Compare Congo, Republic of the (2002) - Netherlands Antilles (2003)

Compare Congo, Republic of the (2002) z Netherlands Antilles (2003)

	Congo, Republic of the (2002)	Netherlands Antilles (2003)

Administrative divisions	9 regions (regions, singular - region) and 1 commune; Bouenza, Brazzaville, Cuvette, Kouilou, Lekoumou, Likouala, Niari, Plateaux, Pool, Sangha	none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) note: each island has its own government
Age structure	0-14 years: 42.4% (male 630,985; female 622,024) 15-64 years: 54.3% (male 783,238; female 823,882) 65 years and over: 3.3% (male 39,369; female 58,950) (2002 est.)	0-14 years: 24.7% (male 27,383; female 26,122) 15-64 years: 67.1% (male 69,233; female 75,956) 65 years and over: 8.1% (male 7,244; female 10,288) (2003 est.)
Agriculture - products	cassava (tapioca), sugar, rice, corn, peanuts, vegetables, coffee, cocoa; forest products	aloes, sorghum, peanuts, vegetables, tropical fruit
Airports	33 (2001)	5 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 4 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 (2002)	total: 5 over 3,047 m: 1 2038 to 3047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 27 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 11 (2002)	-
Area	total: 342,000 sq km land: 341,500 sq km water: 500 sq km	total: 960 sq km land: 960 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten (Dutch part of the island of Saint Martin)
Area - comparative	slightly smaller than Montana	more than five times the size of Washington, DC
Background	Upon independence in 1960, the former French region of Middle Congo became the Republic of the Congo. A quarter century of experimentation with Marxism was abandoned in 1990 and a democratically elected government installed in 1992. A brief civil war in 1997 restored former Marxist President SASSOU-NGUESSO.	Once the center of the Caribbean slave trade, the island of Curacao was hard hit by the abolition of slavery in 1863. Its prosperity (and that of neighboring Aruba) was restored in the early 20th century with the construction of oil refineries to service the newly discovered Venezuelan oil fields. The island of Saint Martin is shared with France; its northern portion is named Saint-Martin and is part of Guadeloupe, and its southern portion is named Sint Maarten and is part of the Netherlands Antilles.
Birth rate	37.91 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)	15.76 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Budget	revenues: $870 million expenditures: $970 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997 est.)	revenues: $710.8 million expenditures: $741.6 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997 est.)
Capital	Brazzaville	Willemstad
Climate	tropical; rainy season (March to June); dry season (June to October); constantly high temperatures and humidity; particularly enervating climate astride the Equator	tropical; ameliorated by northeast trade winds
Coastline	169 km	364 km
Constitution	constitution approved by referendum in January 2002	29 December 1954, Statute of the Realm of the Netherlands, as amended
Country name	conventional long form: Republic of the Congo conventional short form: Congo (Brazzaville) local long form: Republique du Congo local short form: none former: Middle Congo, Congo/Brazzaville, Congo	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Netherlands Antilles local long form: none local short form: Nederlandse Antillen former: Curacao and Dependencies
Currency	Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States	Netherlands Antillean guilder (ANG)
Death rate	16.1 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)	6.4 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Debt - external	$5 billion (1999 est.)	$1.35 billion (1996)
Dependency status	-	part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; full autonomy in internal affairs granted in 1954; Dutch Government responsible for defense and foreign affairs
Diplomatic representation from the US	chief of mission: Ambassador Robin R. SANDERS embassy: NA mailing address: NA telephone: [243] (88) 43608 note: the embassy is temporarily collocated with the US Embassy in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (US Embassy Kinshasa, 310 Avenue des Aviateurs, Kinshasa)	chief of mission: Consul General Deborah A. BOLTON consulate(s) general: J. B. Gorsiraweg #1, Willemstad AN, Curacao mailing address: P. O. Box 158, Willemstad, Curacao telephone: [599] (9) 4613066 FAX: [599] (9) 4616489
Diplomatic representation in the US	chief of mission: Ambassador Serge MOMBOULI chancery: 4891 Colorado Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20011 telephone: [1] (202) 726-5500 FAX: [1] (202) 726-1860	none (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
