coffee, diamonds. Imports: $806.5 million f.o.b. (2005 est.): capital equipment, construction materials, foodstuffs. Major trading partners: China, Taiwan, North Korea, U.S., France, South Korea, Germany, Italy, Netherlands (2004).

.Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 7,000 (2003); mobile cellular: 330,000 (2003). Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 3 (2001). Television broadcast stations: 1 (2002). Internet hosts: 46 (2003). Internet users: 15,000 (2003).

Transportation: Railways: total: 894 km (2004). Highways: total: 12,800 km; paved: 1,242 km; unpaved: 11,558 km (1999 est.). Waterways: 4,385 km (on Congo and Oubanqui rivers) (2004). Ports and harbors: Brazzaville, Djeno, Impfondo, Ouesso, Oyo, Pointe-Noire. Airports: 32 (2004 est.).

International disputes: about 7,000 Congolese refugees fleeing internal civil conflicts since the mid-1990s still reside in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; 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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