Compare Congo, Republic of the (2008) - Montserrat (2003)

Compare Congo, Republic of the (2008) z Montserrat (2003)

	Congo, Republic of the (2008)	Montserrat (2003)

Administrative divisions	10 regions (regions, singular - region) and 1 commune; Bouenza, Brazzaville, Cuvette, Cuvette-Ouest, Kouilou, Lekoumou, Likouala, Niari, Plateaux, Pool, Sangha	3 parishes; Saint Anthony, Saint Georges, Saint Peter
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: 23.4% (male 1,062; female 1,041) 15-64 years: 65.3% (male 2,805; female 3,066) 65 years and over: 11.4% (male 537; female 484) (2003 est.)
Agriculture - products	cassava (tapioca), sugar, rice, corn, peanuts, vegetables, coffee, cocoa; forest products	cabbages, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, peppers; livestock products
Airports	31 (2007)	none; only airport was destroyed by volcanic activity; a helicopter service to Antigua is used (2002)
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)	-
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 26 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 9 (2007)	-
Area	total: 342,000 sq km land: 341,500 sq km water: 500 sq km	total: 102 sq km land: 102 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly smaller than Montana	about 0.6 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 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.	Much of this island has been devastated and two-thirds of the population has fled abroad due to the eruption of the Soufriere Hills Volcano that began on 18 July 1995.
Birth rate	42.16 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)	17.57 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Budget	revenues: $3.639 billion expenditures: $2.104 billion (2007 est.)	revenues: $31.4 million expenditures: $31.6 million, including capital expenditures of $8.4 million (1997 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)	Plymouth (abandoned in 1997 due to volcanic activity; interim government buildings have been built at Brades Estate, in the Carr's Bay/Little Bay vicinity at the northwest end of Montserrat)
Climate	tropical; rainy season (March to June); dry season (June to October); persistent high temperatures and humidity; particularly enervating climate astride the Equator	tropical; little daily or seasonal temperature variation
Coastline	169 km	40 km
Constitution	approved by referendum 20 January 2002	present constitution came into force 19 December 1989
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: Montserrat
Currency	-	East Caribbean dollar (XCD)
Death rate	12.59 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)	7.34 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Debt - external	$5 billion (2000 est.)	$8.9 million (1997)
Dependency status	-	overseas territory of the UK
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	none (overseas territory of the UK)
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 (overseas territory of the UK)
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	none
Economic aid - recipient	$1.449 billion (2005)	Country Policy Plan (2001) is a three-year program for spending $122.8 million in British budgetary assistance
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.	Severe volcanic activity, which began in July 1995, has put a damper on this small, open economy. A catastrophic eruption in June 1997 closed the airports and seaports, causing further economic and social dislocation. Two-thirds of the 12,000 inhabitants fled the island. Some began to return in 1998, but lack of housing limited the number. The agriculture sector continued to be affected by the lack of suitable land for farming and the destruction of crops. Prospects for the economy depend largely on developments in relation to the volcano and on public sector construction activity. The UK has launched a three-year $122.8 million aid program to help reconstruct the economy. Half of the island is expected to remain uninhabitable for another decade.
Electricity - consumption	5.272 billion kWh (2005)	2.325 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports	1.8 billion kWh (2005)	0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports	6 million kWh (2005)	0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - production	7.341 billion kWh (2005)	2.5 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source	-	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: Chances Peak (in the Soufriere Hills volcanic complex) 914 m
Environment - current issues	air pollution from vehicle emissions; water pollution from the dumping of raw sewage; tap water is not potable; deforestation	land erosion occurs on slopes that have been cleared for cultivation
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	-
Ethnic groups	Kongo 48%, Sangha 20%, M'Bochi 12%, Teke 17%, Europeans and other 3%	black, white
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)	East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7000 (fixed rate since 1976)
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: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor Anthony LONGRIGG (since NA May 2001) head of government: Chief Minister John OSBORNE (since 5 April 2001) cabinet: Executive Council consists of the governor, the chief minister, three other ministers, the attorney general, and the finance secretary elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party usually becomes chief minister
Exports	20,750 bbl/day (2004)	NA (2001)
Exports - commodities	petroleum, lumber, plywood, sugar, cocoa, coffee, diamonds	electronic components, plastic bags, apparel, hot peppers, live plants, cattle
Exports - partners	US 35.9%, China 31.4%, Taiwan 9.9%, South Korea 8% (2006)	US, Antigua and Barbuda
Fiscal year	calendar year	1 April - 31 March
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	blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Montserratian coat of arms centered in the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms features a woman standing beside a yellow harp with her arm around a black cross
GDP	-	purchasing power parity - $29 million (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 5.6% industry: 57.1% services: 37.3% (2006 est.)	agriculture: 5.4% industry: 13.6% services: 81% (1996 est.)
GDP - per capita	-	purchasing power parity - $3,400 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	2.8% (2007 est.)	-1% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates	1 00 S, 15 00 E	16 45 N, 62 12 W
