|
Background:
|
 Since
1997, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DROC; formerly
called Zaire) has been rent by ethnic strife and civil war,
touched off by a massive inflow in 1994 of refugees from the
fighting in Rwanda and Burundi. The government of former
president MOBUTU Sese Seko was toppled by a rebellion led by
Laurent KABILA in May 1997; his regime was subsequently
challenged by a Rwanda- and Uganda-backed rebellion in August
1998. Troops from Zimbabwe, Angola, Namibia, Chad, and Sudan
intervened to support the Kinshasa regime. A cease-fire was
signed on 10 July 1999 by the DROC, Zimbabwe, Angola, Uganda,
Namibia, Rwanda, and Congolese armed rebel groups, but
sporadic fighting continued. KABILA was assassinated on 16
January 2001 and his son Joseph KABILA was named head of state
ten days later. In October 2002, the new president was
successful in getting occupying Rwandan forces to withdraw
from eastern Congo; two months later, an agreement was signed
by all remaining warring parties to end the fighting and set
up a government of national unity. |
|
Location:
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Central Africa,
northeast of Angola |
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Map references:
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Africa |
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Area:
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total:
2,345,410 sq km
water: 77,810 sq km
land: 2,267,600 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
|
slightly less
than one-fourth the size of the US |
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Land boundaries:
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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 |
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Coastline:
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37 km |
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Climate:
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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 |
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Terrain:
|
vast central
basin is a low-lying plateau; mountains in east |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point:
Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Pic Marguerite on Mont Ngaliema (Mount
Stanley) 5,110 m |
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Natural resources:
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cobalt, copper,
cadmium, petroleum, industrial and gem diamonds, gold, silver,
zinc, manganese, tin, germanium, uranium, radium, bauxite,
iron ore, coal, hydropower, timber |
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Land use:
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arable land:
2.96%
permanent crops: 0.52%
other: 96.52% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
|
110 sq km (1998
est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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periodic droughts
in south; Congo River floods (seasonal); in the east, in the
Great Rift Valley, there are active volcanoes |
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Environment - current issues:
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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 |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, 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 |
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Geography - note:
|
straddles
equator; has 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 |
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Population:
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58,317,930
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 and
death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in
the distribution of population by age and sex than would
otherwise be expected (July 2004 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years:
48.2% (male 14,122,237; female 14,008,654)
15-64 years: 49.3% (male 14,097,301; female 14,646,285)
65 years and over: 2.5% (male 590,262; female 853,191)
(2004 est.) |
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Median age:
|
total:
15.8 years
female: 16.2 years (2004 est.)
male: 15.4 years |
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Population growth rate:
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2.99% (2004 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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44.73
births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Death rate:
|
14.64
deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
|
-0.17 migrant(s)/1,000
population
note: fighting between the Congolese Government and
Uganda- and Rwanda-backed Congolese rebels spawned a regional
war in DROC in August 1998, which left 1.8 million Congolese
internally displaced and caused 300,000 Congolese refugees to
flee to surrounding countries (2004 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
|
at birth:
1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
94.69 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 85.95 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 103.18 deaths/1,000 live births |
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Life expectancy at birth:
|
total
population: 49.14 years
male: 47.06 years
female: 51.28 years (2004 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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4.9% (2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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1.3 million (2001
est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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120,000 (2001
est.) |
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Nationality:
|
noun:
Congolese (singular and plural)
adjective: Congolese or Congo |
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Ethnic groups:
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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 |
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Religions:
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Roman Catholic
50%, Protestant 20%, Kimbanguist 10%, Muslim 10%, other
