Geography
The Congo is one of the eight countries that make up Central Africa. Straddling the equator, it stretches for over 1,500 kilometers, from the shores of the Gulf of Guinea to the Central African Republic.
The Congo is sometimes called Congo-Brazzaville to avoid confusion with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, also known as Congo-Kinshasa.
It was also known as the People’s Republic of the Congo (1969-1992).
Area: 342,000 km²
Bordering countries:
Gabon,
Cameroon,
Central African Republic
, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) (formerly Zaire),
Angola.
The Congo has a coastline that extends for 170 kilometers and is located at the heart of the second largest river basin in the world: the Congo River and its tributaries. Within its borders alone, there are no fewer than thirty rivers and streams navigable year-round: the Kouilou, the Niari, the Bouenza, the Alima, the Nkeni, the Léfini, the Sangha, the Likouala, and others.
This abundance of water makes it one of the most fertile countries on the African continent, boasting lush forests where some of the rarest wood species can be found (limba, okoumé, mahogany, sapele, sipo, etc.).
This also explains why the Congo is a refuge for various rare animal species, such as gorillas.
Climate
In Congo, the climate is characterized by four seasons:
• the main rainy season:
period: from October to December,
characteristics: very frequent rains and high temperatures (from 25° to 35° or even more)
• the short dry season:
period: from January to February,
characteristics: little (or no) rain and high temperatures (between 30° and 35° or even more)
• the short rainy season:
period: March – April,
characteristics: frequent rains and high temperatures (between 30° and 35°)
• the main dry season:
period: from May to September,
characteristics: very little rain and moderate temperatures (between 18-20° and 25°)
Demography
The Congo has approximately 2,600,000 inhabitants (1996 census).
Its population density is 7.6 inhabitants per km².
The average population growth rate is 2.68% (it has doubled in twenty-six years).
The Congolese population is young: more than 50% of inhabitants are under twenty years old.
The literacy rate is one of the highest in Africa: 83%.
The Congo is a highly urbanized country (one of the most urbanized in sub-Saharan Africa), with 60% of the population living in cities.
Two major cities alone account for 55% of the total population and 90% of the country’s urban population:
Brazzaville: the capital, approximately 900,000 inhabitants;
Pointe-Noire: the economic capital, a major port on the Gulf of Guinea, with nearly 600,000 inhabitants.
LANGUAGES
Official language :
French.
National languages :
Lingala, spoken in the north of the country;
Kituba, spoken in the south.
Religions
• Christianity (54% Catholics, 25% Protestants, 14% African Christian sects)
• Islam and Others (6%)
Organization
In the same folder:
Practical guide to doing business in the Republic of Congo
Congo in Brief (Fact Sheet)
Poto Poto School of Painting: A temple of pictorial art in the heart of Africa
The National Anthem
Diplomatic representations of the Republic of Congo abroad
The Congo is divided into 12 Departments, subdivided into 86 Sub-Prefectures
and 7 urban communes:
Bouenza 12,260 km² capital Madingou,
Cuvette 74,850 km² capital Owando,
Cuvette-Ouest capital Ewo,
Kouilou 13,650 km² capital Loango,
Lékoumou 20,950 km² capital Sibiti,
Likouala 66,044 km² capital Impfondo,
Niari 25,925 km² capital Dolisie,
Plateaux 38,400 km² capital Djambala,
Pool 33,955 km² capital Kinkala,
Sangha 55,795 km² capital Ouesso;
Brazzaville,
Pointe-Noire 510 km from Brazzaville (connected by a railway).
The urban communes are:
Brazzaville (over 100 km²),
Pointe-Noire (nearly 50 km²), 110 km from Pointe-Noire,
Dolisie (18 km²), in the Niari
Nkayi region (8 km²), 70 km from Dolisie, in the Bouenza region,
Mossendjo,
Ouesso,
and Owando.
Brazzaville is composed of 7 communes (districts):
1- Makélékélé;
2- Bacongo;
3- Poto-Poto;
4- Moungali;
5- Ouenzé;
6- Talangai;
7- Mfilou
In summary…
Population: 3,768,087 inhabitants (in 2007). 0-14 years: 41.82%; 15-64 years: 55.83%; +65 years: 3.27%
Area: 342,000 km²
Density: 11.5 inhabitants/km²
Land borders: 5,504 km (Democratic Republic of Congo 2,410 km; Gabon 1,903 km; Cameroon 523 km; Central African Republic 467 km; Angola 201 km)
Coastline: 169 km
Altitude extremes: 0 m > +1,000 m
Life expectancy for men: 53.99 years (in 2007)
Life expectancy for women: 56.59 years (in 2007)
Population growth rate: 2.11% (in 2007)
Crude birth rate: 35.09‰ (in 2007)
Crude death rate: 11.39‰ (in 2007)
Mortality rate Infant rate: 70.34‰ (in 2007)
Fertility rate: 4.49 children/woman (in 2007)
Net migration rate: -2.57 (in 2007)
Independence: August 15, 1960 (former French colony)
Telephone lines: 22,000 (in 1997), 15,000 (in 2005 with approximately 10,000 people on waiting lists)
Mobile phones: 1,000 (in 1996), 500,000 (in 2005), 2,000,000 (in 2007),
distributed among three operators: Celtel, MTN, and Warid Telecom
Radio stations: 341,000 (in 1997)
Number of Internet service providers: 1 (in 2000)
Roads: 12,800 km (including 1242 km paved) (in 1996)
Railways: 894 km (in 2000)
Waterways: 1120 km
Number of airports: 3 International (Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, Ollombo)
