The 2003 CIA World Factbook. United States. Central Intelligence Agency
km, Gabon
1,903 km
Coastline:
169 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 200 NM
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
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Berongou 903 m
Natural resources:
petroleum, timber, potash, lead, zinc, uranium, copper, phosphates,
natural gas, hydropower
Land use: arable land: 0.5% permanent crops: 0.13% other: 99.37% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land:
10 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:
seasonal flooding
Environment - current issues:
air pollution from vehicle emissions; water pollution from the
dumping of raw sewage; tap water is not potable; deforestation
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber
94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Geography - note:
about 70% of the population lives in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, or
along the railroad between them
People Congo, Republic of the
Population:
2,954,258
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
2003 est.)
Age structure:
0–14 years: 38.4% (male 570,491; female 563,079)
15–64 years: 58% (male 844,655; female 868,851)
65 years and over: 3.6% (male 44,166; female 63,016) (2003 est.)
Median age:
total: 20.2 years
male: 19.8 years
female: 20.7 years (2002)
Population growth rate:
1.53% (2003 est.)
Birth rate:
29.46 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Death rate:
14.2 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15–64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 95.34 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 89.04 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 101.45 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 50.02 years
male: 49.04 years
female: 51.02 years (2003 est.)
Total fertility rate:
3.65 children born/woman (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
7.2% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
110,000 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
11,000 (2001 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Congolese (singular and plural)
adjective: Congolese or Congo
Ethnic groups:
Kongo 48%, Sangha 20%, M'Bochi 12%, Teke 17%, Europeans and other 3%
note: Europeans estimated at 8,500, mostly French, before the 1997
civil war; may be half that in 1998, following the widespread
destruction of foreign businesses in 1997
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 has
the most users)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 83.8%
male: 89.6%
female: 78.4% (2003 est.)
Government Congo, Republic of the
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of the Congo
conventional short form: Congo (Brazzaville)
local short form: none
former: Middle Congo, Congo/Brazzaville, Congo
local long form: Republique du Congo
Government type:
republic
Capital:
Brazzaville
Administrative divisions:
9 regions (regions, singular - region) and 1 commune*; Bouenza,
Brazzaville*, Cuvette, Kouilou, Lekoumou, Likouala, Niari, Plateaux,
Pool, Sangha
Independence:
15 August 1960 (from France)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 15 August (1960)
Constitution:
constitution approved by referendum 20 January 2002
Legal system:
based on French civil law system and customary law
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO (since 25 October
1997, following the civil war in which he toppled elected president
Pascal LISSOUBA); note - the president is both the chief of state