Geography - note	about 70% of the population lives in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, or along the railroad between them	the island is entirely volcanic in origin and contains seven active volcanoes
Highways	-	total: 227 km paved: NA km unpaved: NA km note: volcanic eruptions beginning in 1995 destroyed most of the road system (2003)
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 narcotics destined for the US and Europe
Imports	11,410 bbl/day (2004)	NA (2001)
Imports - commodities	capital equipment, construction materials, foodstuffs	machinery and transportation equipment, foodstuffs, manufactured goods, fuels, lubricants, and related materials
Imports - partners	France 23.5%, China 13.2%, US 7.6%, India 7%, Italy 5.6%, Belgium 5.3% (2006)	US, UK, Trinidad and Tobago, Japan, Canada
Independence	15 August 1960 (from France)	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Industrial production growth rate	-1% (2007 est.)	NA%
Industries	petroleum extraction, cement, lumber, brewing, sugar, palm oil, soap, flour, cigarettes	tourism, rum, textiles, electronic appliances
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.)	total: 7.77 deaths/1,000 live births male: 9.05 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.43 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	7% (2007 est.)	2.6% (2002 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	Caricom, CDB, ECLAC (associate), ICFTU, Interpol (subbureau), OECS
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)	-	17 (2000)
Irrigated land	20 sq km (2003)	NA sq km
Judicial branch	Supreme Court or Cour Supreme	Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based in Saint Lucia, one judge of the Supreme Court is a resident of the islands and presides over the High Court)
Labor force	NA	4,521 ; note - lowered by flight of people from volcanic activity
Labor force - by occupation	-	agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA%
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: 20% permanent crops: 0% other: 80% (1998 est.)
Languages	French (official), Lingala and Monokutuba (lingua franca trade languages), many local languages and dialects (of which Kikongo is the most widespread)	English
Legal system	based on French civil law system and customary law	English common law and statutory 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 Legislative Council (11 seats, 9 popularly elected; members serve five-year terms) note: expanded in 2001 from 7 to 9 elected members with attorney general and financial secretary sitting as ex-officio members elections: last held NA April 2001 (next to be held by November 2006) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NPLM 7, NPP 2 note: in 2001, the Elections Commission instituted a single constituency/voter-at-large system whereby all eligible voters cast ballots for all nine seats of the Legislative Council
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 53.29 years male: 52.1 years female: 54.52 years (2007 est.)	total population: 78.36 years male: 76.24 years female: 80.59 years (2003 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 has ever attended school total population: 97% male: 97% female: 97% (1970 est.)
Location	Western Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and Gabon	Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, southeast of Puerto Rico
Map references	Africa	Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 200 nm	exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 3 NM
Merchant marine	registered in other countries: 1 (Congo, Democratic Republic of the 1) (2007)	none (2002 est.)
Military - note	-	defense is the responsibility of the UK
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)	no regular indigenous military forces; Police Force
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	3.1% (2006)	-
National holiday	Independence Day, 15 August (1960)	Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, second Saturday in June (1926)
Nationality	noun: Congolese (singular and plural) adjective: Congolese or Congo	noun: Montserratian(s) adjective: Montserratian
Natural hazards	seasonal flooding	severe hurricanes (June to November); volcanic eruptions (Soufriere Hills volcano has erupted continuously since 1996)
Natural resources	petroleum, timber, potash, lead, zinc, uranium, copper, phosphates, gold, magnesium, natural gas, hydropower	NEGL
Net migration rate	-3.17 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)	34.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 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	National Progressive Party or NPP [Reuben T. MEADE]; New People's Liberation Movement or NPLM [John A. OSBORNE]
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	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.)	8,995 note: an estimated 8,000 refugees left the island following the resumption of volcanic activity in July 1995; some have returned (July 2003 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA%	NA%
Population growth rate	2.639% (2007 est.)	4.5% (2003 est.)
Ports and harbors	-	Plymouth (abandoned), Little Bay (anchorages and ferry landing), Carr's Bay
Radio broadcast stations	AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 3 (2001)	AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)
Railways	total: 894 km narrow gauge: 894 km 1.067-m gauge (2006)	0 km
Religions	Christian 50%, animist 48%, Muslim 2%	Anglican, Methodist, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal, Seventh-Day Adventist, other Christian denominations
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: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.11 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 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; 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: NA domestic: NA international: NA
Telephones - main lines in use	15,900 (2005)	4,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular	490,000 (2005)	70 (1994)
Television broadcast stations	1 (2001)	1 (1997)
Terrain	coastal plain, southern basin, central plateau, northern basin	volcanic island, mostly mountainous, with small coastal lowland
Total fertility rate	5.99 children born/woman (2007 est.)	1.8 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate	NA%	6% (1998 est.)
Waterways	1,125 km (commercially navigable on Congo and Oubanqui rivers) (2006)	none

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