Congo, Democratic Republic of the

   Geography

Location:

Central Africa, northeast of Angola

Geographic coordinates:

0 00 N, 25 00 E

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total:  2,345,410 sq km

land:  2,267,600 sq km

water:  77,810 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly less than one-fourth the size of the US

Land boundaries:

total:  10,744 km

border countries:  Angola 2,511 km, Burundi 233 km, Central African Republic 1,577 km, Republic of the Congo 2,410 km, Rwanda 217 km, Sudan 628 km, Tanzania 473 km, Uganda 765 km, Zambia 1,930 km

Coastline:

37 km

Maritime claims:

exclusive economic zone:  boundaries with neighbors

territorial sea:  12 NM

Climate:

tropical; hot and humid in equatorial river basin; cooler and drier in southern highlands; cooler and wetter in eastern highlands; north of Equator - wet season April to October, dry season December to February; south of Equator - wet season November to March, dry season April to October

Terrain:

vast central basin is a low-lying plateau; mountains in east

Elevation extremes:

lowest point:  Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point:  Pic Marguerite on Mont Ngaliema (Mount Stanley) 5,110 m

Natural resources:

cobalt, copper, cadmium, petroleum, industrial and gem diamonds, gold, silver, zinc, manganese, tin, germanium, uranium, radium, bauxite, iron ore, coal, hydropower, timber

Land use:

arable land:  3%

permanent crops:  0%

permanent pastures:  7%

forests and woodland:  77%

other:  13% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land:

100 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards:

periodic droughts in south; volcanic activity

Environment - current issues:

poaching threatens wildlife populations; water pollution; deforestation; refugees who arrived in mid-1994 were responsible for significant deforestation, soil erosion, and wildlife poaching in the eastern part of the country (most of those refugees were repatriated in November and December 1996)

Environment - international agreements:

party to:  Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:  Environmental Modification

Geography - note:

straddles Equator; very narrow strip of land that controls the lower Congo river and is only outlet to South Atlantic Ocean; dense tropical rain forest in central river basin and eastern highlands

People

Population:

53,624,718

Population growth rate:

3.1% (2001 est.)

Nationality:

noun:  Congolese (singular and plural)

adjective:  Congolese or Congo

Ethnic groups:

over 200 African ethnic groups of which the majority are Bantu; the four largest tribes - Mongo, Luba, Kongo (all Bantu), and the Mangbetu-Azande (Hamitic) make up about 45% of the population

Religions:

Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant 20%, Kimbanguist 10%, Muslim 10%, other syncretic sects and indigenous beliefs 10%

Languages:

French (official), Lingala (a lingua franca trade language), Kingwana (a dialect of Kiswahili or Swahili), Kikongo, Tshiluba

Literacy:

definition:  age 15 and over can read and write French, Lingala, Kingwana, or Tshiluba

total population:  77.3%

male:  86.6%

female:  67.7% (1995 est.)

Economy/ Industry

Budget:

revenues:  $269 million

expenditures:  $244 million, including capital expenditures of $24 million (1996 est.)

Industries:

mining (diamonds, copper, zinc), mineral processing, consumer products (including textiles, footwear, cigarettes, processed foods and beverages), cement

Electricity - production:

5.268 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel:  2.05%

hydro:  97.95%

nuclear:  0%

other:  0% (1999)

Electricity - consumption:

4.55 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports:

404 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports:

55 million kWh (1999)

Agriculture - products:

coffee, sugar, palm oil, rubber, tea, quinine, cassava (tapioca), palm oil, bananas, root crops, corn, fruits; wood products

Exports:

$960 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)

Exports - commodities:

diamonds, copper, coffee, cobalt, crude oil

Exports - partners:

Benelux 62%, US 18%, South Africa, Finland, Italy (1999)

Imports:

$660 million (c.i.f., 2000 est.)

Imports - commodities:

foodstuffs, mining and other machinery, transport equipment, fuels

Imports - partners:

South Africa 28%, Benelux 14%, Nigeria 9%, Kenya 7%, China (1999)

Debt - external:

$13 billion (1998 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:

$195.3 million (1995)

Currency:

Congolese franc (CDF)

Currency code:

CDF

Exchange rates:

Congolese francs per US dollar - 50 (January 2001), 4.5 (January 2000), 4.02 (1999), 1.61 (1998), 1.31 (1997), 0.50 (1996)

note:  on 30 June 1998 the Congolese franc was introduced, replacing the new zaire

Transportation

Railways:

total:  5,138 km (1995)

note:  severely reduced route-distance in use because of damage to facilities by civil strife

narrow gauge:  3,987 km 1.067-m gauge (858 km electrified); 125 km 1.000-m gauge; 1,026 km 0.600-m gauge (2000)

Highways:

total:  157,000 km (including 30 km of expressways)(1996)

paved:  NA km

unpaved:  NA km

Waterways:

15,000 km (including the Congo and its tributaries, and unconnected lakes)

Pipelines:

petroleum products 390 km

Ports and harbors:

Banana, Boma, Bukavu, Bumba, Goma, Kalemie, Kindu, Kinshasa, Kisangani, Matadi, Mbandaka

Merchant marine:

none (2000 est.)

Airports:

232 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:

total:  24

over 3,047 m:  4

2,438 to 3,047 m:  3

1,524 to 2,437 m:  15

914 to 1,523 m:  2 (2000 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total:  208

1,524 to 2,437 m:  20

914 to 1,523 m:  96

under 914 m:  92 (2000 est.)