Established as a Belgian colony
in 1908, the Republic of the Congo gained its independence in 1960, but
its early years were marred by political and social instability. Col.
Joseph MOBUTU seized power and declared himself president in a November
1965 coup. He subsequently changed his name - to MOBUTU Sese Seko - as
well as that of the country - to Zaire. MOBUTU retained his position for
32 years through several sham elections, as well as through the use of
brutal force. Ethnic strife and civil war, touched off by a massive inflow
of refugees in 1994 from fighting in Rwanda and Burundi, led in May 1997
to the toppling of the MOBUTU regime by a rebellion backed by Rwanda and
Uganda and fronted by Laurent KABILA. He renamed the country the
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), but in August 1998 his regime was
itself challenged by a second insurrection again backed by Rwanda and
Uganda. Troops from Angola, Chad, Namibia, Sudan, and Zimbabwe intervened
to support KABILA's regime. A cease-fire was signed in July 1999 by the
DRC, Congolese armed rebel groups, Angola, Namibia, Rwanda, Uganda, and
Zimbabwe but sporadic fighting continued. Laurent KABILA was assassinated
in January 2001 and his son, Joseph KABILA, was named head of state. In
October 2002, the new president was successful in negotiating the
withdrawal of Rwandan forces occupying eastern Congo; two months later,
the Pretoria Accord was signed by all remaining warring parties to end the
fighting and establish a government of national unity. A transitional
government was set up in July 2003. Joseph KABILA as president and four
vice presidents represented the former government, former rebel groups,
the political opposition, and civil society. The transitional government
held a successful constitutional referendum in December 2005 and elections
for the presidency, National Assembly, and provincial legislatures in
2006. KABILA was inaugurated president in December 2006. The National
Assembly was installed in September 2006. Its president, Vital KAMERHE,
was chosen in December. Provincial assemblies were constituted in early
2007, and elected governors and national senators in January 2007.
Geography
Congo, Democratic Republic of
the
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: 10,730 km
border countries: Angola 2,511 km (of which 225 km is the
boundary of Angola's discontiguous Cabinda Province), Burundi 233 km,
Central African Republic 1,577 km, Republic of the Congo 2,410 km, Rwanda
217 km, Sudan 628 km, Tanzania 459 km, Uganda 765 km, Zambia 1,930 km
Coastline:
37 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: boundaries with neighbors
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
total: 0.36 cu km/yr
(53%/17%/31%) per capita: 6 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
periodic droughts in south;
Congo River floods (seasonal); in the east, in the Great Rift Valley,
there are active volcanoes
Environment - current issues:
poaching threatens wildlife
populations; water pollution; deforestation; refugees responsible for
significant deforestation, soil erosion, and wildlife poaching; mining of
minerals (coltan - a mineral used in creating capacitors, diamonds, and
gold) causing environmental damage
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer
Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification
Geography - note:
straddles equator; has 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
Congo, Democratic Republic of
the
Population:
66,514,506 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, higher death rates, lower population growth
rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than
would otherwise be expected (July 2008 est.)
total: 16.3 years
male: 16.1 years female: 16.5 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
3.236% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
43 births/1,000 population
(2008 est.)
Death rate:
11.88 deaths/1,000 population
(2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
1.24 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03
male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64
years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.68
male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008
est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 83.11
deaths/1,000 live births male: 91.14 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 74.83 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 53.98
years male: 52.22 years female: 55.8 years (2008
est.)
Total fertility rate:
6.28 children born/woman (2008
est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
4.2% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
1.1 million (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
100,000 (2003 est.)
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: very
high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal
diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases:
malaria, plague, and African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness)
water contact disease: schistosomiasis animal contact
disease: rabies (2008)
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 (includes 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: 65.5% male: 76.2%
female: 55.1% (2003 est.)
