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Compare Congo, Republic of the (2008) - Eritrea (2002)

Compare Congo, Republic of the (2008) z Eritrea (2002)

 Congo, Republic of the (2008)Eritrea (2002)
 Congo, Republic of theEritrea
Administrative divisions 10 regions (regions, singular - region) and 1 commune*; Bouenza, Brazzaville*, Cuvette, Cuvette-Ouest, Kouilou, Lekoumou, Likouala, Niari, Plateaux, Pool, Sangha 6 regions (regions, singular - region); Central, Anelba, Southern Red Sea, Northern Red Sea, Southern, Gash-Barka
Age structure 0-14 years: 46.3% (male 885,039/female 873,753)


15-64 years: 50.8% (male 958,992/female 973,445)


65 years and over: 2.9% (male 44,994/female 64,387) (2007 est.)
0-14 years: 42.9% (male 958,564; female 955,625)


15-64 years: 53.9% (male 1,192,454; female 1,213,313)


65 years and over: 3.2% (male 73,017; female 72,678) (2002 est.)
Agriculture - products cassava (tapioca), sugar, rice, corn, peanuts, vegetables, coffee, cocoa; forest products sorghum, lentils, vegetables, corn, cotton, tobacco, coffee, sisal; livestock, goats; fish
Airports 31 (2007) 21 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways total: 5


over 3,047 m: 2


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2007)
total: 4


over 3,047 m: 2


2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 26


1,524 to 2,437 m: 7


914 to 1,523 m: 10


under 914 m: 9 (2007)
total: 14


over 3,047 m: 1


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 6


914 to 1,523 m: 4


under 914 m: 2 (2002)
Area total: 342,000 sq km


land: 341,500 sq km


water: 500 sq km
total: 121,320 sq km


land: 121,320 sq km


water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Montana slightly larger than Pennsylvania
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. Eritrea was awarded to Ethiopia in 1952 as part of a federation. Ethiopia's annexation of Eritrea as a province 10 years later sparked a 30-year struggle for independence that ended in 1991 with Eritrean rebels defeating governmental forces; independence was overwhelmingly approved in a 1993 referendum. A two and a half year border war with Ethiopia that erupted in 1998 ended under UN auspices on 12 December 2000. Eritrea currently hosts a UN peacekeeping operation that will monitor the border region until an international commission determines and demarcates the boundary between the two countries.
Birth rate 42.16 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) 42.25 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Budget revenues: $3.639 billion


expenditures: $2.104 billion (2007 est.)
revenues: $206.4 million


expenditures: $615.7 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)
Capital name: Brazzaville


geographic coordinates: 4 15 S, 15 17 E


time difference: UTC+1 (six hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Asmara (formerly Asmera)
Climate tropical; rainy season (March to June); dry season (June to October); persistent high temperatures and humidity; particularly enervating climate astride the Equator hot, dry desert strip along Red Sea coast; cooler and wetter in the central highlands (up to 61 cm of rainfall annually); semiarid in western hills and lowlands; rainfall heaviest during June-September except in coastal desert
Coastline 169 km 2,234 km total; mainland on Red Sea 1,151 km, islands in Red Sea 1,083 km
Constitution approved by referendum 20 January 2002 the transitional constitution, decreed on 19 May 1993, was replaced by a new constitution adopted on 23 May 1997, but not yet implemented
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: State of Eritrea


conventional short form: Eritrea


local long form: Hagere Ertra


local short form: Ertra


former: Eritrea Autonomous Region in Ethiopia
Currency - nakfa (ERN)
Death rate 12.59 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) 11.82 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Debt - external $5 billion (2000 est.) $281 million (2000 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Robert WEISBERG


embassy: BDEAC Building, 4th Floor, Brazzaville


mailing address: NA


telephone: [242] 81-1480


FAX:: [243] 81-5324
chief of mission: Ambassador Donald J. McCONNELL


embassy: Franklin D. Roosevelt Street, Asmara


mailing address: P. O. Box 211, Asmara


telephone: [291] (1) 120004


FAX: [291] (1) 127584
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 GIRMA Asmerom


