Republic of the Congo Overview
Country Profile
Congo is located in central and western Africa, and in the local dialect means “river.” Covering an area of 342,000 square kilometers, Congo has a population of 3.1 million, including 56 ethnic tribes. Approximately 50% of residents believe in an indigenous religion, with the rest being Catholic or Muslim. French is the official language, CFA franc is the currency, and the capital is Brazzaville.
Republic of the Congo National Flag
The national flag of Congo contains three diagonal strips of color. The green is symbolic of forest resources and hope for the future, the yellow denotes honesty, tolerance, and self-esteem, and the red symbolizes passion.
History Summary
From the end of the 13th century to the early 14th century, the Bantu moved down the Congo River to establish the Kingdom of the Congo. From 1884 to 1885, the Berlin Conference designated everything west of the Congo River as a French colony, and in 1910, the Congo was classified as French Equatorial Africa Territory. In 1957, the country was given “semi-autonomous republic” status, and a year later was defined as an “autonomous republic.” On August 15, 1960, independence was gained, and the country was renamed the Republic of Congo. On June 4, 1991, to restore the Republic of Congo country name.
Economy and Culture Overview
Congo has a weak agricultural economy, and the main food crops are cassava, rice, and corn. The country’s food, textile, leather, chemical, and metal industries are also advanced. . There are many kinds of minerals, and petroleum and potash are important. Oil and timber are the two pillars of the economy. Congo is known as the “timber country,” with 62% of the terrain covered in forest. It produces mahogany, ebony and other valuable timber, and is one of the major timber producing and exporting countries in Africa.
In some parts of the Congo people use knives to scar their faces, as a form of self decoration. Women like to hair into numerous Xiao Bian, Shangzhui hair and seashells string.
Noire is the second largest city in Congo and the largest seaport, with one of the three harbors on the west coast of Africa. It is often referred to as the “economic capital” of Congo.
Republic of the Congo Map
