Congo, Congo (Brazzaville), State of Central Africa; 342,000 km2, 5.2 million residents (2019).The country’s eastern border, towards Congo (Kinshasa), is largely the Congo River; in the north, Congo borders on the Central African Republic, in the northwest to Cameroon, in the west to Gabon, in the southwest to the Atlantic, and to the Angolan Exclave Cabinda, and in the south to the Congo (Kinshasa). The equator cuts through the northern part of the country. The capital is Brazzaville (1.6 million residents, 2012).
Country facts
- Republic of the Congo / Republic of the Congo
- Country abbreviation: CG
- Area: 342 000 km2
- Population (2019): 5.2 million residents
- Capital: Brazzaville
- Main languages: French, diet
- State: Republic
- Head of State: Denis Sassou-Nguesso (President)
- Head of Government: Clément Mouamba
- Per capita GDP (2018): US $ 2,148
- GNI per capita (2018): US $ 1,640
- Currency unit: 1 CFA franc = 100 centimes
- Currency code: XAF
- Country number (telephony): 242
- Internet domain name: cg
- Time difference compared to Sweden: 0
- National Day: August 15 (Independence Day, 1960)
Nature
- Land use: forest (62%), other (38%)
- Highest mountain: Lékéti (1,040 m above sea level)
- Longest river: Congo (4,670 km)
Population
- Population density (2019): 15 residents per km2
- Natural population growth (2019): 2.6%; birth number 33 ‰, death number 7 ‰
- Age structure (2019): 0-14 years (42%), 15-64 (55%), 65- (3%)
- Life expectancy (2019): men 63 years, women 65 years
- Infant mortality (2019): 36 per 1,000 live births
- Population forecast 2050: 11 million residents
- HDI (2017): 0.606 (place 137 of 189)
- Urbanization rate (2017): 67%
- Most populous cities (2012): Brazzaville (1.6 million residents), Pointe-Noire (822,800)
Business
- Industry’s contribution to GDP (2017): agriculture (9%), industry (51%), service (40%)
- Exports (2017): US $ 4,193 million
- Main export products: oil, timber
- Main exporting countries: China, Angola, Gabon
- Imports (2017): US $ 2,501 million
- Main import products: capital goods, building materials, food
- Main importing countries: France, China, Belgium
- Railway network (2014): 500 km
The middle part of Congo consists of a highland, while the eastern part is a plain, where the rivers Congo and Oubangui form a border with Congo (Kinshasa). In the southwest, 100 km from the Atlantic coast, the land surface falls quite steeply down to a narrow, treeless coastal plain. The climate is tropical.
Since the outbreak of civil war in 1997, former President Denis Sassou-Nguesso withdrew power by force in October of that year, and the 1992 democratic constitution was repealed. A new constitution began to form after the end of the war in 2000 and was adopted by a referendum in 2002. The new constitution gives the president, who is elected in general elections for seven years, a very strong position. The National Assembly is elected in general elections for five years.
The country became independent in 1960. Congo has good conditions for a well-functioning economy. There is plenty of oil, natural gas, minerals and forest. However, many years of internal turmoil and neglect have meant that the country is highly dependent on loans and assistance. The most important sector in the business sector is the oil industry, which accounts for almost all export revenue. In 2012, major infrastructure investments – roads, telecommunications and power plants – were initiated, which will be financed through bilateral agreements with China.
Republic of the Congo Map
