CIA World Fact Book, 2004/Congo, Democratic Republic of the


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!| 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, the Pretoria Accord was signed by all remaining warring parties to end the fighting and set up a government of national unity. A transitional government was set up in July 2003; Joseph KABILA remains as president and is joined by four vice presidents from the former government, former rebel camps, and the political opposition.
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!| Location: !| Geographic coordinates: !| Map references: !| Area: water: 77,810 sq km land: 2,267,600 sq km !| Area - comparative: !| Land boundaries: 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: !| Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: boundaries with neighbors !| Climate: !| Terrain: !| Elevation extremes: highest point: Pic Marguerite on Mont Ngaliema (Mount Stanley) 5,110 m !| Natural resources: !| Land use: permanent crops: 0.52% other: 96.52% (2001) !| Irrigated land: !| Natural hazards: !| Environment - current issues: !| Environment - international agreements: signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification !| Geography - note:
 * Central Africa, northeast of Angola
 * 0 00 N, 25 00 E
 * Africa
 * total: 2,345,410 sq km
 * slightly less than one-fourth the size of the US
 * total: 10,730 km
 * 37 km
 * territorial sea: 12 nm
 * 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
 * vast central basin is a low-lying plateau; mountains in east
 * lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
 * cobalt, copper, cadmium, petroleum, industrial and gem diamonds, gold, silver, zinc, manganese, tin, germanium, uranium, radium, bauxite, iron ore, coal, hydropower, timber
 * arable land: 2.96%
 * 110 sq km (1998 est.)
 * periodic droughts in south; Congo River floods (seasonal); in the east, in the Great Rift Valley, there are active volcanoes
 * 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
 * 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
 * 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: 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.) !| Age structure: 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.) !| Median age: female: 16.2 years (2004 est.) male: 15.4 years !| Population growth rate: !| Birth rate: !| Death rate: !| Net migration rate: 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.) !| Sex ratio: 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.) !| Infant mortality rate: female: 85.95 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 103.18 deaths/1,000 live births !| Life expectancy at birth: male: 47.06 years female: 51.28 years (2004 est.) !| Total fertility rate: !| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: !| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: !| HIV/AIDS - deaths: !| Major infectious diseases: overall degree of risk: very high (2004) !| Nationality: adjective: Congolese or Congo !| Ethnic groups: !| Religions: !| Languages: !| Literacy: total population: 65.5% male: 76.2% female: 55.1% (2003 est.)
 * 58,317,930
 * 0-14 years: 48.2% (male 14,122,237; female 14,008,654)
 * total: 15.8 years
 * 2.99% (2004 est.)
 * 44.73 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * 14.64 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * -0.17 migrant(s)/1,000 population
 * at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
 * total: 94.69 deaths/1,000 live births
 * total population: 49.14 years
 * 6.62 children born/woman (2004 est.)
 * 4.2% (2003 est.)
 * 1.1 million (2003 est.)
 * 100,000 (2003 est.)
 * typhoid fever, malaria, trypanosomiasis, plague, schistosomiasis
 * noun: Congolese (singular and plural)
 * 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
 * Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant 20%, Kimbanguist 10%, Muslim 10%, other syncretic sects and indigenous beliefs 10%
 * French (official), Lingala (a lingua franca trade language), Kingwana (a dialect of Kiswahili or Swahili), Kikongo, Tshiluba
 * definition: age 15 and over can read and write French, Lingala, Kingwana, or Tshiluba
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!| Country name: 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 !| Government type: !| Capital: !| Administrative divisions: !| Independence: !| National holiday: !| Constitution: !| Legal system: !| Suffrage: !| Executive branch: 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 !| Legislative branch: elections: NA; members of the Transitional Constituent Assembly were appointed by former President Laurent Desire KABILA !| Judicial branch: !| Political parties and leaders: !| Political pressure groups and leaders: !| International organization participation: !| Diplomatic representation in the US: FAX: [1] (202) 234-2609 telephone: [1] (202) 234-7690, 7691 chancery: 1800 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 !| Diplomatic representation from the US: embassy: 310 Avenue des Aviateurs, Kinshasa mailing address: Unit 31550, APO AE 09828 telephone: [243] (88) 43608 FAX: [243] (88) 43467 !| Flag description:
 * conventional long form: Democratic Republic of the Congo
 * dictatorship; presumably undergoing a transition to representative government
 * Kinshasa
 * 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
 * 30 June 1960 (from Belgium)
 * Independence Day, 30 June (1960)
 * a new constitution was adopted 17 July 2003
 * based on Belgian civil law system and tribal law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
 * 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
 * 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
 * a 300-member Transitional Constituent Assembly established in August 2000
 * Supreme Court or Cour Supreme
 * 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])
 * NA
 * ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, CEPGL, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW (signatory), PCA, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
 * chief of mission: Ambassador Faida MITIFU
 * chief of mission: Ambassador Aubrey HOOKS
 * light blue with a large yellow five-pointed star in the center and a columnar arrangement of six small yellow five-pointed stars along the hoist side
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!| Economy - overview: !| GDP: !| GDP - real growth rate: !| GDP - per capita: !| GDP - composition by sector: industry: 11% services: 34% (2000 est.) !| Population below poverty line: !| Household income or consumption by percentage share: highest 10%: NA !| Inflation rate (consumer prices): !| Labor force: !| Labor force - by occupation: !| Unemployment rate: !| Budget: expenditures: $244 million, including capital expenditures of $24 million (1996 est.) !| Agriculture - products: !| Industries: !| Industrial production growth rate: !| Electricity - production: !| Electricity - consumption: !| Electricity - exports: !| Electricity - imports: !| Oil - production: !| Oil - consumption: !| Oil - exports: !| Oil - imports: !| Oil - proved reserves: !| Natural gas - proved reserves: !| Exports: !| Exports - commodities: !| Exports - partners: !| Imports: !| Imports - commodities: !| Imports - partners: !| Debt - external: !| Economic aid - recipient: !| Currency: !| Currency code: !| Exchange rates: !| Fiscal year:
 * 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.
