Republic of the Congo Guide

January 31, 2021 findjobdescriptions

Congo – country information

Country name	Congo
Official name	Republic of the Congo
Capital	Brazzaville
Continent	Africa
Area	342,000 km²
Population	4,448,000 (2013)
Foundation of a state	8/15/1960
The highest mountains	Léketi 1040 m
Longest rivers	Congo/Zaire 750 km, Ubangi 550 km
State system	a pluralist republic with a bicameral parliament
The biggest cities	Brazzaville (capital) 1,025,000, Pointe-Noire 630,000, Loubomo 95,000
Official language	French
Ethnicity/National Composition	Congolese 53%, Teke groups 17.5%, Mboshi 11.5%, Mbete 4.7%, Punu 3%, Sango 2.6%, Maka 1.6%, Pygmies 1.5%, others 4.5%
Religious affiliation	Roman Catholic 55%, Protestant 24%, African Christian 14.5%, traditional faith 5%, other 1.5%
Currency	1 CFA franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes
gross domestic product (GDP)	US$4,616 (2012)
Average life expectancy of the population	52.80 years (2006)

Congo – neighboring states

State	Capital	Area	Population
Angola	Luanda	1,246,700 km²	20,609,294
Democratic Republic of the Congo	Kinshasa	2,344,860 km²	67,514,000
Gabon	Libreville	267,668 km²	1,672,000
Cameroon	Yaoundé	475,442 km²	20,386,799
Central African Republic	Bangui	622,984 km²	4,616,000

Country overview

According to Abbreviationfinder, Congo stretches from the coast of the Atlantic Ocean to the heart of Africa and is bordered by Zaire, the Central African Republic, Cameroon and Gabon.

Country data

Location: CET (during summer time CET – 1)

Time zone: unknown

Total area: 342,000 km km²

Land area: 341,500 km²

Water area: 500 km²

Length of the state border: 5,008 km

Bordering countries:
Angola: 231 km
Gabon: 2,567 km
Cameroon: 494 km
Congo, Democratic Rep.: 1,229 km
Central African Republic: 487 km

Coastline: 169 km

Capital: Brazzaville

Governorates: 12
Bouenza, Brazzaville, Cuvette, Cuvette-Ouest, Kouilou, Lekoumou, Likouala, Niari, Plateaux, Pointe-Noire, Pool, Sangha

Telephone code: 00 242 (Source: Allcitycodes)

Highest point: Mount Berongou 903 m

Population

Population: approx. 4.7 million residents (Countryaah, 2021)

Population growth: 2% per year

Population density (residents per km²): 14

Life expectancy: 57 (male), 60 (female)

Official language: French

Religions:

33% Roman Catholic
20% Protestants
2% Muslim
45% other

Climate

Congo is located in a tropical climate zone.

The summer time lasts from June to September and the rainy season from October to May.

Currency / finance

Currency unit: CFA Franc (XAF)

Classification: 1 Franc = 100 Centimes

ATMs: not available

International credit cards: only accepted in some Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire hotels.

Regulations: There is no limit to the amount of foreign currencies that can be imported. There is an obligation to declare. The export is permitted in the amount of the declared import.

The import and export of the local currency is not permitted.

Since it is almost impossible to exchange the local currency back, you should only exchange amounts that are actually required.

As a foreign currency, it is recommended to take small denominations of US dollars with you. These are the easiest to exchange and are often accepted for direct payment.

Customs regulations

The following may be carried duty-free:

200 cigarettes
1 liter of alcoholic beverages
small amounts of perfume

(Information applies to people aged 18 and over)

Tourists and people in transit can bring items of personal use with them duty-free.

Travel advice

The northern and eastern regions of the Congo in particular pose a high security risk.

Some districts of Brazzaville (Bakongo, Makélékélé, Ouenze, Poto Poto, Talangaï) should not be visited after nightfall due to the high crime rate.

Economy

The main export goods of the country are oil and petroleum products.

Since over half of the country’s area is forested, a large part of the population works in this branch of industry.

A very high unemployment rate, corruption in many areas of public life and three civil wars in the 1990s have caused great damage to the economy from which the country has still not been able to recover.

Industries: Oil extraction and processing, wood processing

Natural resources: natural gas, petroleum, copper, uranium, hydropower, zinc

Land use: