Compare Cook Islands (2006) - Congo, Democratic Republic of the (2002)

Compare Cook Islands (2006) z Congo, Democratic Republic of the (2002)

	Cook Islands (2006)	Congo, Democratic Republic of the (2002)

Administrative divisions	none	10 provinces (provinces, singular - province) and one city (ville); Bandundu, Bas-Congo, Equateur, Kasai-Occidental, Kasai-Oriental, Katanga, Kinshasa, Maniema, Nord-Kivu, Orientale, Sud-Kivu
Age structure	0-14 years: 34.1% (male 2,718/female 2,388) 15-64 years: 59.5% (male 4,531/female 4,395) 65 years and over: 6.4% (male 489/female 469) (2001 census)	0-14 years: 48.2% (male 13,369,493; female 13,256,174) 15-64 years: 49.3% (male 13,343,303; female 13,860,996) 65 years and over: 2.5% (male 581,568; female 813,944) (2002 est.)
Agriculture - products	copra, citrus, pineapples, tomatoes, beans, pawpaws, bananas, yams, taro, coffee; pigs, poultry	coffee, sugar, palm oil, rubber, tea, quinine, cassava (tapioca), palm oil, bananas, root crops, corn, fruits; wood products
Airports	9 (2006)	232 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2006)	total: 24 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 16 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 1 (2006)	total: 205 1,524 to 2,437 m: 19 914 to 1,523 m: 95 under 914 m: 91 (2002)
Area	total: 236.7 sq km land: 236.7 sq km water: 0 sq km	total: 2,345,410 sq km land: 2,267,600 sq km water: 77,810 sq km
Area - comparative	1.3 times the size of Washington, DC	slightly less than one-fourth the size of the US
Background	Named after Captain COOK, who sighted them in 1770, the islands became a British protectorate in 1888. By 1900, administrative control was transferred to New Zealand; in 1965 residents chose self-government in free association with New Zealand. The emigration of skilled workers to New Zealand and government deficits are continuing problems.	Since 1997 the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DROC; formerly called Zaire) has been rent by ethnic strife and civil war, touched off by a massive inflow in 1994 of refugees from the fighting in Rwanda and Burundi. The government of former president MOBUTU Sese Seko was toppled by a rebellion led by Laurent KABILA in May 1997; his regime was subsequently challenged by a Rwanda- and Uganda-backed rebellion in August 1998. Troops from Zimbabwe, Angola, Namibia, Chad, and Sudan intervened to support the Kinshasa regime. A cease-fire was signed on 10 July 1999 by the DROC, Zimbabwe, Angola, Uganda, Namibia, Rwanda, and Congolese armed rebel groups, but sporadic fighting continued. KABILA was assassinated on 16 January 2001 and his son Joseph KABILA was named head of state ten days later. In October 2002, the new president was successful in getting occupying Rwandan forces to withdraw from eastern Congo; two months later, an agreement was signed by all remaining warring parties to end the fighting and set up a government of national unity.
Birth rate	21 births/1,000 population (2001 census)	45.55 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Budget	revenues: $70.95 million expenditures: $69.05 million; including capital expenditures of $5.744 million (FY00/01 est.)	revenues: $269 million expenditures: $244 million, including capital expenditures of $24 million
Capital	name: Avarua geographic coordinates: 21 12 S, 159 46 W time difference: UTC-10 (5 hours behind Washington, DC during Standard Time)	Kinshasa
Climate	tropical oceanic; moderated by trade winds; a dry season from April to November and a more humid season from December to March	tropical; hot and humid in equatorial river basin; cooler and drier in southern highlands; cooler and wetter in eastern highlands; north of Equator - wet season April to October, dry season December to February; south of Equator - wet season November to March, dry season April to October
Coastline	120 km	37 km
Constitution	4 August 1965	24 June 1967, amended August 1974, revised 15 February 1978, amended April 1990; transitional constitution promulgated in April 1994; in November 1998, a draft constitution was approved by former President Laurent KABILA but it was not ratified by a national referendum; one outcome of the ongoing inter-Congolese dialogue is to be a new constitution
Country name	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Cook Islands former: Harvey Islands	conventional long form: Democratic Republic of the Congo conventional short form: none local long form: Republique Democratique du Congo local short form: none former: Congo Free State, Belgian Congo, Congo/Leopoldville, Congo/Kinshasa, Zaire abbreviation: DROC
Currency	-	Congolese franc (CDF)
Death rate	NA deaths/1,000 population	14.93 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Debt - external	$141 million (1996 est.)	$12.9 billion (2000 est.)
