Compare Congo, Republic of the (2006) - Trinidad and Tobago (2007)

Compare Congo, Republic of the (2006) z Trinidad and Tobago (2007)

	Congo, Republic of the (2006)	Trinidad and Tobago (2007)

Administrative divisions	10 regions (regions, singular - region) and 1 commune; Bouenza, Brazzaville, Cuvette, Cuvette-Ouest, Kouilou, Lekoumou, Likouala, Niari, Plateaux, Pool, Sangha	9 regional corporations, 2 city corporations, 3 borough corporations, 1 ward regional corporations: Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo, Diego Martin, Mayaro/Rio Claro, Penal/Debe, Princes Town, Sangre Grande, San Juan/Laventille, Siparia, Tunapuna/Piarco city corporations: Port-of-Spain, San Fernando borough corporations: Arima, Chaguanas, Point Fortin ward: Tobago
Age structure	0-14 years: 46.4% (male 864,407/female 853,728) 15-64 years: 50.7% (male 930,390/female 945,545) 65 years and over: 2.9% (male 44,430/female 63,814) (2006 est.)	0-14 years: 19.5% (male 105,994/female 100,156) 15-64 years: 71.6% (male 397,699/female 358,755) 65 years and over: 8.9% (male 42,039/female 51,965) (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products	cassava (tapioca), sugar, rice, corn, peanuts, vegetables, coffee, cocoa; forest products	cocoa, rice, citrus, coffee, vegetables; poultry
Airports	32 (2006)	6 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 4 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2006)	total: 3 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 28 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 11 (2006)	total: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2007)
Area	total: 342,000 sq km land: 341,500 sq km water: 500 sq km	total: 5,128 sq km land: 5,128 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly smaller than Montana	slightly smaller than Delaware
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 took office in 1992. A brief civil war in 1997 restored former Marxist President Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO, and ushered in a period of ethnic and political unrest. Southern-based rebel groups agreed to a final peace accord in March 2003, but the calm is tenuous and refugees continue to present a humanitarian crisis. The Republic of Congo was once one of Africa's largest petroleum producers, but with declining production it will need to hope for new offshore oil finds to sustain its oil earnings over the long term.	First colonized by the Spanish, the islands came under British control in the early 19th century. The islands' sugar industry was hurt by the emancipation of the slaves in 1834. Manpower was replaced with the importation of contract laborers from India between 1845 and 1917, which boosted sugar production as well as the cocoa industry. The discovery of oil on Trinidad in 1910 added another important export. Independence was attained in 1962. The country is one of the most prosperous in the Caribbean thanks largely to petroleum and natural gas production and processing. Tourism, mostly in Tobago, is targeted for expansion and is growing.
Birth rate	42.57 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)	13.07 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget	revenues: $1.328 billion expenditures: $1.065 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)	revenues: $6.096 billion expenditures: $4.919 billion (2006 est.)
Capital	name: Brazzaville geographic coordinates: 4 16 S, 15 17 E time difference: UTC+1 (six hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)	name: Port-of-Spain geographic coordinates: 10 39 N, 61 31 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate	tropical; rainy season (March to June); dry season (June to October); persistent high temperatures and humidity; particularly enervating climate astride the Equator	tropical; rainy season (June to December)
Coastline	169 km	362 km
Constitution	approved by referendum 20 January 2002	1 August 1976
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: Republic of Trinidad and Tobago conventional short form: Trinidad and Tobago
Death rate	12.93 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)	10.76 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external	$5 billion (2000 est.)	$2.729 billion (2006 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US	chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Mark BIEDLINGMAIER 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: Ambassador Roy L. AUSTIN embassy: 15 Queen's Park West, Port-of-Spain mailing address: P. O. Box 752, Port-of-Spain telephone: [1] (868) 622-6371 through 6376 FAX: [1] (868) 628-5462
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	chief of mission: Ambassador Marina Annette VALERE chancery: 1708 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 467-6490 FAX: [1] (202) 785-3130 consulate(s) general: Miami, New York
Disputes - international	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	in April 2006, the Permanent Court of Arbitration issued a decision that delimited a maritime boundary with Trinidad and Tobago and compelled Barbados to enter a fishing agreement that limited Barbadian fishermen's catches of flying fish in Trinidad and Tobago's exclusive economic zone; in 2005, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago agreed to compulsory international arbitration under UNCLOS challenging whether the northern limit of Trinidad and Tobago's and Venezuela's maritime boundary extends into Barbadian waters; Guyana has also expressed its intention to include itself in the arbitration as the Trinidad and Tobago-Venezuela maritime boundary may extend into its waters as well
Economic aid - recipient	$159.1 million (1995)	$2.09 million (2005 est.)
