Facts about the country
Facts about the Congo
Located in central Africa, the Republic of Congo has a 170 km long coastline. It is bordered to the north by the Republic of Cameroon and the Central African Republic, to the east by the Democratic Republic of Congo, to the southeast by the Republic of Angola (Cabinda), to the southwest by the Atlantic Ocean, and to the west by the Gabonese Republic.
Geography
Official country name : | Republic of the Congo |
Political capital: | Brazzaville |
Economic capital : | Pointe-Noire |
Surface area : | 342,000 sq. km. |
Climate types : | equatorial or subequatorial, tropical in the extreme south, hot and humid, with two rainy seasons and two dry seasons |
Geology : | Mainly made up of the sedimentary basin of the Congo River and ancient rocks. |
Vegetation : | Forest 65% of the national territory and savanna. |
Local hour : | GMT+1 |
Official language : | French |
National languages : | Lingala and Kikongo |
Demography
Total population : | 5,244,363 inhabitants (Source: World Bank/ILO 2018 estimate) |
Natural growth : | 3,68 % / year |
Urban population : | 62.2% (concentrated between Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire) |
Density : | 12.8 inhabitants per km² |
Average age : | 18.7 years (source UNDP) |
Life expectancy in years : | 64.30 years (2018) |
Population active : | 2,124,852 (Source: World Bank/ILO 2018 estimate) |
Activity rate : | 40.86% (Source: World Bank/ILO 2018 estimate) |
Ethnic origins: | The Congolese population is composed of a large majority of Bantu |
Religion : | Christianity 50%, Islam 2% and Animism 48%. |
Politics
President | Denis SASSOU NGUESSO |
Prime Minister : | M. Anatole Collinet MAKOSSO |
State Regime : | Republic |
Executive power : | Semi-presidential |
Legislative power : | Composed of two chambers: National Assembly and Senate. |
Economics
Local currency : | Franc CFA (XAF) |
Fixed parity : | 1 euro for 655, 957 XAF |
Development level: | Middle-income country |
GDP (billion USD) : | 12.82 (Source: IMF - 2019) |
GDP (annual growth in %) : | -0,9 (Source : IMF - 2019) |
GDP per capita (USD) : | 2,444 (Source: IMF - 2019) |
Inflation rate (%): | 2.2 (Source: IMF - 2019) |
Employment by sector (% of total employment) : | Agriculture (35.8), Industry (22.2), Services (42.0) (Source: World Bank, latest available data.) |
Value added (% of GDP) : | Agriculture (7.1), Industry (52.9), Services (38.5) (Source: World Bank, latest available data) |
Foreign trade
Source Trade Map 2020
Exports of goods (thousands USD) : | 2 114 961 |
Exports of goods (thousands USD) : | 5 353 259 |
Trade balance (excluding services) (thousands USD) : | 3 238 298 |
Foreign trade (% of GDP) : | 26 |
Major partner countries
Source Trade Map 2020
Main customers (% of exports) | Main suppliers (% of imports) | ||
China | 77% | China | 20% |
India | 13% | France | 15% |
The Netherlands | 4% | Belgium | 10% |
United States of America | 3% | Angola | 6% |
Spain | 3% | United States of America | 5% |
Australia | 2% | Italy | 4% |
Italy | 1% | Cameroon | 4% |
Main products traded
Source Trade Map 2020
Exported products | Imported products | ||
Oil | 84% | Maritime or river navigation | 17% |
Lumber | 6% | Machines, apparatus and mechanical devices, | 13% |
Maritime or river navigation | 5% | Meat and edible offal | 8% |
Copper and copper articles | 2% | Electrical machinery, apparatus and equipment and parts thereof; recording apparatus | 6% |
Machines, mechanical devices, nuclear reactors, boilers; | 1% | Structures in cast iron, iron or steel | 6% |
Optical, photographic, cinematographic, measuring and control instruments and apparatus. | 0,2% | Cereals | 4% |
Air or space navigation | 0,2% | Mineral fuels, mineral oils and products of their distillation; bituminous materials; . | 3% |
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