syncretic sects and indigenous beliefs 10% |
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Languages:
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French
(official), Lingala (a lingua franca trade language), Kingwana
(a dialect of Kiswahili or Swahili), Kikongo, Tshiluba |
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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.) |
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Country name:
|
conventional
long form: Democratic Republic of the Congo
conventional short form: none
local short form: none
former: Congo Free State, Belgian Congo,
Congo/Leopoldville, Congo/Kinshasa, Zaire
local long form: Republique Democratique du Congo
abbreviation: DROC |
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Government type:
|
dictatorship;
presumably undergoing a transition to representative
government |
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Capital:
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Kinshasa |
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Administrative divisions:
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10 provinces
(provinces, singular - province) and one city* (ville);
Bandundu, Bas-Congo, Equateur, Kasai-Occidental,
Kasai-Oriental, Katanga, Kinshasa*, Maniema, Nord-Kivu,
Orientale, Sud-Kivu |
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Independence:
|
30 June 1960
(from Belgium) |
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National holiday:
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Independence Day,
30 June (1960) |
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Constitution:
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24 June 1967,
amended August 1974, revised 15 February 1978, amended April
1990; transitional constitution promulgated in April 1994; in
November 1998, a draft constitution was approved by former
President Laurent KABILA but it was not ratified by a national
referendum; one outcome of the ongoing inter-Congolese
dialogue will be a new constitution |
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Legal system:
|
based on Belgian
civil law system and tribal law; has not accepted compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction |
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Executive branch:
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chief of
state: President Joseph KABILA (since 26 January 2001);
note - following the assassination of his father, Laurent
Desire KABILA, on 16 January 2001, Joseph KABILA succeeded to
the presidency; the president is both the chief of state and
head of government
head of government: President Joseph KABILA (since 26
January 2001); note - following the assassination of his
father, Laurent Desire KABILA, on 16 January 2001, Joseph
KABILA succeeded to the presidency; the president is both the
chief of state and head of government
cabinet: National Executive Council, appointed by the
president
elections: prior to the overthrow of MOBUTU Sese Seko,
the president was elected by popular vote for a seven-year
term; election last held 29 July 1984 (next was scheduled to
be held in May 1997); formerly, there was also a prime
minister who was elected by the High Council of the Republic;
note - a Transitional Government is drafting a new
constitution with free elections scheduled to be held in NA
2005
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
scheduled to be held in NA 2005
election results: results of the last election were:
MOBUTU Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu wa Za Banga reelected president
in 1984 without opposition |
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Legislative branch:
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a 300-member
Transitional Constituent Assembly established in August 2000
elections: NA; members of the Transitional Constituent
Assembly were appointed by former President Laurent Desire
KABILA |
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme Court or
Cour Supreme |
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Political parties and leaders:
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Democratic Social
Christian Party or PDSC [Andre BO-BOLIKO]; Forces for
Renovation for Union and Solidarity or FONUS [Joseph
OLENGHANKOY]; National Congolese Lumumbist Movement or MNC
[Francois LUMUMBA]; Popular Movement of the Revolution or MPR
(three factions: MPR-Fait Prive [Catherine NZUZI wa Mbombo];
MPR/Vunduawe [Felix VUNDUAWE]; MPR/Mananga [MANANGA Dintoka
Mpholo]); Unified Lumumbast Party or PALU [Antoine GIZENGA];
Union for Democracy and Social Progress or UDPS [Etienne
TSHISEKEDI wa Mulumba]; Union of Federalists and Independent
Republicans or UFERI (two factions: UFERI [Lokambo OMOKOKO];
UFERI/OR [Adolph Kishwe MAYA]) |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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NA |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
|
chief of
mission: Ambassador Faida MITIFU
FAX: [1] (202) 234-2609
telephone: [1] (202) 234-7690, 7691
chancery: 1800 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC
20009 |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
|
chief of
mission: Ambassador Aubrey HOOKS
embassy: 310 Avenue des Aviateurs, Kinshasa
mailing address: Unit 31550, APO AE 09828
telephone: [243] (88) 43608
FAX: [243] (88) 43467 |
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Economy - overview:
|
The economy of
the Democratic Republic of the Congo - a nation endowed with
vast potential wealth - has declined drastically since the
mid-1980s. The war, which began in August 1998, has
dramatically reduced national output and government revenue,
has increased external debt, and has resulted in the deaths
from war, famine, and disease of perhaps 3.5 million people.
Foreign businesses have curtailed operations due to
uncertainty about the outcome of the conflict, lack of
infrastructure, and the difficult operating environment. The
war has intensified the impact of such basic problems as an
uncertain legal framework, corruption, inflation, and lack of
openness in government economic policy and financial
operations. Conditions improved in late 2002 with the
withdrawal of a large portion of the invading foreign troops.