chancery: 1708 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009


telephone: [1] (202) 319-1991


FAX: [1] (202) 319-1304


consulate(s) general: Oakland (California)
Disputes - international Congo hosts about 63,000 refugees from neighboring states, primarily from the Pool border area of 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 Eritrea and Ethiopia have expressed general approval of the April 2002 arbitration commission ruling re-delimiting the boundary, the focus of their 1998-2000 war; United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) will monitor activities within the 25-km wide temporary security zone in Eritrea until demarcation and de-mining are complete; Yemen has asserted traditional fishing rights to islands ceded to Eritrea in ICJ ruling
Economic aid - recipient $1.449 billion (2005) $77 million (1999) (1999)
Economy - overview The economy is a mixture of subsistance agriculture, an industrial sector based largely on oil, and 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. In March 2006, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) treatment for Congo. Since independence from Ethiopia on 24 May 1993, Eritrea has faced the economic problems of a small, desperately poor country. Like the economies of many African nations, the economy is largely based on subsistence agriculture, with 80% of the population involved in farming and herding. The Ethiopian-Eritrea war in 1998-2000 severely hurt Eritrea's economy. GDP growth in 1999 fell to less than 1%, and GDP decreased by 8.2% in 2000. The May 2000 Ethiopian offensive into northern Eritrea caused some $600 million in property damage and loss, including losses of $225 million in livestock and 55,000 homes. The attack prevented planting of crops in Eritrea's most productive region, causing food production to drop by 62%. Even during the war, Eritrea developed its transportation infrastructure, asphalting new roads, improving its ports, and repairing war damaged roads and bridges. Eritrea's economic future remains mixed. The cessation of Ethiopian trade, which mainly used Eritrean ports before the war, leaves Eritrea with a large economic hole to fill. Eritrea's economic future depends upon its ability to master fundamental social problems like illiteracy, unemployment, and low skills, and to convert the diaspora's money and expertise into economic growth.
Electricity - consumption 5.272 billion kWh (2005) 195.3 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports 1.8 billion kWh (2005) 0 kWh NA kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports 6 million kWh (2005) 0 kWh NA kWh (2000)
Electricity - production 7.341 billion kWh (2005) 210 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source - fossil fuel: 100%


hydro: 0%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (2000)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Mount Berongou 903 m
lowest point: near Kulul within the Denakil depression -75 m


highest point: Soira 3,018 m
Environment - current issues air pollution from vehicle emissions; water pollution from the dumping of raw sewage; tap water is not potable; deforestation deforestation; desertification; soil erosion; overgrazing; loss of infrastructure from civil warfare
Environment - international agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups Kongo 48%, Sangha 20%, M'Bochi 12%, Teke 17%, Europeans and other 3% ethnic Tigrinya 50%, Tigre and Kunama 40%, Afar 4%, Saho (Red Sea coast dwellers) 3%, other 3%
Exchange rates Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 483.6 (2007), 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003) nakfa (ERN) per US dollar - 9.5 (January 2000), 7.6 (January 1999), 7.2 (March 1998 est.)
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);


head of government: Prime Minister Isidore MVOUBA (since 7 January 2005)


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 Afworki ISAIAS (since 8 June 1993); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government and is head of the State Council and National Assembly


head of government: President Afworki ISAIAS (since 8 June 1993); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government and is head of the State Council and National Assembly


cabinet: State Council is the collective executive authority; members appointed by the president


elections: president elected by the National Assembly; election last held 8 June 1993 (next election date uncertain as the National Assembly did not hold a presidential election in December 2001 as anticipated)


election results: ISAIAS Afworki elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - ISAIAS Afworki 95%
Exports 20,750 bbl/day (2004) $34.8 million f.o.b. (2000)
Exports - commodities petroleum, lumber, plywood, sugar, cocoa, coffee, diamonds livestock, sorghum, textiles, food, small manufactures
Exports - partners US 35.9%, China 31.4%, Taiwan 9.9%, South Korea 8% (2006) Sudan 27.2%, Ethiopia 26.5%, Japan 13.2%, UAE 7.3%, Italy 5.3% (1998)
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


note: uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia
red isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) dividing the flag into two right triangles; the upper triangle is green, the lower one is blue; a gold wreath encircling a gold olive branch is centered on the hoist side of the red triangle
GDP - purchasing power parity - $3.2 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 5.6%