Disputes - international	most of the Congo River boundary with the Democratic Republic of the Congo is indefinite (no agreement has been reached on the division of the river or its islands, except in the Stanley Pool/Pool Malebo area)	none
Economic aid - recipient	$159.1 million (1995) (1995)	IMF provided $61 million in 2000, and the Netherlands continued its support with $40 million
Economy - overview	The economy is a mixture of village agriculture and handicrafts, an industrial sector based largely on oil, support services, and a government characterized by budget problems and overstaffing. Oil has supplanted forestry as the mainstay of the economy, providing a major share of government revenues and exports. In the early 1980s, rapidly rising oil revenues enabled the government to finance large-scale development projects with GDP growth averaging 5% annually, one of the highest rates in Africa. The government has mortgaged a substantial portion of its oil earnings, contributing to a shortage of revenues. The 12 January 1994 devaluation of Franc Zone currencies by 50% resulted in inflation of 61% in 1994, but inflation has subsided since. Economic reform efforts continued with the support of international organizations, notably the World Bank and the IMF. The reform program came to a halt in June 1997 when civil war erupted. Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO, who returned to power when the war ended in October 1997, publicly expressed interest in moving forward on economic reforms and privatization and in renewing cooperation with international financial institutions. However, economic progress was badly hurt by slumping oil prices and the resumption of armed conflict in December 1998, which worsened the republic's budget deficit. Given a fragile peace, agreements with the IMF and the World Bank, and general international support for reconstruction and development, prospects for structural reform and 4% growth in 2002-03 appear strong.	Tourism, petroleum refining, and offshore finance are the mainstays of this small economy, which is closely tied to the outside world. Although GDP has declined or remained even in each of the past six years, the islands enjoy a high per capita income and a well-developed infrastructure compared with other countries in the region. Almost all consumer and capital goods are imported, the US and Mexico being the major suppliers. Poor soils and inadequate water supplies hamper the development of agriculture.
Electricity - consumption	406.9 million kWh (1999)	986.8 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (1999)	0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports	126 million kWh (1999)	0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - production	302 million kWh (1999)	1.061 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source	fossil fuel: 1% hydro: 99% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999)	fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Berongou 903 m	lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Scenery 862 m
Environment - current issues	air pollution from vehicle emissions; water pollution from the dumping of raw sewage; tap water is not potable; deforestation	NA
Environment - international agreements	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea	-
Ethnic groups	Kongo 48%, Sangha 20%, M'Bochi 12%, Teke 17%, Europeans and other 3% note: Europeans estimated at 8,500, mostly French, before the 1997 civil war; may be half that in 1998, following the widespread destruction of foreign businesses in 1997	mixed black 85%, Carib Amerindian, white, East Asian
Exchange rates	Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 742.79 (January 2002), 733.04 (2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.70 (1999), 589.95 (1998), 583.67 (1997); note - from 1 January 1999, the XAF is pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XAF per euro	Netherlands Antillean guilders per US dollar - 1.79 (2002), 1.79 (2001), 1.79 (2000), 1.79 (1999), 1.79 (1998)