Several IMF and World Bank missions have met with the
government to help it develop a coherent economic plan, and
President KABILA has begun implementing reforms. Much economic
activity lies outside the GDP data. Economic stability, aided
by international donors, improved in 2003. New mining
contracts have been approved, which - combined with high
mineral and metal prices - could improve Kinshasa's fiscal
position and GDP growth. |
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GDP:
|
purchasing power
parity - $35.62 billion (2003 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
|
6% (2003 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power
parity - $600 (2003 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture:
55%
industry: 11%
services: 34% (2000 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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NA% |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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14% (2003 est.) |
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Labor force:
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14.51 million
(1993 est.) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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NA |
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Unemployment rate:
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NA% (2003 est.) |
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Budget:
|
revenues:
$269 million
expenditures: $244 million, including capital
expenditures of $24 million (1996 est.) |
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Industries:
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mining (diamonds,
copper, zinc), mineral processing, consumer products
(including textiles, footwear, cigarettes, processed foods and
beverages), cement |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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NA% |
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Electricity - production:
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5.243 billion kWh
(2001) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel:
1.8%
hydro: 98.2%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0% |
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Electricity - consumption:
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3.839 billion kWh
(2001) |
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Electricity - exports:
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1.097 billion kWh
(2001) |
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Electricity - imports:
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60 million kWh
(2001) |
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Oil - production:
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24,000 bbl/day
(2001 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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14,000 bbl/day
(2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - proved reserves:
|
104.8 billion cu
m (1 January 2002) |
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Agriculture - products:
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coffee, sugar,
palm oil, rubber, tea, quinine, cassava (tapioca), palm oil,
bananas, root crops, corn, fruits; wood products |
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Exports:
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$1.417 billion
f.o.b. (2002 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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diamonds, copper,
crude oil, coffee, cobalt |
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Exports - partners:
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Belgium 64.3%, US
13.4%, Zimbabwe 6.7%, Finland 4.9% (2002) |
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Imports:
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$933 million
f.o.b. (2002 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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foodstuffs,
mining and other machinery, transport equipment, fuels |
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Imports - partners:
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South Africa
15.9%, Belgium 14.1%, Nigeria 10.1%, France 9.2%, Germany
7.4%, Netherlands 5.1%, Kenya 5% (2002) |
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Debt - external:
|
$11.6 billion
(2000 est.) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$195.3 million
(1995) |
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Currency:
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Congolese franc (CDF) |
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Currency code:
|
CDF |
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Exchange rates:
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Congolese francs
per US dollar - NA (2003), 346.49 (2002), 206.62 (2001), 21.82
(2000), 4.02 (1999) |
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Fiscal year:
|
calendar year |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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10,000 (2002) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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560,000 (2002) |
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Telephone system:
|
general
assessment: poor
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) |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 3, FM 11,
shortwave 2 (2001) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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4 (2001) |
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Internet country code:
|
.cd |
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Internet hosts:
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134 (2002) |
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Internet users:
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50,000 (2002) |
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Railways:
|
total:
4,772 km
narrow gauge: 3,621 km 1.067-m gauge (858 km
electrified); 125 km 1.000-m gauge; 1,026 km 0.600-m gauge
(2002) |
|
Highways:
|
total:
157,000 km (including 30 km of expressways)
paved: NA km
unpaved: NA km (1999 est.) |
|
Waterways:
|
15,000 km
(including the Congo and its tributaries, and unconnected
lakes) |
|
Pipelines:
|
gas 54 km; oil 71
km (2003) |
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Ports and harbors:
|
Banana, Boma,
Bukavu, Bumba, Goma, Kalemie, Kindu, Kinshasa, Kisangani,
Matadi, Mbandaka |
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Merchant marine:
|
none |
|
Airports:
|
230 (2003 est.) |
|
Airports - with paved runways:
|
total: 24
over 3,047 m: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 16
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2003 est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
|
total: 206
1,524 to 2,437 m: 17
914 to 1,523 m: 92
under 914 m: 97 (2003 est.) |
|
Military branches:
|
Army, Navy, Air
Force |
|
Military manpower - availability:
|
males age
15-49: 12,706,971 (2004 est.) |
|
Military manpower - fit for military service:
|
males age
15-49: 6,480,645 (2004 est.) |
|
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
|
$115.5 million
(2003) |
|
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
|
1.4% (2003) |
|
Disputes - international:
|
Democratic
Republic of the Congo is in the grip of a civil war, tribal
conflict, and rebel gang fighting that has drawn in
neighboring states of Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda; in the Great
Lakes region and Sudan, heads of the Great Lakes states and UN
pledge to end conflict, but unchecked localized violence
continues unabated; 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 |
|
Illicit drugs:
|
illicit producer
of cannabis, 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 |
This page was last updated on 11 May, 2004
|