Main page Compare countries Index countries Index fields

Query:
##ciekawa_strona##

Compare Bangladesh (2006) - Congo, Democratic Republic of the (2002)

Compare Bangladesh (2006) z Congo, Democratic Republic of the (2002)

 Bangladesh (2006)Congo, Democratic Republic of the (2002)
 BangladeshCongo, Democratic Republic of the
Administrative divisions 6 divisions; Barisal, Chittagong, Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi, Sylhet 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
Age structure 0-14 years: 32.9% (male 24,957,997/female 23,533,894)


15-64 years: 63.6% (male 47,862,774/female 45,917,674)


65 years and over: 3.5% (male 2,731,578/female 2,361,435) (2006 est.)
0-14 years: 48.2% (male 13,369,493; female 13,256,174)


15-64 years: 49.3% (male 13,343,303; female 13,860,996)


65 years and over: 2.5% (male 581,568; female 813,944) (2002 est.)
Agriculture - products rice, jute, tea, wheat, sugarcane, potatoes, tobacco, pulses, oilseeds, spices, fruit; beef, milk, poultry coffee, sugar, palm oil, rubber, tea, quinine, cassava (tapioca), palm oil, bananas, root crops, corn, fruits; wood products
Airports 16 (2006) 232 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways total: 15


over 3,047 m: 1


2,438 to 3,047 m: 4


1,524 to 2,437 m: 4


914 to 1,523 m: 1


under 914 m: 5 (2006)
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 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006)
total: 205


1,524 to 2,437 m: 19


914 to 1,523 m: 95


under 914 m: 91 (2002)
Area total: 144,000 sq km


land: 133,910 sq km


water: 10,090 sq km
total: 2,345,410 sq km


land: 2,267,600 sq km


water: 77,810 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Iowa slightly less than one-fourth the size of the US
Background Europeans began to set up trading posts in the area of Bangladesh in the 16th century; eventually the British came to dominate the region and it became part of British India. In 1947, West Pakistan and East Bengal (both primarily Muslim) separated from India (largely Hindu) and jointly became the new country of Pakistan. East Bengal became East Pakistan in 1955, but the awkward arrangement of a two-part country with its territorial units separated by 1,600 km left the Bengalis marginalized and dissatisfied. East Pakistan seceded from its union with West Pakistan in 1971 and was renamed Bangladesh. About a third of this extremely poor country floods annually during the monsoon rainy season, hampering economic development. 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.
Birth rate 29.8 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) 45.55 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Budget revenues: $5.993 billion


expenditures: $8.598 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)
revenues: $269 million


expenditures: $244 million, including capital expenditures of $24 million
Capital name: Dhaka


geographic coordinates: 23 43 N, 90 25 E


time difference: UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Kinshasa
Climate tropical; mild winter (October to March); hot, humid summer (March to June); humid, warm rainy monsoon (June to October) 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
Coastline 580 km 37 km
Constitution 4 November 1972, effective 16 December 1972; suspended following coup of 24 March 1982, restored 10 November 1986; amended many times 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 is to be a new constitution
Country name conventional long form: People's Republic of Bangladesh


conventional short form: Bangladesh


local long form: Gana Prajatantri Banladesh


local short form: Banladesh


former: East Bengal, East Pakistan
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: DROC
Currency - Congolese franc (CDF)
Death rate 8.27 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) 14.93 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Debt - external $20.63 billion (2005 est.) $12.9 billion (2000 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Patricia A. BUTENIS


embassy: Madani Avenue, Baridhara, Dhaka 1212


mailing address: G. P. O. Box 323, Dhaka 1000


telephone: [880] (2) 885-5500


FAX: [880] (2) 882-3744
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
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Shamsher Mobin CHOWDHURY


chancery: 3510 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 244-0183


FAX: [1] (202) 244-5366


consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York
chief of mission: Ambassador Faida MITIFU