Executive branch	chief of state: President Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO (since 25 October 1997, following the civil war in which he toppled elected president Pascal LISSOUBA); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO (since 25 October 1997, following the civil war in which he toppled elected president Pascal LISSOUBA); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (eligible for a second seven-year term); election last held 10 March 2002 (next to be held NA 2009) election results: Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO reelected president; percent of vote - Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO 89.4%, Joseph Kignoumbi Kia MBOUNGOU 2.7%	chief of state: Queen BEATRIX of the Netherlands (since 30 April 1980), represented by Governor General Frits GOEDGEDRAG (since 1 July 2002) head of government: Prime Minister Mirna LOUISA-GODETT (since 11 August 2003) cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the Staten elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch for a six-year term; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party is usually elected prime minister by the Staten; election last held 18 January 2002 (next to be held by NA 2006) note: government coalition - PDB, DP-St. M, FOL, PLKP, PNP
Exports	$2.6 billion f.o.b. (2001)	NA (2001)
Exports - commodities	petroleum 90%, lumber, plywood, sugar, cocoa, coffee, diamonds	petroleum products
Exports - partners	US 20.9%, South Korea 15.5%, China 6.7%, Germany 3.2% (2000)	US 20.9%, Guatemala 12%, Venezuela 10.5%, Guyana 6.6%, Singapore 4.4%, Cuba 4% (2002)
Fiscal year	calendar year	calendar year
Flag description	divided diagonally from the lower hoist side by a yellow band; the upper triangle (hoist side) is green and the lower triangle is red; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia	white, with a horizontal blue stripe in the center superimposed on a vertical red band, also centered; five white, five-pointed stars are arranged in an oval pattern in the center of the blue band; the five stars represent the five main islands of Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten
GDP	purchasing power parity - $2.5 billion (2001 est.)	purchasing power parity - $2.4 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 10% industry: 48% services: 42% (2001 est.)	agriculture: 1% industry: 15% services: 84% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $900 (2001 est.)	purchasing power parity - $11,400 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	4.2% (2001 est.)	0% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates	1 00 S, 15 00 E	12 15 N, 68 45 W
Geography - note	about 70% of the population lives in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, or along the railroad between them	the five islands of the Netherlands Antilles are divided geographically into the Leeward Islands (northern) group (Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten) and the Windward Islands (southern) group (Bonaire and Curacao)
Highways	total: 12,800 km paved: 1,242 km unpaved: 11,558 km (1996)	total: 600 km paved: 300 km unpaved: 300 km
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Illicit drugs	-	transshipment point for South American drugs bound for the US and Europe; money-laundering center
Imports	$725 million f.o.b. (2001)	NA (2001)
Imports - commodities	petroleum products, capital equipment, construction materials, foodstuffs	crude petroleum, food, manufactures
Imports - partners	France 20.5%, US 9.8%, Italy 7.5%, Belgium 3.8% (2000)	Venezuela 60.8%, Mexico 11.7%, US 9.7% (2002)
Independence	15 August 1960 (from France)	none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
Industrial production growth rate	NA%	NA%
Industries	petroleum extraction, cement, lumber, brewing, sugar, palm oil, soap, flour, cigarettes	tourism (Curacao, Sint Maarten, and Bonaire), petroleum refining (Curacao), petroleum transshipment facilities (Curacao and Bonaire), light manufacturing (Curacao)
Infant mortality rate	97.91 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)	total: 10.71 deaths/1,000 live births male: 11.54 deaths/1,000 live births female: 9.84 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	3% (2001 est.)	0.4% (2002 est.)
International organization participation	ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC, CCC, CEEAC, CEMAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO	Caricom (observer), ECLAC (associate), Interpol, IOC, UNESCO (associate), WCL, WCO, WMO, WToO (associate)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)	1 (2000)	6
Irrigated land	10 sq km (1998 est.)	NA sq km
Judicial branch	Supreme Court or Cour Supreme	Joint High Court of Justice (judges appointed by the monarch)
Labor force	NA	89,000
Labor force - by occupation	-	agriculture 1%, industry 13%, services 86% (2000 est.)
Land boundaries	total: 5,504 km border countries: Angola 201 km, Cameroon 523 km, Central African Republic 467 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 2,410 km, Gabon 1,903 km	total: 10.2 km border countries: Guadeloupe (Saint Martin) 10.2 km
Land use	arable land: 0.5% permanent crops: 0.13% other: 99.37% (1998 est.)	arable land: 10% permanent crops: 0% other: 90% (1998 est.)
