CONGO GEOGRAPHY Total area: 342,000 km2; land area: 341,500 km2 Comparative area: slightly smaller than Montana Land boundaries: 5,504 km total; Angola 201 km, Cameroon 523 km, Central African Republic 467 km, Gabon 1,903 km, Zaire 2,410 km Coastline: 169 km Maritime claims: Territorial sea: 200 nm Disputes: long section with Zaire along the Congo River is indefinite (no division of the river or its islands has been made) Climate: tropical; rainy season (March to June); dry season (June to October); constantly 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, natural gas Land use: arable land 2%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 29%; forest and woodland 62%; other 7% Environment: deforestation; about 70% of the population lives in Brazzaville, Pointe Noire, or along the railroad between them PEOPLE Population: 2,309,444 (July 1991), growth rate 3.0% (1991) Birth rate: 43 births/1,000 population (1991) Death rate: 13 deaths/1,000 population (1991) Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991) Infant mortality rate: 108 deaths/1,000 live births (1991) Life expectancy at birth: 52 years male, 56 years female (1991) Total fertility rate: 5.7 children born/woman (1991) Nationality: noun--Congolese (sing., pl.); adjective--Congolese or Congo Ethnic divisions: about 15 ethnic groups divided into some 75 tribes, almost all Bantu; most important ethnic groups are Kongo (48%) in the south, Sangha (20%) and M'Bochi (12%) in the north, Teke (17%) in the center; about 8,500 Europeans, mostly French Religion: Christian 50%, animist 48%, Muslim 2% Language: French (official); many African languages with Lingala and Kikongo most widely used Literacy: 57% (male 70%, female 44%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.) Labor force: 79,100 wage earners; agriculture 75%, commerce, industry, and government 25%; 51% of population of working age; 40% of population economically active (1985) Organized labor: 20% of labor force (1979 est.) GOVERNMENT Long-form name: Republic of the Congo Type: republic Capital: Brazzaville Administrative divisions: 9 regions (regions, singular--region); Bouenza, Cuvette, Kouilou, Lekoumou, Likouala, Niari, Plateaux, Pool, Sangha; note--there may be a new capital district of Brazzaville Independence: 15 August 1960 (from France; formerly Congo/Brazzaville) Constitution: 8 July 1979, currently being modified Legal system: based on French civil law system and customary law National holiday: National Day, 15 August (1960) Executive branch: president, prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet) Legislative branch: unicameral National People's Assembly (Assemblee Nationale Populaire) Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Cour Supreme) Leaders: Chief of State--President Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO (since 8 February 1979); Head of Government--Prime Minister Brig. Gen. Louis-Sylvain GOMA (since 9 January 1991) Political parties and leaders: Congolese Labor Party (PCT), President Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO, leader; note--multiparty system legalized, with over 50 parties established Suffrage: universal at age 18 Elections: President--last held 26-31 July 1989 (next to be held July 1994); results--President SASSOU-NGUESSO unanimously reelected leader of the PCT by the Party Congress, which automatically made him president; People's National Assembly--last held 24 September 1989 (next to be held NA 1994); results--PCT was the only party; seats--(153 total) single list of candidates nominated by the PCT Communists: unknown number of Communists and sympathizers Other political or pressure groups: Union of Congolese Socialist Youth (UJSC), Congolese Trade Union Congress (CSC), Revolutionary Union of Congolese Women (URFC), General Union of Congolese Pupils and Students (UGEEC) Member of: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC, CCC, CEEAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, UDEAC, UN, UNAVEM, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Roger ISSOMBO; Chancery at 4891 Colorado Avenue NW, Washington DC 20011; telephone (202) 726-5500; US--Ambassador James Daniel PHILLIPS; Embassy at Avenue Amilcar Cabral, Brazzaville (mailing address is B. P. 1015, Brazzaville, or Box C, APO New York 09662-0006); telephone (242) 83-20-70 or 83-26-24 Flag: red with the national emblem in the upper hoist-side corner; the emblem includes a yellow five-pointed star above a crossed hoe and hammer (like the hammer and sickle design) in yellow, flanked by two curved green palm branches; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia ECONOMY Overview: Oil has supplanted forestry as the mainstay of the economy, providing about two-thirds of government revenues and exports. In the early 1980s rapidly rising oil revenues enabled Congo to finance large-scale development projects with growth averaging 5% annually, one of the highest rates in Africa. The world decline in oil prices, however, has forced the government to launch an austerity program to cope with declining receipts and mounting foreign debts. GDP: $2.26 billion, per capita $1,050; real growth rate 0.6% (1989 est.) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.6% (1989 est.) Unemployment rate: NA% Budget: revenues $522 million; expenditures $767 million, including capital expenditures of $141 million (1989) Exports: $751 million (f.o.b., 1988); commodities--crude petroleum 72%, lumber, plywood, coffee, cocoa, sugar, diamonds; partners--US, France, other EC Imports: $564 million (c.i.f., 1988); commodities--foodstuffs, consumer goods, intermediate manufactures, capital equipment; partners--France, Italy, other EC, US, FRG, Spain, Japan, Brazil External debt: $4.5 billion (December 1988) Industrial production: growth rate 1.2% (1989); accounts for 33% of GDP, including petroleum Electricity: 133,000 kW capacity; 300 million kWh produced, 130 kWh per capita (1989) Industries: crude oil, cement, sawmills, brewery, sugar mill, palm oil, soap, cigarettes Agriculture: accounts for 10% of GDP (including fishing and forestry); cassava accounts for 90% of food output; other crops--rice, corn, peanuts, vegetables; cash crops include coffee and cocoa; forest products important export earner; imports over 90% of food needs Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $60 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $2.2 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $15 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $338 million Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (plural--francs); 1 CFA franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1--256.54 (January 1991), 272.26 (1990), 319.01 (1989), 297.85 (1988), 300.54 (1987), 346.30 (1986), 449.26 (1985) Fiscal year: calendar year COMMUNICATIONS Railroads: 797 km, 1.067-meter gauge, single track (includes 285 km that are privately owned) Highways: 12,000 km total; 560 km bituminous surface treated; 850 km gravel, laterite; 5,350 km improved earth; 5,240 km unimproved roads Inland waterways: the Congo and Ubangi (Oubangui) Rivers provide 1,120 km of commercially navigable water transport; the rest are used for local traffic only Pipelines: crude oil 25 km Ports: Pointe-Noire (ocean port), Brazzaville (river port) Civil air: 4 major transport aircraft Airports: 50 total, 45 usable; 5 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 18 with runways 1,220-2,439 m Telecommunications: services adequate for government use; primary network is composed of radio relay routes and coaxial cables; key centers are Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, and Loubomo; 18,100 telephones; stations--3 AM, 1 FM, 4 TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean satellite station DEFENSE FORCES Branches: Army, Navy (including Marines), Air Force, paramilitary National People's Militia, National Police Manpower availability: males 15-49, 509,040; 258,861 fit for military service; 24,068 reach military age (20) annually Defense expenditures: $99 million, 4.6% of GDP (1987 est.)