Compare Congo, Democratic Republic of the (2005) - Cayman Islands (2005)

Compare Congo, Democratic Republic of the (2005) z Cayman Islands (2005)

	Congo, Democratic Republic of the (2005)	Cayman Islands (2005)

Administrative divisions	10 provinces (provinces, singular - province) and 1 city (ville); Bandundu, Bas-Congo, Equateur, Kasai-Occidental, Kasai-Oriental, Katanga, Kinshasa, Maniema, Nord-Kivu, Orientale, Sud-Kivu	8 districts; Creek, Eastern, Midland, South Town, Spot Bay, Stake Bay, West End, Western
Age structure	0-14 years: 48.1% (male 14,513,779/female 14,396,952) 15-64 years: 49.4% (male 14,579,101/female 15,121,297) 65 years and over: 2.5% (male 597,776/female 876,099) (2005 est.)	0-14 years: 21.1% (male 4,658/female 4,662) 15-64 years: 70.8% (male 15,284/female 16,050) 65 years and over: 8.2% (male 1,699/female 1,917) (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products	coffee, sugar, palm oil, rubber, tea, quinine, cassava (tapioca), palm oil, bananas, root crops, corn, fruits; wood products	vegetables, fruit; livestock, turtle farming
Airports	230 (2004 est.)	3 (2004 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 (2004 est.)	total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 206 1,524 to 2,437 m: 17 914 to 1,523 m: 92 under 914 m: 97 (2004 est.)	total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Area	total: 2,345,410 sq km land: 2,267,600 sq km water: 77,810 sq km	total: 262 sq km land: 262 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly less than one-fourth the size of the US	1.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Background	Established as a Belgian colony in 1908, the Republic of the Congo gained its independence in 1960, but its early years were marred by political and social instability. Col. Joseph MOBUTU seized power and declared himself president in a November 1965 coup. He subsequently changed his name - to MOBUTU Sese Seko - as well as that of the country - to Zaire. MOBUTU retained his position for 32 years through several subsequent sham elections as well as through the use of brutal force. Ethnic strife and civil war, touched off by a massive inflow of refugees in 1994 from fighting in Rwanda and Burundi, led in May 1997 to the toppling of the MOBUTU regime by a rebellion led by Laurent KABILA. He renamed the country the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DROC), but in August 1998 his regime was itself challenged by an insurrection backed by Rwanda and Uganda. Troops from Zimbabwe, Angola, Namibia, Chad, and Sudan intervened to support the Kinshasa regime. A cease-fire was signed in July 1999 by the DROC, Zimbabwe, Angola, Uganda, Namibia, Rwanda, and Congolese armed rebel groups, but sporadic fighting continued. Laurent KABILA was assassinated in January 2001 and his son Joseph KABILA was named head of state. In October 2002, the new president was successful in negotiating the withdrawal of Rwandan forces occupying eastern Congo; two months later, the Pretoria Accord was signed by all remaining warring parties to end the fighting and establish 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 representing the former government, former rebel groups, and the political opposition.	The Cayman Islands were colonized from Jamaica by the British during the 18th and 19th centuries. Administered by Jamaica since 1863, they remained a British dependency after 1962 when the former became independent.
Birth rate	44.38 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)	12.92 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget	revenues: $269 million expenditures: $244 million, including capital expenditures of $24 million (1996 est.)	revenues: $265.2 million expenditures: $248.9 million, including capital expenditures of NA (1997)
Capital	Kinshasa	George Town
Climate	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	tropical marine; warm, rainy summers (May to October) and cool, relatively dry winters (November to April)
Coastline	37 km	160 km
Constitution	new constitution adopted 17 July 2003	1959; revised 1972 and 1992
Country name	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	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Cayman Islands
Death rate	14.43 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)	4.81 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external	$11.6 billion (2000 est.)	$70 million (1996)
Dependency status	-	overseas territory of the UK
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	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Diplomatic representation in the US	chief of mission: Ambassador Faida MITIFU chancery: 1800 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009: note - Consular Office at 1726 M Street, NW, Wasington, DC, 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 234-7690, 7691 FAX: [1] (202) 234-2609	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Disputes - international	heads of the Great Lakes states and UN pledge to end conflict but unchecked tribal, rebel, and militia fighting continues unabated in the northeastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, drawing in the neighboring states of Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda; the UN Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) has maintained over 14,000 peacekeepers in the region since 1999; thousands of Ituri refugees from the Congo continue to flee the fighting primarily into Uganda; 90,000 Angolan refugees were repatriated by 2004 with the remainder in the Democratic Republic of the Congo expected to return in 2005; in 2005, DROC and Rwanda established a border verification mechanism to address accusations of Rwandan military supporting Congolese rebels and the DROC providing rebel Rwandan "Interhamwe" forces the means and bases to attack Rwandan forces; 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	none
Economic aid - recipient	$195.3 million (1995)	NA
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, dramatically reduced national output and government revenue, increased external debt, and resulted in the deaths of perhaps 3.5 million people from war, famine, and disease. Foreign businesses curtailed operations due to uncertainty about the outcome of the conflict, lack of infrastructure, and the difficult operating environment. 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 2003-04, although an uncertain legal framework, corruption, and a lack of openness in government policy continues to hamper growth. In 2005, renewed activity in the mining sector, the source of most exports, could boost Kinshasa's fiscal position and GDP growth.	With no direct taxation, the islands are a thriving offshore financial center. More than 40,000 companies were registered in the Cayman Islands as of 1998, including almost 600 banks and trust companies; banking assets exceed $500 billion. A stock exchange was opened in 1997. Tourism is also a mainstay, accounting for about 70% of GDP and 75% of foreign currency earnings. The tourist industry is aimed at the luxury market and caters mainly to visitors from North America. Total tourist arrivals exceeded 1.2 million in 1997, with 600,000 from the US. About 90% of the islands' food and consumer goods must be imported. The Caymanians enjoy one of the highest outputs per capita and one of the highest standards of living in the world.