industry: 57.1%


services: 37.3% (2006 est.)
agriculture: 17%


industry: 29%


services: 54% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita - purchasing power parity - $740 (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 2.8% (2007 est.) 7% (2001 est.)
Geographic coordinates 1 00 S, 15 00 E 15 00 N, 39 00 E
Geography - note about 70% of the population lives in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, or along the railroad between them strategic geopolitical position along world's busiest shipping lanes; Eritrea retained the entire coastline of Ethiopia along the Red Sea upon de jure independence from Ethiopia on 24 May 1993
Highways - total: 3,850 km


paved: 810 km


unpaved: 3,040 km (2000)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
Imports 11,410 bbl/day (2004) $470.5 million c.i.f. (2000)
Imports - commodities capital equipment, construction materials, foodstuffs machinery, petroleum products, food, manufactured goods
Imports - partners France 23.5%, China 13.2%, US 7.6%, India 7%, Italy 5.6%, Belgium 5.3% (2006) Italy 17.4%, UAE 16.2%, Germany 5.7%, UK 4.5%, Korea 4.4% (1998)
Independence 15 August 1960 (from France) 24 May 1993 (from Ethiopia)
Industrial production growth rate -1% (2007 est.) NA%
Industries petroleum extraction, cement, lumber, brewing, sugar, palm oil, soap, flour, cigarettes food processing, beverages, clothing and textiles
Infant mortality rate total: 83.26 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 88.93 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 77.42 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
73.62 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 7% (2007 est.) 15% (2001 est.)
International organization participation ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS (associate), IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) - 5 (2001)
Irrigated land 20 sq km (2003) 220 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch Supreme Court or Cour Supreme High court, regional, subregional, and village courts; also have military and special courts
Labor force NA NA
Labor force - by occupation - agriculture 80%, industry and services 20%
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: 1,626 km


border countries: Djibouti 109 km, Ethiopia 912 km, Sudan 605 km
Land use arable land: 1.45%


permanent crops: 0.15%


other: 98.4% (2005)
arable land: 3.87%


permanent crops: 0.02%


other: 96.11% (1998 est.)
Languages French (official), Lingala and Monokutuba (lingua franca trade languages), many local languages and dialects (of which Kikongo is the most widespread) Afar, Amharic, Arabic, Tigre and Kunama, Tigrinya, other Cushitic languages
Legal system based on French civil law system and customary law primary basis is the Ethiopian legal code of 1957, with revisions; new civil, commercial, and penal codes have not yet been promulgated; also relies on customary and post-independence-enacted laws and, for civil cases involving Muslims, Sharia law
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 in 2008); National Assembly - last held 24 June and 5 August 2007 (next to be held in 2012)


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 - PCT 46, MCDDI 11, UPADS 11, MAR 5, MSD 5, independents 37, other 22
unicameral National Assembly (150 seats; term limits not established)


elections: in May 1997, following the adoption of the new constitution, 75 members of the PFDJ Central Committee (the old Central Committee of the EPLF), 60 members of the 527-member Constituent Assembly which had been established in 1997 to discuss and ratify the new constitution, and 15 representatives of Eritreans living abroad were formed into a Transitional National Assembly to serve as the country's legislative body until countrywide elections to a National Assembly were held; although only 75 of 150 members of the Transitional National Assembly were elected, the constitution stipulates that once past the transition stage, all members of the National Assembly will be elected by secret ballot of all eligible voters; National Assembly elections scheduled for December 2001 were postponed indefinately
Life expectancy at birth total population: 53.29 years


male: 52.1 years


female: 54.52 years (2007 est.)
total population: 56.57 years


male: 54.09 years


female: 59.13 years (2002 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 83.8%


male: 89.6%


female: 78.4% (2003 est.)
definition: NA


total population: 25%


male: NA%


female: NA%
Location Western Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and Gabon Eastern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Djibouti and Sudan
Map references Africa Africa
Maritime claims territorial sea: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 NM
Merchant marine registered in other countries: 1 (Congo, Democratic Republic of the 1) (2007) total: 6 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 19,100 GRT/23,399 DWT


ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 2, liquefied gas 1, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1 (2002 est.)
Military branches Congolese Armed Forces (Forces Armees Congolaises, FAC): Army, Navy, Congolese Air Force (Armee de l'Air Congolaise), Gendarmerie, Special Presidential Security Guard (GSSP) (2008) Army, Navy, Air Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure - $138.3 million (FY01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 3.1% (2006) 19.8% (FY01)
National holiday Independence Day, 15 August (1960) Independence Day, 24 May (1993)
Nationality noun: Congolese (singular and plural)


adjective: Congolese or Congo
noun: Eritrean(s)


adjective: Eritrean
Natural hazards seasonal flooding frequent droughts; locust swarms
Natural resources petroleum, timber, potash, lead, zinc, uranium, copper, phosphates, gold, magnesium, natural gas, hydropower gold, potash, zinc, copper, salt, possibly oil and natural gas, fish
Net migration rate -3.17 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) 7.61 migrant(s)/1,000 population


note: UNHCR began repatriating about 150,000 Eritrean refugees from Sudan in 2001 following the restoration of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 2000 (2002 est.)
Pipelines gas 89 km; liquid petroleum gas 4 km; oil 758 km (2007) -
Political parties and leaders Action Movement for Renewal or MAR; Congolese Movement for Democracy and Integral Development or MCDDI [Michel MAMPOUYA]; Congolese Labour Party or PCT; Movement for Solidarity and Development or MSD; 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]; many less important parties People's Front for Democracy and Justice or PFDJ, the only party recognized by the government [Afworki ISAIAS]; note - a National Assembly committee drafted a law on political parties in January 2001, but the full National Assembly had not yet debated or voted on it as of December 2001
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 Eritrean Islamic Jihad or EIJ; Eritrean Liberation Front or ELF [ABDULLAH Muhammed]; Eritrean Liberation Front-Revolutionary Council or ELF-RC [Ahmed NASSER]; Eritrean Liberation Front-United Organization or ELF-UO [Mohammed Said NAWD]; Eritrean Public Forum or EPF [ARADOM Iyob]
Population 3,800,610


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 2007 est.)
4,465,651 (July 2002 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% NA%
Population growth rate 2.639% (2007 est.) 3.8% (2002 est.)
Ports and harbors - Assab (Aseb), Massawa (Mits'iwa)
Radio broadcast stations AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 3 (2001) AM 2, FM NA, shortwave 2 (2000)
Radios - 345,000 (1997)
Railways total: 894 km


narrow gauge: 894 km 1.067-m gauge (2006)
total: 317 km


narrow gauge: 317 km 0.950-m gauge


note: links Ak'ordat and Asmara with the port of Massawa; nonoperational since 1978 except for about a 5 km stretch that was reopened in Massawa in 1994; rehabilitation of the remainder and of the rolling stock is under way (2001 est.)
Religions Christian 50%, animist 48%, Muslim 2% Muslim, Coptic Christian, Roman Catholic, Protestant
Sex ratio at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.013 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.985 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.699 male(s)/female


total population: 0.988 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 1 male(s)/female


total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2002 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; fixed-line infrastructure inadequate providing less than 1 connection per 100 persons; mobile-cellular subscribership has surged reaching 16 per 100 persons


domestic: primary network consists of microwave radio relay and coaxial cable


international: country code - 242; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
general assessment: inadequate


domestic: very inadequate; most telephones are in Asmara; government is seeking international tenders to improve the system (2002)


international: NA; note - international connections exist
Telephones - main lines in use 15,900 (2005) 30,000 (2001)
Telephones - mobile cellular 490,000 (2005) NA; note - mobile cellular service was introduced in May 2001
Television broadcast stations 1 (2001) 1 (2000)
Terrain coastal plain, southern basin, central plateau, northern basin dominated by extension of Ethiopian north-south trending highlands, descending on the east to a coastal desert plain, on the northwest to hilly terrain and on the southwest to flat-to-rolling plains
Total fertility rate 5.99 children born/woman (2007 est.) 5.8 children born/woman (2002 est.)
Unemployment rate NA% NA%
Waterways 1,125 km (commercially navigable on Congo and Oubanqui rivers) (2006) none
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