Dependency status	self-governing in free association with New Zealand; Cook Islands is fully responsible for internal affairs; New Zealand retains responsibility for external affairs and defense, in consultation with the Cook Islands	-
Diplomatic representation from the US	none (self-governing in free association with New Zealand)	chief of mission: Ambassador Aubrey HOOKS embassy: 310 Avenue des Aviateurs, Kinshasa mailing address: Unit 31550, APO AE 09828 telephone: [243] (88) 43608 FAX: [243] (88) 43467
Diplomatic representation in the US	none (self-governing in free association with New Zealand)	chief of mission: Ambassador Faida MITIFU chancery: 1800 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 234-7690, 7691 FAX: [1] (202) 234-2609
Disputes - international	none	Democratic Republic of the Congo is in the grip of a civil war that has drawn in military forces from neighboring states, with Uganda and Rwanda supporting the rebel movements that occupy much of the eastern portion of the state; Tutsi, Hutu, and other conflicting ethnic groups, political rebels, and various government forces continue fighting in Great Lakes region, transcending the boundaries of Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda; most of the Congo River boundary with the Republic of the Congo is indefinite (no agreement has been reached on the division of the river or its islands, except in the Pool Malebo/Stanley Pool area)
Economic aid - recipient	$13.1 million; note - New Zealand continues to furnish the greater part (1995)	$195.3 million (1995) (1995)
Economy - overview	Like many other South Pacific island nations, the Cook Islands' economic development is hindered by the isolation of the country from foreign markets, the limited size of domestic markets, lack of natural resources, periodic devastation from natural disasters, and inadequate infrastructure. Agriculture, employing about 70% of the working population, provides the economic base with major exports made up of copra and citrus fruit. Black pearls are the Cook Island's leading export. Manufacturing activities are limited to fruit processing, clothing, and handicrafts. Trade deficits are offset by remittances from emigrants and by foreign aid, overwhelmingly from New Zealand. In the 1980s and 1990s, the country lived beyond its means, maintaining a bloated public service and accumulating a large foreign debt. Subsequent reforms, including the sale of state assets, the strengthening of economic management, the encouragement of tourism, and a debt restructuring agreement, have rekindled investment and growth.	The economy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo - a nation endowed with vast potential wealth - has declined drastically since the mid-1980s. The war, which began in August 1998, has dramatically reduced national output and government revenue and has increased external debt. Foreign businesses have curtailed operations due to uncertainty about the outcome of the conflict, lack of infrastructure, and the difficult operating environment. The war has intensified the impact of such basic problems as an uncertain legal framework, corruption, raging inflation, and lack of openness in government economic policy and financial operations. A number of IMF and World Bank missions have met with the government to help it develop a coherent economic plan, and President KABILA has begun implementing reforms.