 * purchasing power parity - $40.05 billion (2003 est.)
 * 6.5% (2003 est.)
 * purchasing power parity - $700 (2003 est.)
 * agriculture: 55%
 * NA
 * lowest 10%: NA
 * 14% (2003 est.)
 * 14.51 million (1993 est.)
 * NA
 * NA (2003 est.)
 * revenues: $269 million
 * coffee, sugar, palm oil, rubber, tea, quinine, cassava (tapioca), palm oil, bananas, root crops, corn, fruits; wood products
 * mining (diamonds, copper, zinc), mineral processing, consumer products (including textiles, footwear, cigarettes, processed foods and beverages), cement
 * NA
 * 5.243 billion kWh (2001)
 * 3.839 billion kWh (2001)
 * 1.097 billion kWh (2001)
 * 60 million kWh (2001)
 * 24,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
 * 14,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
 * NA (2001)
 * NA (2001)
 * 1.538 billion bbl (1 January 2002)
 * 104.8 billion cu m (1 January 2002)
 * $1.417 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)
 * diamonds, copper, crude oil, coffee, cobalt
 * Belgium 54.9%, US 15.4%, Zimbabwe 11.1%, Finland 4.8% (2003)
 * $933 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)
 * foodstuffs, mining and other machinery, transport equipment, fuels
 * South Africa 17%, Belgium 14.9%, France 12.6%, Germany 6.8%, Kenya 5.4%, Netherlands 4% (2003)
 * $11.6 billion (2000 est.)
 * $195.3 million (1995)
 * Congolese franc (CDF)
 * CDF
 * Congolese francs per US dollar - NA (2003), 346.485 (2002), 206.617 (2001), 21.82 (2000), 4.02 (1999)
 * calendar year
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!| Telephones - main lines in use: !| Telephones - mobile cellular: !| Telephone system: 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) !| Radio broadcast stations: !| Radios: !| Television broadcast stations: !| Televisions: !| Internet country code: !| Internet hosts: !| Internet Service Providers (ISPs): !| Internet users:
 * 10,000 (2002)
 * 1 million (2003)
 * general assessment: poor
 * AM 3, FM 11, shortwave 2 (2001)
 * 18.03 million (1997)
 * 4 (2001)
 * 6.478 million (1997)
 * .cd
 * 153 (2003)
 * 1 (2001)
 * 50,000 (2002)
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!| Railways: 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 (2003) !| Highways: paved: NA km unpaved: NA km (1999 est.) !| Waterways: !| Pipelines: !| Ports and harbors: !| Merchant marine: !| Airports: !| Airports - with paved runways: 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 (2004 est.) !| Airports - with unpaved runways: 1,524 to 2,437 m: 17 914 to 1,523 m: 92 under 914 m: 97 (2004 est.)
 * total: 5,138 km
 * total: 157,000 km (including 30 km of expressways)
 * 15,000 km (navigation on the Congo curtailed by fighting) (2004)
 * gas 54 km; oil 71 km (2004)
 * Banana, Boma, Bukavu, Bumba, Goma, Kalemie, Kindu, Kinshasa, Kisangani, Matadi, Mbandaka
 * none
 * 230 (2003 est.)
 * total: 24
 * total: 206
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!| Military branches: !| Military manpower - availability: !| Military manpower - fit for military service: !| Military expenditures - dollar figure: !| Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
 * Army, Navy, Air Force
 * males age 15-49: 12,706,971 (2004 est.)
 * males age 15-49: 6,480,645 (2004 est.)
 * $115.5 million (2003)
 * 1.4% (2003)
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