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 through oil-backed loans that have contributed to a growing debt burden and chronic revenue shortfalls. Economic reform efforts have been undertaken with the support of international organizations, notably the World Bank and the IMF. However, 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. 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. The current administration presides over an uneasy internal peace and faces difficult economic challenges of stimulating recovery and reducing poverty. Recovery of oil prices has boosted the economy's GDP and near-term prospects. The Republic of Congo may be eligible for an IMF-World Bank heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) initiative in early 2006, provided it meets the strict fiscal and monetary targets set out for it under a new three-year Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) with the IMF.	Trinidad and Tobago, the leading Caribbean producer of oil and gas, has earned a reputation as an excellent investment site for international businesses. Tourism is a growing sector, although it is not proportionately as important as in many other Caribbean islands. The economy benefits from a growing trade surplus. Economic growth in 2006 reached 12.6% as prices for oil, petrochemicals, and liquefied natural gas remained high, and foreign direct investment continued to grow to support expanded capacity in the energy sector. The government is coping with a rise in violent crime.
Electricity - consumption	619 million kWh (2003)	6.163 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2003)	0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports	300 million kWh (2003)	0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - production	343 million kWh (2003)	6.627 billion kWh (2005)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Berongou 903 m	lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: El Cerro del Aripo 940 m
Environment - current issues	air pollution from vehicle emissions; water pollution from the dumping of raw sewage; tap water is not potable; deforestation	water pollution from agricultural chemicals, industrial wastes, and raw sewage; oil pollution of beaches; deforestation; soil erosion
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	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups	Kongo 48%, Sangha 20%, M'Bochi 12%, Teke 17%, Europeans and other 3%	Indian (South Asian) 40%, African 37.5%, mixed 20.5%, other 1.2%, unspecified 0.8% (2000 census)
Exchange rates	Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001)	Trinidad and Tobago dollars per US dollar - 6.3107 (2006), 6.2842 (2005), 6.299 (2004), 6.2951 (2003), 6.2487 (2002)
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 term); election last held 10 March 2002 (next to be held in 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: President George Maxwell RICHARDS (since 17 March 2003) head of government: Prime Minister Patrick MANNING (since 24 December 2001) cabinet: Cabinet appointed from among the members of Parliament elections: president elected by an electoral college, which consists of the members of the Senate and House of Representatives, for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 14 February 2003 (next to be held by January 2008); the president usually appoints as prime minister the leader of the majority party in the House of Representatives election results: George Maxwell RICHARDS elected president; percent of electoral college vote - 43%
Exports	NA bbl/day	NA bbl/day
Exports - commodities	petroleum, lumber, plywood, sugar, cocoa, coffee, diamonds	petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, steel products, fertilizer, sugar, cocoa, coffee, citrus, flowers
Exports - partners	China 38.9%, US 29%, Taiwan 11.8%, South Korea 7.2% (2005)	US 59.8%, Spain 5.3%, Jamaica 5.2% (2006)
Fiscal year	calendar year	1 October - 30 September
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	red with a white-edged black diagonal band from the upper hoist side to the lower fly side
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 6.2% industry: 57% services: 36.9% (2005 est.)	agriculture: 0.7% industry: 59.8% services: 39.4% (2006 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	8.2% (2005 est.)	11.7% (2006 est.)
Geographic coordinates	1 00 S, 15 00 E	11 00 N, 61 00 W
Geography - note	about 70% of the population lives in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, or along the railroad between them	Pitch Lake, on Trinidad's southwestern coast, is the world's largest natural reservoir of asphalt
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 destined for the US and Europe; producer of cannabis
Imports	NA bbl/day	NA bbl/day
Imports - commodities	capital equipment, construction materials, foodstuffs	machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods, food, live animals
Imports - partners	France 25.6%, China 11.3%, US 8.1%, India 8%, Italy 7.5%, Belgium 5.1%, Netherlands 4.2% (2005)	US 30.6%, Brazil 12%, Venezuela 6.8%, Gabon 4.8%, Colombia 4.6% (2006)
Independence	15 August 1960 (from France)	31 August 1962 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate	0% (2002 est.)	17% (2006 est.)
Industries	petroleum extraction, cement, lumber, brewing, sugar, palm oil, soap, flour, cigarettes	petroleum, chemicals, tourism, food processing, cement, beverage, cotton textiles
Infant mortality rate	total: 85.29 deaths/1,000 live births male: 91 deaths/1,000 live births female: 79.41 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)	total: 24.33 deaths/1,000 live births male: 26.15 deaths/1,000 live births female: 22.43 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	2.2% (2005 est.)	8.3% (2006 est.)
International organization participation	ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW (signatory), UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO	ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-24, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Irrigated land	20 sq km (2003)	40 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch	Supreme Court or Cour Supreme	Supreme Court of Judicature (comprised of the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeals; the chief justice is appointed by the president after consultation with the prime minister and the leader of the opposition; other justices are appointed by the president on the advice of the Judicial and Legal Service Commission); High Court of Justice; Caribbean Court of Appeals member; Court of Appeals; the highest court of appeal is the Privy Council in London
Labor force	NA	625,000 (2006 est.)