Electricity - consumption	4.168 billion kWh (2002)	382.1 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports	1.5 billion kWh (2002)	0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports	8 million kWh (2002)	0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - production	6.086 billion kWh (2002)	410.8 million kWh (2002)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Pic Marguerite on Mont Ngaliema (Mount Stanley) 5,110 m	lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: The Bluff 43 m
Environment - current issues	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	no natural fresh water resources; drinking water supplies must be met by rainwater catchments
Environment - international agreements	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	-
Ethnic groups	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	mixed 40%, white 20%, black 20%, expatriates of various ethnic groups 20%
Exchange rates	Congolese francs per US dollar - 401.04 (2004), 405.34 (2003), 346.49 (2002), 206.62 (2001), 21.82 (2000)	Caymanian dollars per US dollar - 0.82 (29 October 2001), 0.83 (3 November 1995), 0.85 (22 November 1993)
Executive branch	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 election results: MOBUTU Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu wa Za Banga reelected president in 1984 without opposition 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	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); Governor Bruce DINWIDDY (since 29 May 2002) head of government: Leader of Government Business Kurt TIBBETTS (since 18 May 2005) cabinet: Executive Council (three members appointed by the governor, four members elected by the Legislative Assembly) elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the governor is appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or coalition is appointed by the governor Leader of Government Business
Exports	NA	NA
Exports - commodities	diamonds, copper, crude oil, coffee, cobalt	turtle products, manufactured consumer goods
Exports - partners	Belgium 47.8%, Finland 21%, US 10.9%, China 7.6% (2004)	mostly US
Fiscal year	calendar year	1 April - 31 March
Flag description	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	blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Caymanian coat of arms centered on the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms includes a pineapple and turtle above a shield with three stars (representing the three islands) and a scroll at the bottom bearing the motto HE HATH FOUNDED IT UPON THE SEAS
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 55% industry: 11% services: 34% (2000 est.)	agriculture: 1.4% industry: 3.2% services: 95.4% (1994 est.)
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $700 (2004 est.)	purchasing power parity - $32,300 (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	7.5% (2004 est.)	1.7% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates	0 00 N, 25 00 E	19 30 N, 80 30 W
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	important location between Cuba and Central America
Highways	total: 157,000 km (including 30 km of expressways) paved: NA km unpaved: NA km (1999 est.)	total: 785 km paved: 785 km (2000)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA	lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA
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	offshore financial center; vulnerable to drug transshipment to the US and Europe
Imports	NA	NA
Imports - commodities	foodstuffs, mining and other machinery, transport equipment, fuels	foodstuffs, manufactured goods
Imports - partners	South Africa 18.5%, Belgium 15.5%, France 10.8%, Kenya 6.3%, US 6%, Germany 5.8% (2004)	US, Trinidad and Tobago, UK, Netherlands Antilles, Japan
Independence	30 June 1960 (from Belgium)	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Industrial production growth rate	NA	NA%
Industries	mining (diamonds, copper, zinc), mineral processing, consumer products (including textiles, footwear, cigarettes, processed foods and beverages), cement, commercial ship repair	tourism, banking, insurance and finance, construction, construction materials, furniture
Infant mortality rate	total: 92.87 deaths/1,000 live births male: 101.25 deaths/1,000 live births female: 84.23 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)	total: 8.19 deaths/1,000 live births male: 9.39 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	14% (2003 est.)	2.8% (2002)
International organization participation	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	Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, UNESCO (associate), UPU
Irrigated land	110 sq km (1998 est.)	NA sq km
Judicial branch	Supreme Court or Cour Supreme	Summary Court; Grand Court; Cayman Islands Court of Appeal
Labor force	14.51 million (1993 est.)	19,820 (1995)
Labor force - by occupation	NA	agriculture 1.4%, industry 12.6%, services 86% (1995)
Land boundaries	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	0 km
Land use	arable land: 2.96% permanent crops: 0.52% other: 96.52% (2001)	arable land: 3.85% permanent crops: 0% other: 96.15% (2001)
Languages	French (official), Lingala (a lingua franca trade language), Kingwana (a dialect of Kiswahili or Swahili), Kikongo, Tshiluba	English
Legal system	based on Belgian civil law system and tribal law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction	British common law and local statutes
Legislative branch	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	unicameral Legislative Assembly (18 seats, three appointed members from the Executive Council and 15 elected by popular vote; members serve four-year terms) elections: last held 11 May 2005 (next to be held 2009) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - PPM 9, UDP 5, independent 1
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 51.1 years male: 49.68 years female: 52.56 years (2005 est.)	total population: 79.95 years male: 77.33 years female: 82.6 years (2005 est.)