chancery: 1800 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009


telephone: [1] (202) 234-7690, 7691


FAX: [1] (202) 234-2609
Disputes - international discussions with India remain stalled to delimit a small section of river boundary, exchange 162 miniscule enclaves in both countries, allocate divided villages, and stop illegal cross-border trade, migration, violence, and transit of terrorists through the porous border; Bangladesh resists India's attempts to fence or wall off high-traffic sections of the porous boundary; a joint Bangladesh-India boundary inspection in 2005 revealed 92 pillars are missing; dispute with India over New Moore/South Talpatty/Purbasha Island in the Bay of Bengal deters maritime boundary delimitation; Burmese Muslim refugees strain Bangladesh's meager resources Democratic Republic of the Congo is in the grip of a civil war that has drawn in military forces from neighboring states, with Uganda and Rwanda supporting the rebel movements that occupy much of the eastern portion of the state; Tutsi, Hutu, and other conflicting ethnic groups, political rebels, and various government forces continue fighting in Great Lakes region, transcending the boundaries of Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda; most of the Congo River boundary with the Republic of the Congo is indefinite (no agreement has been reached on the division of the river or its islands, except in the Pool Malebo/Stanley Pool area)
Economic aid - recipient $1.575 billion (2000 est.) $195.3 million (1995) (1995)
Economy - overview Despite sustained domestic and international efforts to improve economic and demographic prospects, Bangladesh remains a poor, overpopulated, and inefficiently-governed nation. Although half of GDP is generated through the service sector, nearly two-thirds of Bangladeshis are employed in the agriculture sector, with rice as the single-most-important product. Major impediments to growth include frequent cyclones and floods, inefficient state-owned enterprises, inadequate port facilities, a rapidly growing labor force that cannot be absorbed by agriculture, delays in exploiting energy resources (natural gas), insufficient power supplies, and slow implementation of economic reforms. Reform is stalled in many instances by political infighting and corruption at all levels of government. Progress also has been blocked by opposition from the bureaucracy, public sector unions, and other vested interest groups. The BNP government, led by Prime Minister Khaleda ZIA, has the parliamentary strength to push through needed reforms, but the party's political will to do so has been lacking in key areas. One encouraging note: growth has been a steady 5% for the past several years. 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 and has increased external debt. 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, raging inflation, and lack of openness in government economic policy and financial operations. A number of 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.
Electricity - consumption 16.2 billion kWh (2003) 4.55 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2003) 404 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2003) 55 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production 17.42 billion kWh (2003) 5.268 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source - fossil fuel: 2%


hydro: 98%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (1999)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m


highest point: Keokradong 1,230 m
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Pic Marguerite on Mont Ngaliema (Mount Stanley) 5,110 m
Environment - current issues many people are landless and forced to live on and cultivate flood-prone land; water-borne diseases prevalent in surface water; water pollution, especially of fishing areas, results from the use of commercial pesticides; ground water contaminated by naturally occurring arsenic; intermittent water shortages because of falling water tables in the northern and central parts of the country; soil degradation and erosion; deforestation; severe overpopulation 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, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification
Ethnic groups Bengali 98%, tribal groups, non-Bengali Muslims (1998) 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
Exchange rates taka per US dollar - 64.328 (2005), 59.513 (2004), 58.15 (2003), 57.888 (2002), 55.807 (2001) Congolese francs per US dollar - 305 (January 2002), 21.82 (2000), 4.02 (1999), 1.61 (1998), 1.31 (1997)


note: on 30 June 1998 the Congolese franc was introduced, replacing the new zaire
Executive branch chief of state: President Iajuddin AHMED (since 6 September 2002); note - the president's duties are normally ceremonial, but with the 13th amendment to the constitution ("Caretaker Government Amendment"), the president's role becomes significant at times when Parliament is dissolved and a caretaker government is installed - at presidential direction - to supervise the elections


head of government: Prime Minister Khaleda ZIA (since 10 October 2001)


cabinet: Cabinet selected by the prime minister and appointed by the president


elections: president elected by National Parliament for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election scheduled for 16 September 2002 was not held since Iajuddin AHMED was the only presidential candidate; he was sworn in on 6 September 2002 (next election to be held by 2007); following legislative elections, the leader of the party that wins the most seats is usually appointed prime minister by the president


election results: Iajuddin AHMED declared by the Election Commission elected unopposed as president; percent of National Parliament vote - NA
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: before Laurent Desire KABILA seized power on 16 May 1997, 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 - elections were not held in 1991 as called for by the constitution


election results: results of the last election were: MOBUTU Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu wa Za Banga reelected president in 1984 without opposition


note: Marshal MOBUTU Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu wa Za Banga was president from 24 November 1965 until forced into exile on 16 May 1997 when his government was overthrown militarily by Laurent Desire KABILA; KABILA immediately assumed governing authority and pledged to hold elections by April 1999, but, in December 1998, announced that elections would be postponed until all foreign military forces attempting to topple the government had withdrawn from the country; KABILA was assassinated in January 2001 and was succeeded by his son Joseph KABILA
Exports NA bbl/day $750 million f.o.b. (2001 est.)
Exports - commodities garments, jute and jute goods, leather, frozen fish and seafood (2001) diamonds, copper, coffee, cobalt, crude oil
Exports - partners US 23.6%, Germany 13.5%, UK 9.4%, France 6.4% (2005) Benelux 62%, US 18%, South Africa, Finland, Italy (1999)
Fiscal year 1 July - 30 June calendar year
Flag description green field with a large red disk shifted slightly to the hoist side of center; the red disk represents the rising sun and the sacrifice to achieve independence; the green field symbolizes the lush vegetation of Bangladesh 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
GDP - purchasing power parity - $32 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 19.9%


industry: 19.8%


services: 60.3% (2004 est.)
agriculture: 54%


industry: 9%


services: 37% (1999 est.)
GDP - per capita - purchasing power parity - $590 (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 6.4% (2005 est.) -4% (2001 est.)
Geographic coordinates 24 00 N, 90 00 E 0 00 N, 25 00 E
Geography - note most of the country is situated on deltas of large rivers flowing from the Himalayas: the Ganges unites with the Jamuna (main channel of the Brahmaputra) and later joins the Meghna to eventually empty into the Bay of Bengal 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
Heliports - 1 (2002)
Highways - total: 157,000 km (including 30 km of expressways)(1996)


paved: NA km


unpaved: NA km
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 3.9%


highest 10%: 28.6% (1995-96 est.)
lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
Illicit drugs transit country for illegal drugs produced in neighboring countries 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
Imports NA bbl/day $1.024 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.)
Imports - commodities machinery and equipment, chemicals, iron and steel, textiles, foodstuffs, petroleum products, cement (2000) foodstuffs, mining and other machinery, transport equipment, fuels
Imports - partners India 14.1%, China 13.5%, Kuwait 8.5%, Singapore 6.2%, Japan 4.1%, Hong Kong 4.1% (2005) South Africa 28%, Benelux 14%, Nigeria 9%, Kenya 7%, China (1999)
Independence 16 December 1971 (from West Pakistan); note - 26 March 1971 is the date of independence from West Pakistan, 16 December 1971 is known as Victory Day and commemorates the official creation of the state of Bangladesh 30 June 1960 (from Belgium)
Industrial production growth rate 6.7% (2005 est.) NA%
Industries cotton textiles, jute, garments, tea processing, paper newsprint, cement, chemical fertilizer, light engineering, sugar mining (diamonds, copper, zinc), mineral processing, consumer products (including textiles, footwear, cigarettes, processed foods and beverages), cement
Infant mortality rate total: 60.83 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 61.87 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 59.74 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
98.05 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 7% (2005 est.) 358% (2001 est.)
International organization participation ARF, AsDB, BIMSTEC, C, CP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OPCW, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, CEEAC, CEPGL, ECA, FAO, G-19, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW (signatory), PCA, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) - 1 (2001)
Irrigated land 47,250 sq km (2003) 110 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch Supreme Court (the chief justices and other judges are appointed by the president) Supreme Court or Cour Supreme
Labor force 66.6 million


note: extensive export of labor to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Oman, Qatar, and Malaysia; workers' remittances estimated at $1.71 billion in 1998-99 (2005 est.)
14.51 million (1993 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 63%


industry: 11%


services: 26% (FY95/96)
agriculture 65%, industry 16%, services 19% (1991 est.)
Land boundaries total: 4,246 km


border countries: Burma 193 km, India 4,053 km
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
Land use arable land: 55.39%


permanent crops: 3.08%


other: 41.53% (2005)
arable land: 2.96%


permanent crops: 0.52%


other: 96.52% (1998 est.)
Languages Bangla (official, also known as Bengali), English French (official), Lingala (a lingua franca trade language), Kingwana (a dialect of Kiswahili or Swahili), Kikongo, Tshiluba
Legal system based on English common law based on Belgian civil law system and tribal law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch unicameral National Parliament or Jatiya Sangsad; 300 seats elected by popular vote from single territorial constituencies (the constitutional amendment reserving 30 seats for women over and above the 300 regular parliament seats expired in May 2001); members serve five-year terms


elections: last held 1 October 2001 (next to be held no later than January 2007)


election results: percent of vote by party - BNP and alliance partners 41%, AL 40%; seats by party - BNP 193, AL 58, JI 17, JP (Ershad faction) 14, IOJ 2, JP (Manzur) 4, other 12; note - the election of October 2001 brought a majority BNP government aligned with three other smaller parties - JI, IOJ, and Jatiya Party (Manzur)
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
Life expectancy at birth total population: 62.46 years


male: 62.47 years


female: 62.45 years (2006 est.)
total population: 49.13 years


male: 47.19 years


female: 51.13 years (2002 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 43.1%


male: 53.9%


female: 31.8% (2003 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write French, Lingala, Kingwana, or Tshiluba


total population: 77.3%


male: 86.6%


female: 67.7% (1995 est.)
Location Southern Asia, bordering the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and India Central Africa, northeast of Angola
Map references Asia Africa
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 18 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm


continental shelf: up to the outer limits of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: boundaries with neighbors


territorial sea: 12 NM
Merchant marine total: 42 ships (1000 GRT or over) 341,733 GRT/485,840 DWT


by type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 29, container 6, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 3


foreign-owned: 1 (China 1)