Labor force - by occupation	-	agriculture 9.5%, manufacturing, mining, and quarrying 14%, construction and utilities 12.4%, services 64.1% (1997 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	0 km
Land use	arable land: 1.45% permanent crops: 0.15% other: 98.4% (2005)	arable land: 14.62% permanent crops: 9.16% other: 76.22% (2005)
Languages	French (official), Lingala and Monokutuba (lingua franca trade languages), many local languages and dialects (of which Kikongo is the most widespread)	English (official), Caribbean Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), French, Spanish, Chinese
Legal system	based on French civil law system and customary law	based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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 July 2007); National Assembly - last held 27 May and 26 June 2002 (next to be held by 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	bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (31 seats; 16 members appointed by the ruling party, nine by the President, six by the opposition party to serve a maximum term of five years) and the House of Representatives (41 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: House of Representatives - last held on 5 November 2007 (next to be held in 2012) election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote - PNM 46%, UNC 29.7%; seats by party - PNM 26, UNC 15 note: Tobago has a unicameral House of Assembly with 12 members serving four-year terms; last election held in January 2005; seats by party - PNM 11, DAC 1
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 52.8 years male: 51.65 years female: 53.98 years (2006 est.)	total population: 66.85 years male: 65.87 years female: 67.87 years (2007 est.)
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 83.8% male: 89.6% female: 78.4% (2003 est.)	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98.6% male: 99.1% female: 98% (2003 est.)
Location	Western Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and Gabon	Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela
Map references	Africa	Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 200 nm	measured from claimed archipelagic baselines territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the outer edge of the continental margin
Merchant marine	registered in other countries: 1 (Congo, Democratic Republic of the 1) (2006)	total: 9 ships (1000 GRT or over) 27,599 GRT/8,081 DWT by type: passenger 2, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 2 foreign-owned: 1 (US 1) registered in other countries: 1 (Bahamas 1, unknown 1) (2007)
Military branches	Congolese Armed Forces (FAC): Army, Congolese Air Force (Armee de l'Air Congolaise), Navy, Gendarmerie, Republican Guard (2005)	Trinidad and Tobago Defense Force: Ground Force, Coast Guard (includes air wing) (2004)
Military expenditures - dollar figure	$85.22 million (2005 est.)	-
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	1.4% (2005 est.)	0.3% (2006)
National holiday	Independence Day, 15 August (1960)	Independence Day, 31 August (1962)
Nationality	noun: Congolese (singular and plural) adjective: Congolese or Congo	noun: Trinidadian(s), Tobagonian(s) adjective: Trinidadian, Tobagonian
Natural hazards	seasonal flooding	outside usual path of hurricanes and other tropical storms
Natural resources	petroleum, timber, potash, lead, zinc, uranium, copper, phosphates, gold, magnesium, natural gas, hydropower	petroleum, natural gas, asphalt
Net migration rate	-3.62 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)	-11.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Pipelines	gas 89 km; liquid petroleum gas 4 km; oil 744 km (2006)	condensate 253 km; gas 1,278 km; oil 571 km (2006)
Political parties and leaders	the most important of the many parties are the Democratic and Patriotic Forces or FDP [Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO, president] (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); 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; Union of Democratic Forces or UFD [Sebastian EBAO]	Congress of the People [Winston DOOKERAN]; Democratic Action Congress or DAC [Hochoy CHARLES] (only active in Tobago); Democratic National Alliance or DNA [Gerald YETMING] (coalition of NAR, DDPT, MND); Movement for National Development or MND [Garvin NICHOLAS]; National Alliance for Reconstruction or NAR [Dr. Carson CHARLES]; People's National Movement or PNM [Patrick MANNING]; United National Congress or UNC [Basdeo PANDAY]
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	Jamaat-al Muslimeen [Yasin BAKR]
Population	3,702,314 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 2006 est.)	1,056,608 (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA%	21% (1992 est.)
Population growth rate	2.6% (2006 est.)	-0.883% (2007 est.)
Radio broadcast stations	AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 3 (2001)	AM 4, FM 18, shortwave 0 (2001)
Railways	total: 894 km narrow gauge: 894 km 1.067-m gauge (2005)	-
Religions	Christian 50%, animist 48%, Muslim 2%	Roman Catholic 26%, Hindu 22.5%, Anglican 7.8%, Baptist 7.2%, Pentecostal 6.8%, Muslim 5.8%, Seventh Day Adventist 4%, other Christian 5.8%, other 10.8%, unspecified 1.4%, none 1.9% (2000 census)
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.)	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.058 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.109 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.809 male(s)/female total population: 1.068 male(s)/female (2007 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: country code - 242; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)	general assessment: excellent international service; good local service domestic: NA international: country code - 1-868; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Barbados and Guyana
Telephones - main lines in use	13,800 (2004)	325,500 (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular	490,000 (2005)	1.655 million (2006)
Television broadcast stations	1 (2002)	6 (2005)
Terrain	coastal plain, southern basin, central plateau, northern basin	mostly plains with some hills and low mountains
Total fertility rate	6.07 children born/woman (2006 est.)	1.74 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate	NA%	7% (2006 est.)
Waterways	4,385 km (on Congo and Oubanqui rivers) (2005)	-

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