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.)	definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 98% male: 98% female: 98% (1970 est.)
Location	Central Africa, northeast of Angola	Caribbean, island group in Caribbean Sea, nearly one-half of the way from Cuba to Honduras
Map references	Africa	Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: boundaries with neighbors	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine	registered in other countries: 1	total: 129 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 2,827,837 GRT/4,555,974 DWT by type: bulk carrier 29, cargo 12, chemical tanker 39, liquefied gas 1, petroleum tanker 17, refrigerated cargo 28, roll on/roll off 3 foreign-owned: 126 (Denmark 1, Germany 14, Greece 20, Italy 12, Norway 1, Philippines 1, Sweden 13, Switzerland 11, United Kingdom 9, United States 44) (2005)
Military - note	-	defense is the responsibility of the UK
Military branches	Army, Navy, Air Force	no regular military forces; Royal Cayman Islands Police Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure	$93.5 million (2004)	-
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	1.5% (2004)	-
National holiday	Independence Day, 30 June (1960)	Constitution Day, first Monday in July
Nationality	noun: Congolese (singular and plural) adjective: Congolese or Congo	noun: Caymanian(s) adjective: Caymanian
Natural hazards	periodic droughts in south; Congo River floods (seasonal); in the east, in the Great Rift Valley, there are active volcanoes	hurricanes (July to November)
Natural resources	cobalt, copper, niobium, tantalum, petroleum, industrial and gem diamonds, gold, silver, zinc, manganese, tin, uranium, coal, hydropower, timber	fish, climate and beaches that foster tourism
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 (2005 est.)	18.25 migrant(s)/1,000 population note: major destination for Cubans trying to migrate to the US (2005 est.)
Pipelines	gas 54 km; oil 71 km (2004)	-
Political parties and leaders	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])	no national teams (loose groupings of political organizations) were formed for the 2000 elections; United Democratic Party or UDP [leader McKeeva BUSH]; People's Progressive Movement or PPM [leader Kurt TIBBETTS]
Political pressure groups and leaders	NA	NA
Population	60,085,804 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 2005 est.)	44,270 (July 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA	NA (2002 est.)
Population growth rate	2.98% (2005 est.)	2.64% (2005 est.)
Ports and harbors	Banana, Boma, Bukavu, Bumba, Goma, Kalemie, Kindu, Kinshasa, Kisangani, Matadi, Mbandaka	Cayman Brac, George Town
Radio broadcast stations	AM 3, FM 11, shortwave 2 (2001)	AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (2004)
Railways	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 (2004)	-
Religions	Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant 20%, Kimbanguist 10%, Muslim 10%, other syncretic sects and indigenous beliefs 10%	United Church (Presbyterian and Congregational), Anglican, Baptist, Church of God, other Protestant, Roman Catholic
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.01 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2005 est.)	at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal and compulsory	18 years of age; universal
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)	general assessment: reasonably good system domestic: liberalization of telecom market in 2003 reflected in falling prices and improving services international: country code - 1-345; 2 submarine fiber optic cables (Maya-1, Cayman-Jamaica); satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use	10,000 (2002)	38,000 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular	1 million (2003)	17,000 (2002)
Television broadcast stations	4 (2001)	4 with cable system (2004)
Terrain	vast central basin is a low-lying plateau; mountains in east	low-lying limestone base surrounded by coral reefs
Total fertility rate	6.54 children born/woman (2005 est.)	1.9 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate	NA (2003 est.)	4.1% (1997)
Waterways	15,000 km (navigation on the Congo curtailed by fighting) (2004)	-

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