registered in other countries: 10 (Antigua and Barbuda 4, Comoros 1, Malta 3, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, Singapore 1) (2006)
none (2002 est.)
Military branches Bangladesh Defense Force: Bangladesh Army, Bangladesh Navy, Bangladesh Air Force (Bangladesh Biman Bahini, BAF) (2006) Army, Navy, Air Force, Special Security Battalion
Military expenditures - dollar figure $1.01 billion (2005 est.) $250 million (FY97)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 1.8% (2005 est.) 4.6% (FY97)
Military manpower - availability - males age 15-49: 11,996,175 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service - males age 15-49: 6,110,595 (2002 est.)
National holiday Independence Day, 26 March (1971); note - 26 March 1971 is the date of independence from West Pakistan, 16 December 1971 is Victory Day and commemorates the official creation of the state of Bangladesh Independence Day, 30 June (1960)
Nationality noun: Bangladeshi(s)


adjective: Bangladeshi
noun: Congolese (singular and plural)


adjective: Congolese or Congo
Natural hazards droughts, cyclones; much of the country routinely inundated during the summer monsoon season periodic droughts in south; Congo River floods (seasonal); in the east, in the Great Rift Valley, there are active volcanoes
Natural resources natural gas, arable land, timber, coal cobalt, copper, cadmium, petroleum, industrial and gem diamonds, gold, silver, zinc, manganese, tin, germanium, uranium, radium, bauxite, iron ore, coal, hydropower, timber
Net migration rate -0.68 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) -2.75 migrant(s)/1,000 population


note: one million refugees fled into Zaire (now called the Democratic Republic of the Congo or DROC) in 1994 as a result of the ethnic fighting in Rwanda; fighting in the DROC between rebels and government forces in October 1996 caused 875,000 refugees to return to Rwanda in late 1996 and early 1997 and additional refugees have returned in subsequent years; 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 displaced in DROC and caused 300,000 Congolese refugees to flee to surrounding countries (2002 est.)
Pipelines gas 2,604 km (2006) petroleum products 390 km
Political parties and leaders Awami League or AL [Sheikh HASINA]; Bangladesh Communist Party or BCP [Saifuddin Ahmed MANIK]; Bangladesh Nationalist Party or BNP [Khaleda ZIA]; Islami Oikya Jote or IOJ [Mufti Fazlul Haq AMINI]; Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh or JIB [Motiur Rahman NIZAMI]; Jatiya Party or JP (Ershad faction) [Hussain Mohammad ERSHAD]; Jatiya Party (Manzur faction) [Naziur Rahman MANZUR]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [Badrudozza CHOWDHURY and Oli AHMED] 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)]
Political pressure groups and leaders NA NA
Population 147,365,352 (July 2006 est.) 55,225,478


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 2002 est.)
Population below poverty line 45% (2004 est.) NA%
Population growth rate 2.09% (2006 est.) 2.79% (2002 est.)
Ports and harbors - Banana, Boma, Bukavu, Bumba, Goma, Kalemie, Kindu, Kinshasa, Kisangani, Matadi, Mbandaka
Radio broadcast stations AM 15, FM 13, shortwave 2 (2006) AM 3, FM 11, shortwave 2 (2001)
Radios - 18.03 million (1997)
Railways total: 2,768 km


broad gauge: 946 km 1.676-m gauge


narrow gauge: 1,822 km 1.000-m gauge (2005)
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


note: severely reduced route-distance in use because of damage to facilities by civil strife (2000 est.)
Religions Muslim 83%, Hindu 16%, other 1% (1998) Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant 20%, Kimbanguist 10%, Muslim 10%, other syncretic sects and indigenous beliefs 10%
Sex ratio at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 1.16 male(s)/female


total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
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: 0.71 male(s)/female


total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Telephone system general assessment: totally inadequate for a modern country


domestic: modernizing; introducing digital systems; trunk systems include VHF and UHF microwave radio relay links, and some fiber-optic cable in cities


international: country code - 880; satellite earth stations - 6; international radiotelephone communications and landline service to neighboring countries (2005)
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: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use 1.07 million (2005) 20,000 (2000)
Telephones - mobile cellular 9 million (2005) 15,000 (2000)
Television broadcast stations 15 (1999) 4 (2001)
Terrain mostly flat alluvial plain; hilly in southeast vast central basin is a low-lying plateau; mountains in east
Total fertility rate 3.11 children born/woman (2006 est.) 6.77 children born/woman (2002 est.)
Unemployment rate 2.5% (includes underemployment) (2005 est.) NA%
Waterways 8,372 km


note: includes 5,635 km main cargo routes; network reduced to 5,200 km in dry season (2005)
15,000 km (including the Congo and its tributaries, and unconnected lakes)
Sitemap: Compare countries listing (map site) | Country listing (map site)
Links: Add to favorites | Information about this website | Stats | Polityka prywatnosci
This page was generated in ##czas## s. Size this page: ##rozmiar_strony## kB.