Republic of the Congo

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The Republic of the Congo, also known as Middle Congo, Congo-Brazzaville, and Congo (but not to be confused with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, formerly Zaire), is a former French colony of west-central Africa. It borders on Gabon, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Gulf of Guinea. Upon independence in 1960, the former French region of Middle Congo became the Republic of the Congo. A quarter century of experimentation with Marxism was abandoned in 1990 and a democratically elected government installed in 1992. A brief civil war in 1997 restored former Marxist President Denis Sassou-Nguesso. The capital is Brazzaville.

Republique du Congo

(In detail) (Full size)
National motto: Unite, Travail, Progres (French: Unity, Work, Progress)
Official language	French (official), Lingala and Monokutuba (lingua franca trade languages), many local languages and dialects (of which Kikongo has the most users)
Capital	Brazzaville
Capital's coordinates	4° 14' S, 15° 14' E
President	Denis Sassou-Nguesso
Area  - Total  - % water	Ranked 62nd 342,000 km² 3.3%
Population  - Total (2003)  - Density	Ranked 131st 2,954,258 8.6/km²
Independence  - Declared  - Recognised	(from France) 15 August 1960 (Year)
Currency	CFA franc (XAF)
Time zone	UTC +1 (DST, yes or not)
National anthem	La Congolaise
Internet TLD	.CG
Calling Code	242

Table of contents

1 History 2 Politics 3 Regions 4 Geography 5 Economy 6 Demographics 7 Culture 8 Miscellaneous topics 9 Reference

History

Main article: History of the Republic of the Congo

Politics

Main article: Politics of the Republic of the Congo The most important of the many parties are the Democratic and Patriotic Forces or FDP (an alliance of Convention for Alternative Democracy, Congolese Labor Party or PCT, Liberal Republican Party, National Union for Democracy and Progress, Patriotic Union for the National Reconstruction, and Union for the National Renewal) [Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO, president]; Congolese Movement for Democracy and Integral Development or MCDDI [Michel MAMPOUYA]; Pan-African Union for Social Development or UPADS [Martin MBERI]; Rally for Democracy and Social Progress or RDPS [Jean-Pierre Thystere TCHICAYA, president]; Rally for Democracy and the Republic or RDR [Raymond Damasge NGOLLO]; Union for Democracy and Republic or UDR [leader NA]; Union of Democratic Forces or UFD [Sebastian EBAO]

Regions

Main article: Regions of the Republic of the Congo 9 regions (regions, singular - region) and 1 commune*; Bouenza, Brazzaville*, Cuvette, Kouilou, Lekoumou, Likouala, Niari, Plateaux, Pool, Sangha

Geography

Main article: Geography of the Republic of the Congo Congo is located in the central-western part of sub-Saharan Africa, straddling the Equator. To the south and east it is bounded by the Congo River and its tributary the Ubangi River, across which is the larger Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is also bounded by Gabon to the west, Cameroon and the Central African Republic to the north, and Cabinda (Angola) to the southwest. It has a short Atlantic coast.

Its capital, Brazzaville, is located on the Congo River,in the south of the country, immediately across from Kinshasa, the capital of the DR Congo.

The southwest of the country is a coastal plain for which the primary drainage is the Kouilou-Niari River; the interior of the country consists of a central plateau between two basins to the south and north. Below is a map of the Republic of the Congo.

Economy

Main article: Economy of the Republic of the Congo The economy is a mixture of village agriculture and handicrafts, an industrial sector based largely on oil, support services, and a government characterized by budget problems and overstaffing. Oil has supplanted forestry as the mainstay of the economy, providing a major share of government revenues and exports. In the early 1980s, rapidly rising oil revenues enabled the government to finance large-scale development projects with GDP growth averaging 5% annually, one of the highest rates in Africa. The government has mortgaged a substantial portion of its oil earnings, contributing to a shortage of revenues. The 12 January 1994 devaluation of Franc Zone currencies by 50% resulted in inflation of 61% in 1994, but inflation has subsided since. Economic reform efforts continued with the support of international organizations, notably the World Bank and the IMF. The reform program came to a halt in June 1997 when civil war erupted. Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO, who returned to power when the war ended in October 1997, publicly expressed interest in moving forward on economic reforms and privatization and in renewing cooperation with international financial institutions. However, economic progress was badly hurt by slumping oil prices and the resumption of armed conflict in December 1998, which worsened the republic's budget deficit. The current administration presides over an uneasy internal peace and faces difficult economic problems of stimulating recovery and reducing poverty.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of the Republic of the Congo

Culture

''Main article: Culture of the Republic of the Congo See also:

• Music of the Republic of the Congo
• List of writers from the Republic of the Congo
• Public holidays in the Republic of the Congo

Miscellaneous topics

• Communications in the Republic of the Congo
• Transportation in the Republic of the Congo
• Military of the Republic of the Congo
• Foreign relations of the Republic of the Congo
• List of cities in the Republic of the Congo

Reference

• Much of the material in these articles comes from the CIA World Factbook 2000 [1] and the 2003 U.S. Department of State website.