Languages	French (official), Lingala and Monokutuba (lingua franca trade languages), many local languages and dialects (of which Kikongo has the most users)	Dutch (official), Papiamento (a Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect) predominates, English widely spoken, Spanish
Legal system	based on French civil law system and customary law	based on Dutch civil law system, with some English common law influence
Legislative branch	bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (66 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and the National Assembly (137 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 11 July 2002 (next to be held NA July 2007); National Assembly - last held 27 May and 26 June 2002 (next to be held by NA May 2007) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - FDP 56, other 10; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - FDP 83, UDR 6, UPADS 3, other 45	unicameral States or Staten (22 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 18 January 2002 (next to be held NA 2006) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - FOL 5, PAR 4, PNP 3, PLKP 2, DP-St.M 2, UPB 2, DP 1, MAN 1, PDB 1, WIPM 1 note: the government of Prime Minister Mirna LOUISA-GODETT is a coalition of several parties; current seats by party - PAR 4, PNP 3, FOL 2, MAN 2, UPB 2, DP-St. M 2, PDB 1, SEA 1, WIPM 1, other 4
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 47.71 years male: 44.27 years female: 51.24 years (2002 est.)	total population: 75.38 years male: 73.16 years female: 77.7 years (2003 est.)
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 74.9% male: 83.1% female: 67.2% (1995 est.)	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 96.7% male: 96.7% female: 96.8% (2003 est.)
Location	Western Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and Gabon	Caribbean, two island groups in the Caribbean Sea - one includes Curacao and Bonaire north of Venezuela; the other is east of the Virgin Islands
Map references	Africa	Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 200 NM	exclusive fishing zone: 12 NM territorial sea: 12 NM
Merchant marine	-	total: 147 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,122,189 GRT/1,398,649 DWT ships by type: bulk 2, cargo 56, chemical tanker 1, combination bulk 1, combination ore/oil 3, container 27, liquefied gas 5, multi-functional large-load carrier 15, passenger 1, refrigerated cargo 27, roll on/roll off 8, specialized tanker 1 note: includes foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Belgium 3, Denmark 2, Germany 43, Monaco 8, Netherlands 52, New Zealand 1, Norway 3, Peru 1, Spain 1, Sweden 3, UK 5 (2002 est.)
Military - note	-	defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Military branches	Army, Air Force, Navy, Gendarmerie, National Police	no regular indigenous military forces; Royal Netherlands Navy, Marine Corps, Royal Netherlands Air Force, National Guard, Police Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure	$84 million (FY01)	-
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	2.8% (FY01)	-
Military manpower - availability	males age 15-49: 702,048 (2002 est.)	males age 15-49: 55,155 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service	males age 15-49: 356,388 (2002 est.)	males age 15-49: 30,840 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - military age	20 years of age (2002 est.)	20 years of age (2003 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually	males: 32,350 (2002 est.)	males: 1,643 (2003 est.)