Electricity - consumption	34.46 million kWh (2005 est.)	4.55 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2003)	404 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2003)	55 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production	28 million kWh (2003)	5.268 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source	-	fossil fuel: 2% hydro: 98% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Te Manga 652 m	lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Pic Marguerite on Mont Ngaliema (Mount Stanley) 5,110 m
Environment - current issues	NA	poaching threatens wildlife populations; water pollution; deforestation; refugees responsible for significant deforestation, soil erosion, and wildlife poaching; mining of minerals (coltan - a mineral used in creating capacitors, diamonds, and gold) causing environmental damage
Environment - international agreements	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification
Ethnic groups	Cook Island Maori (Polynesian) 87.7%, part Cook Island Maori 5.8%, other 6.5% (2001 census)	over 200 African ethnic groups of which the majority are Bantu; the four largest tribes - Mongo, Luba, Kongo (all Bantu), and the Mangbetu-Azande (Hamitic) make up about 45% of the population
Exchange rates	New Zealand dollars per US dollar - 1.4203 (2005), 1.5087 (2004), 1.7221 (2003), 2.1622 (2002), 2.3788 (2001)	Congolese francs per US dollar - 305 (January 2002), 21.82 (2000), 4.02 (1999), 1.61 (1998), 1.31 (1997) note: on 30 June 1998 the Congolese franc was introduced, replacing the new zaire
Executive branch	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Frederick GOODWIN (since 9 February 2001); New Zealand High Commissioner John BRYAN (since 6 September 2005), representative of New Zealand head of government: Prime Minister Jim MARURAI (since 14 December 2004); Deputy Prime Minister Terepai MAOATE (since 9 August 2005) cabinet: Cabinet chosen by the prime minister; collectively responsible to Parliament elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the UK representative is appointed by the monarch; the New Zealand high commissioner is appointed by the New Zealand Government; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition usually becomes prime minister	chief of state: President Joseph KABILA (since 26 January 2001); note - following the assassination of his father, Laurent Desire KABILA, on 16 January 2001, Joseph KABILA succeeded to the presidency; the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Joseph KABILA (since 26 January 2001); note - following the assassination of his father, Laurent Desire KABILA, on 16 January 2001, Joseph KABILA succeeded to the presidency; the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: National Executive Council, appointed by the president elections: before Laurent Desire KABILA seized power on 16 May 1997, the president was elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; election last held 29 July 1984 (next was scheduled to be held in May 1997); formerly, there was also a prime minister who was elected by the High Council of the Republic; note - elections were not held in 1991 as called for by the constitution election results: results of the last election were: MOBUTU Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu wa Za Banga reelected president in 1984 without opposition note: Marshal MOBUTU Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu wa Za Banga was president from 24 November 1965 until forced into exile on 16 May 1997 when his government was overthrown militarily by Laurent Desire KABILA; KABILA immediately assumed governing authority and pledged to hold elections by April 1999, but, in December 1998, announced that elections would be postponed until all foreign military forces attempting to topple the government had withdrawn from the country; KABILA was assassinated in January 2001 and was succeeded by his son Joseph KABILA
Exports	NA bbl/day	$750 million f.o.b. (2001 est.)
Exports - commodities	copra, papayas, fresh and canned citrus fruit, coffee; fish; pearls and pearl shells; clothing	diamonds, copper, coffee, cobalt, crude oil
Exports - partners	Australia 34%, Japan 27%, New Zealand 25%, US 8% (2004)	Benelux 62%, US 18%, South Africa, Finland, Italy (1999)
Fiscal year	1 April - 31 March	calendar year
Flag description	blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and a large circle of 15 white five-pointed stars (one for every island) centered in the outer half of the flag	light blue with a large yellow five-pointed star in the center and a columnar arrangement of six small yellow five-pointed stars along the hoist side
GDP	-	purchasing power parity - $32 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 15.1% industry: 9.6% services: 75.3% (2000 est.)	agriculture: 54% industry: 9% services: 37% (1999 est.)
GDP - per capita	-	purchasing power parity - $590 (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	0.1% (2005 est.)	-4% (2001 est.)
Geographic coordinates	21 14 S, 159 46 W	0 00 N, 25 00 E
Geography - note	the northern Cook Islands are seven low-lying, sparsely populated, coral atolls; the southern Cook Islands, where most of the population lives, consist of eight elevated, fertile, volcanic isles, including the largest, Rarotonga, at 67 sq km	straddles Equator; has very narrow strip of land that controls the lower Congo River and is only outlet to South Atlantic Ocean; dense tropical rain forest in central river basin and eastern highlands
Heliports	-	1 (2002)
Highways	-	total: 157,000 km (including 30 km of expressways)(1996) paved: NA km unpaved: NA km
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Illicit drugs	-	illicit producer of cannabis, mostly for domestic consumption; while rampant corruption and inadequate supervision leaves the banking system vulnerable to money laundering, the lack of a well-developed financial system limits the country's utility as a money-laundering center
Imports	NA bbl/day	$1.024 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.)
