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Congo, Republic of

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National name: République du Congo

Current government officials

Languages: French (official), Lingala, Monokutuba, Kikongo, many local languages and dialects

Ethnicity/race: Kongo 48%, Sangha 20%, M'Bochi 12%, Teke 17%, Europeans and other 3%

National Holiday: Independence Day, August 15

Religions: Christian 50%, animist 48%, Islam 2%

Literacy rate: 83.8% (2011 est.)

Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2011 est.): $18.36 billion; per capita $4,600. Real growth rate: 5%. Inflation: 6%. Unemployment: n.a. Arable land: 1%. Agriculture: cassava (tapioca), sugar, rice, corn, peanuts, vegetables, coffee, cocoa; forest products. Labor force: 1.514 million (2011) Industries: petroleum extraction, cement, lumber, brewing, sugar, palm oil, soap, flour, cigarettes. Natural resources: petroleum, timber, potash, lead, zinc, uranium, copper, phosphates, natural gas, hydropower. Exports: $13.25 billion f.o.b. (2009 est.): petroleum, lumber, plywood, sugar, cocoa, coffee, diamonds. Imports: $3.727 billion (2011 est.): capital equipment, construction materials, foodstuffs. Major trading partners: China, Taiwan, North Korea, U.S., France, South Korea, Germany, Italy, Netherlands (2004).

.Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 42,000 (2011); mobile cellular: 3,799,000 (2011). Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 3 (2001). Television broadcast stations: 1 (2002). Internet hosts: 43 (2011). Internet users: 245,000 (2011).

Transportation: Railways: total: 886 km (2011). Highways: total: 17,289 km; (2011 est.). Waterways: 4,385 km (on Congo and Oubanqui rivers) (2004). Ports and harbors: Brazzaville, Djeno, Impfondo, Ouesso, Oyo, Pointe-Noire. Airports: 25 (2011 est.).

International disputes: about 7,000 Congolese refugees fleeing internal civil conflicts since the mid-1990s still reside in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; the location of the boundary in the broad Congo River with the Democratic Republic of the Congo is indefinite except in the Pool Malebo/Stanley Pool area.

Major sources and definitions