Congo
|
| Basic Facts |
| Country name |
conventional long form: Republic of the Congo
conventional short form: Congo (Brazzaville) local long form: Republique du Congo local short form: none former: Middle Congo, Congo/Brazzaville, Congo |
| Gevernment type | republic |
| Capital |
name: Brazzaville
geographic coordinates: 4 16 S, 15 17 E time difference: UTC+1 (six hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| Flag description | divided diagonally from the lower hoist side by a yellow band; the upper triangle (hoist side) is green and the lower triangle is red; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia |
| Currency | Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States |
| Internet country code | .cg |
| Ports and terminals | Brazzaville, Djeno, Impfondo, Ouesso, Oyo, Pointe-Noire |
| Agriculture products | cassava (tapioca), sugar, rice, corn, peanuts, vegetables, coffee, cocoa; forest products |
| Industries | petroleum extraction, cement, lumber, brewing, sugar, palm oil, soap, flour, cigarettes |
| Geography |
| Location | Western Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and Gabon |
| Coordinates | 1 00 S, 15 00 E |
| Continent | Africa |
| Area |
total: 342,000 sq km
land: 341,500 sq km water: 500 sq km |
| Boundaries |
total: 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 |
| 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 |
| Natural hazards | seasonal flooding |
| People |
| Population | 3,702,314
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 and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) |
| Ethnic groups | Kongo 48%, Sangha 20%, M'Bochi 12%, Teke 17%, Europeans and other 3% |
| Religions | Christian 50%, animist 48%, Muslim 2% |
| Languages | French (official), Lingala and Monokutuba (lingua franca trade languages), many local languages and dialects (of which Kikongo is the most widespread) |