Government
Congo, Democratic Republic of
the
Country name:
conventional long form:
Democratic Republic of the Congo conventional short form: none
local long form: Republique Democratique du Congo local
short form: none former: Congo Free State, Belgian Congo,
Congo/Leopoldville, Congo/Kinshasa, Zaire abbreviation: DRC
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: Kinshasa
geographic coordinates: 4 19 S, 15 18 E time
difference: UTC+1 (six hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard
Time)
Administrative divisions:
10 provinces (provinces,
singular - province) and 1 city* (ville); Bandundu, Bas-Congo, Equateur,
Kasai-Occidental, Kasai-Oriental, Katanga, Kinshasa*, Maniema, Nord-Kivu,
Orientale, Sud-Kivu note: according to the Constitution adopted
in December 2005, the current administrative divisions will be subdivided
into 26 new provinces by 2009
Independence:
30 June 1960 (from Belgium)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 30 June
(1960)
Constitution:
18 February 2006
Legal system:
a new constitution was adopted
by referendum 18 December 2005; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with
reservations
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal and
compulsory
Executive branch:
chief of state:
President Joseph KABILA (since 17 January 2001); note - following the
assassination of his father, Joseph KABILA succeeded to the presidency
which he retained through the 2003-06 transition; he was subsequently
elected president in October 2006 head of government: Prime
Minister Antoine GIZENGA (since 30 December 2006); cabinet:
Ministers of State appointed by the president elections: under
the new constitution the president is elected by popular vote to a
five-year term (eligible for a second term); elections last held 30 July
2006 with a second round held on 29 October 2006 (next to be held in
2011); prime minister appointed by the president election
results: results of 29 October 2006 elections (second round); Joseph
KABILA 58%, Jean-Pierre BEMBA Gombo 42% note: Joseph KABILA
succeeded his father, Laurent Desire KABILA, following the latter's
assassination in January 2001; negotiations with rebel leaders led to the
establishment of a transitional government in July 2003 with free
elections held on 30 July 2006 and 29 October 2006 confirming Joseph
KABILA as president
Legislative branch:
bicameral legislature consists
of a National Assembly (500 seats; 61 members elected by majority vote in
single-member constituencies, 439 members elected by open list
proportional-representation in multi-member constituencies; to serve
five-year terms) and a Senate (108 seats; members elected by provincial
assemblies to serve five-year terms) elections: National
Assembly - last held 30 July 2006 (next to be held in 2011); Senate - last
held 19 January 2007 (next to be held by 2012) election
results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
party - PPRD 111, MLC 64, PALU 34, MSR 27, FR 26, RCD 15, independents 63,
others 160 (includes 63 political parties that won 10 or fewer seats);
Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PPRD 22, MLC 14,
FR 7, RCD 7, PDC 6, CDC 3, MSR 3, PALU 2, independents 26, others 18
(political parties that won a single seat)
Judicial branch:
Constitutional Court; Appeals
Court or Cour de Cassation; Council of State; High Military Court; plus
civil and military courts and tribunals
Political parties and leaders:
Christian Democrat Party or PDC
[Jose ENDUNDO]; Congolese Rally for Democracy or RCD [Azarias RUBERWA];
Convention of Christian Democrats or CDC; Forces of Renewal or FR [Mbusa
NYAMWISI]; Movement for the Liberation of the Congo or MLC [Jean-Pierre
BEMBA]; People's Party for Reconstruction and Democracy or PPRD [Joseph
KABILA]; Social Movement for Renewal or MSR [Pierre LUMBI]; Unified
Lumumbist Party or PALU [Antoine GIZENGA]; Union for Democracy and Social
Progress or UDPS [Etienne TSHISEKEDI]; Union of Mobutuist Democrats or
UDEMO [MOBUTU Nzanga]
chief of mission:
Ambassador Faida MITIFU chancery: 1800 New Hampshire Avenue NW,
Washington, DC 20009: note - Consular Office at 1726 M Street, NW,
Washington, DC, 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 234-7690, 7691
FAX: [1] (202) 234-2609
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador William GARVELINK embassy: 310 Avenue des Aviateurs,
Kinshasa mailing address: Unit 31550, APO AE 09828
telephone: [243] (81) 556-0151 FAX: [243] (81)
556-0175
Flag description:
sky blue field divided
diagonally from the lower hoist corner to upper fly corner by a red stripe
bordered by two narrow yellow stripes; a yellow, five-pointed star appears
in the upper hoist corner
Economy
Congo, Democratic Republic of
the
Economy - overview:
The economy of the Democratic
Republic of the Congo - a nation endowed with vast potential wealth - is
slowly recovering from two decades of decline. Conflict, which began in
August 1998, dramatically reduced national output and government revenue,
increased external debt, and resulted in the deaths of more than 3.5
million people from violence, famine, and disease. Foreign businesses
curtailed operations due to uncertainty about the outcome of the conflict,
lack of infrastructure, and the difficult operating environment.