National holiday	Independence Day, 15 August (1960)	Queen's Day (Birthday of Queen-Mother JULIANA in 1909 and accession to the throne of her oldest daughter BEATRIX in 1980), 30 April
Nationality	noun: Congolese (singular and plural) adjective: Congolese or Congo	noun: Dutch Antillean(s) adjective: Dutch Antillean
Natural hazards	seasonal flooding	Curacao and Bonaire are south of Caribbean hurricane belt and are rarely threatened; Sint Maarten, Saba, and Sint Eustatius are subject to hurricanes from July to October
Natural resources	petroleum, timber, potash, lead, zinc, uranium, copper, phosphates, natural gas, hydropower	phosphates (Curacao only), salt (Bonaire only)
Net migration rate	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)	-0.41 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Pipelines	crude oil 25 km	-
Political parties and leaders	the most important of the many parties are the Democratic and Patriotic Forces or FDP (an alliance of Convention for Alternative Democracy, Congolese Labor Party or PCT, Liberal Republican Party, National Union for Democracy and Progress, Patriotic Union for the National Reconstruction, and Union for the National Renewal) [Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO, president]; Congolese Movement for Democracy and Integral Development or MCDDI [Michel MAMPOUYA]; Pan-African Union for Social Development or UPADS [Martin MBERI]; Rally for Democracy and Social Progress or RDPS [Jean-Pierre Thystere TCHICAYA, president]; Rally for Democracy and the Republic or RDR [Raymond Damasge NGOLLO]; Union for Democracy and Republic or UDR [leader NA]; Union of Democratic Forces or UFD [Sebastian EBAO]	Antillean Restructuring Party or PAR [Miguel POURIER]; C 93 [Stanley BROWN]; Democratic Party of Bonaire or PDB [Jopi ABRAHAM]; Democratic Party of Curacao or DP [Errol HERNANDEZ]; Democratic Party of Sint Eustatius or DP-St. E [Julian WOODLEY]; Democratic Party of Sint Maarten or DP-St. M [Sarah WESCOTT-WILLIAMS]; Foundation Energetic Management Anti-Narcotics or FAME [Eric LODEWIJKS]; Labor Party People's Crusade or PLKP [Errol COVA]; National People's Party or PNP [Susanne F. C. CAMELIA-ROMER]; New Antilles Movement or MAN [Kenneth GIJSBERTHA]; Patriotic Union of Bonaire or UPB [Ramon BOOI]; Patriotic Movement of Sint Maarten or SPA [Vance JAMES, Jr.]; People's Party or PAPU [Richard Hodi]; Pro Curacao Party or PPK [Winston LOURENS]; Saba Democratic Labor Movement [Steve HASSELL]; Saba Unity Party [Carmen SIMMONDS]; St. Eustatius Alliance or SEA [Kenneth VAN PUTTEN]; Serious Alternative People's Party or Sapp [Julian ROLLOCKS]; Social Action Cause or KAS [Benny DEMEI]; Windward Islands People's Movement or WIPM [Will JOHNSTON]; Workers' Liberation Front or FOL [Anthony GODETT, Rignald LAK, Editha WRIGHT] note: political parties are indigenous to each island
Political pressure groups and leaders	Congolese Trade Union Congress or CSC; General Union of Congolese Pupils and Students or UGEEC; Revolutionary Union of Congolese Women or URFC; Union of Congolese Socialist Youth or UJSC	NA
Population	2,958,448 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.)	216,226 (July 2003 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA%	NA%
Population growth rate	2.18% (2002 est.)	0.9% (2003 est.)
Ports and harbors	Brazzaville, Impfondo, Ouesso, Oyo, Pointe-Noire	Kralendijk, Philipsburg, Willemstad
Radio broadcast stations	AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 3 (2001)	AM 9, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios	341,000 (1997)	-
Railways	total: 894 km narrow gauge: 894 km 1.067-m gauge (2000 est.)	0 km
Religions	Christian 50%, animist 48%, Muslim 2%	Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Seventh-Day Adventist
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2002 est.)	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.92 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal	18 years of age; universal
Telephone system	general assessment: services barely adequate for government use; key exchanges are in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, and Loubomo; intercity lines frequently out-of-order domestic: primary network consists of microwave radio relay and coaxial cable international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)	general assessment: generally adequate facilities domestic: extensive interisland microwave radio relay links international: submarine cables - 2; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use	22,000 (1998)	76,000 (1995)
Telephones - mobile cellular	3,300 (1998)	13,977 (1996)
Television broadcast stations	1 (2002)	3 (there is also a cable service, which supplies programs received from various US satellite networks and two Venezuelan channels) (1997)
Terrain	coastal plain, southern basin, central plateau, northern basin	generally hilly, volcanic interiors
Total fertility rate	4.94 children born/woman (2002 est.)	2.04 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate	NA%	15% (1998 est.)
Waterways	1,120 km note: the Congo and Ubangi (Oubangui) rivers provide 1,120 km of commercially navigable water transport; other rivers are used for local traffic only	none

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