Conditions began to improve in late 2002 with the withdrawal of a large
portion of the invading foreign troops. The transitional government
reopened relations with international financial institutions and
international donors, and President KABILA has begun implementing reforms,
although progress is slow and the International Monetary Fund curtailed
their program for the DRC at the end of March 2006 because of fiscal
overruns. Much economic activity still occurs in the informal sector, and
is not reflected in GDP data. Renewed activity in the mining sector, the
source of most export income, boosted Kinshasa's fiscal position and GDP
growth. Government reforms and improved security may lead to increased
government revenues, outside budget assistance, and foreign direct
investment, although an uncertain legal framework, corruption, and a lack
of transparency in government policy are continuing long-term problems.
Belgium 29.4%, China 21.1%,
Brazil 12.3%, Chile 7.8%, Finland 7.2%, US 4.9% (2006)
Imports:
$2.263 billion f.o.b. (2006)
Imports - commodities:
foodstuffs, mining and other
machinery, transport equipment, fuels
Imports - partners:
South Africa 17.7%, Belgium
10.9%, France 8.5%, Zimbabwe 8.1%, Zambia 6.9%, Kenya 6.8%, Cote d'Ivoire
4.4% (2006)
Economic aid - recipient:
$1.828 billion (2005)
Debt - external:
$10 billion (2006 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
Currency (code):
Congolese franc (CDF)
Currency code:
CDF
Exchange rates:
Congolese francs per US dollar
- NA (2007), 464.69 (2006), 437.86 (2005), 401.04 (2004), 405.34 (2003)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Communications
Congo, Democratic Republic of
the
Telephones - main lines in use:
9,700 (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
4.415 million (2006)
Telephone system:
general assessment:
inadequate; state-owned fixed-line operator has been unable to expand
fixed-line connections and there are now fewer than 10,000 connections;
given the backdrop of a wholly inadequate fixed-line infrastructure, the
use of cellular services has surged and subscribership now exceeds 4
million - roughly 7 per 100 persons domestic: barely adequate
wire and microwave radio relay service in and between urban areas;
domestic satellite system with 14 earth stations international:
country code - 243; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
(2007)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 3, FM 11, shortwave 2 (2001)
Radios:
18.03 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
4 (2001)
Televisions:
6.478 million (1997)
Internet country code:
.cd
Internet hosts:
2,209 (2007)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2001)
Internet users:
180,000 (2006)
Transportation
Congo, Democratic Republic of
the
Airports:
237 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 26 over
3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m:
17 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 211 1,524
to 2,437 m: 17 914 to 1,523 m: 95 under 914 m:
99 (2007)
Pipelines:
gas 62 km; oil 71 km (2007)
Railways:
total: 5,138 km
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 (2006)
Roadways:
total: 153,497 km
paved: 2,794 km unpaved: 150,703 km (2004)
Waterways:
15,000 km (2005)
Merchant marine:
total: 1 ship (1000 GRT
or over) 1,004 GRT/1,640 DWT by type: petroleum tanker 1
foreign-owned: 1 (Congo, Republic of the 1) (2007)
Armed Forces of the Democratic
Republic of the Congo (FARDC): Army, Navy, Congolese Air Force (Force
Aerienne Congolaise, FAC) (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
18-45 years of age for military
service
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49:
14,101,263 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49:
8,562,989 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
2.5% (2006)
Transnational Issues
Congo, Democratic Republic of
the
Disputes - international:
heads of the Great Lakes states
and UN pledge to abate tribal, rebel, and militia fighting in the
northeastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DROC); in
2006, the UN Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
(MONUC) maintained over 18,000 uniformed peacekeepers in the region, first
deployed in 1999; despite significant repatriation efforts by governments
and international organizations, in 2006, Angolans, Rwandans, Sudanese,
and residents of other neighboring states reside as refugees in the DROC;
members of Uganda's Lords Resistance Army forces take refuge in DROC's
Garamba National Park; the location of the boundary in the broad Congo
River with the Republic of the Congo is indefinite except in the Pool
Malebo/Stanley Pool area
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of
origin): 132,295 (Angola); 37,313 (Rwanda); 17,777 (Burundi); 13,904
(Uganda); 6,181 (Sudan); 5,243 (Republic of Congo) IDPs: 1.4
million (fighting between government forces and rebels since mid-1990s;
most IDPs are in eastern provinces) (2007)
Illicit drugs:
one of Africa's biggest
producers of cannabis, but mostly for domestic consumption; while rampant
corruption and inadequate supervision leaves the banking system vulnerable
to money laundering, the lack of a well-developed financial system limits
the country's utility as a money-laundering center