Imports - commodities	foodstuffs, textiles, fuels, timber, capital goods	foodstuffs, mining and other machinery, transport equipment, fuels
Imports - partners	New Zealand 61%, Fiji 19%, US 9%, Australia 6%, Japan 2% (2004)	South Africa 28%, Benelux 14%, Nigeria 9%, Kenya 7%, China (1999)
Independence	none (became self-governing in free association with New Zealand on 4 August 1965 and has the right at any time to move to full independence by unilateral action)	30 June 1960 (from Belgium)
Industrial production growth rate	1% (2002)	NA%
Industries	fruit processing, tourism, fishing, clothing, handicrafts	mining (diamonds, copper, zinc), mineral processing, consumer products (including textiles, footwear, cigarettes, processed foods and beverages), cement
Infant mortality rate	total: NA male: NA female: NA	98.05 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	2.1% (2005 est.)	358% (2001 est.)
International organization participation	ACP, AsDB, FAO, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, IOC, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO	ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, CEEAC, CEPGL, ECA, FAO, G-19, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW (signatory), PCA, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)	-	1 (2001)
Irrigated land	NA	110 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch	High Court	Supreme Court or Cour Supreme
Labor force	6,820 (2001)	14.51 million (1993 est.)
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture: 29% industry: 15% services: 56% (1995)	agriculture 65%, industry 16%, services 19% (1991 est.)
Land boundaries	0 km	total: 10,730 km border countries: Angola 2,511 km (of which 225 km is the boundary of Angola's discontiguous Cabinda Province), Burundi 233 km, Central African Republic 1,577 km, Republic of the Congo 2,410 km, Rwanda 217 km, Sudan 628 km, Tanzania 459 km, Uganda 765 km, Zambia 1,930 km
Land use	arable land: 16.67% permanent crops: 8.33% other: 75% (2005)	arable land: 2.96% permanent crops: 0.52% other: 96.52% (1998 est.)
Languages	English (official), Maori	French (official), Lingala (a lingua franca trade language), Kingwana (a dialect of Kiswahili or Swahili), Kikongo, Tshiluba
Legal system	based on New Zealand law and English common law	based on Belgian civil law system and tribal law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch	bicameral Parliament consisting of a lower house or Legislative Assembly with 25 seats (24 seats representing districts of the Cook Islands and one seat representing Cook Islanders living overseas; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and an upper house or House of Ariki made up of traditional leaders elections: last held 26 September 2006 (next to be held by 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - Demo 51.9%, CIP 45.5%, independent 2.7%; seats by party - Demo 15, CIP 8, independent 1 note: the House of Ariki advises on traditional matters and maintains considerable influence, but has no legislative powers	a 300-member Transitional Constituent Assembly established in August 2000 elections: NA; members of the Transitional Constituent Assembly were appointed by former President Laurent Desire KABILA
Life expectancy at birth	total population: NA male: NA female: NA	total population: 49.13 years male: 47.19 years female: 51.13 years (2002 est.)
Literacy	definition: NA total population: 95% male: NA% female: NA%	definition: age 15 and over can read and write French, Lingala, Kingwana, or Tshiluba total population: 77.3% male: 86.6% female: 67.7% (1995 est.)
Location	Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand	Central Africa, northeast of Angola
Map references	Oceania	Africa
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin	exclusive economic zone: boundaries with neighbors territorial sea: 12 NM
Merchant marine	total: 6 ships (1000 GRT or over) 48,422 GRT/51,900 DWT by type: cargo 2, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 3 foreign-owned: 5 (Norway 1, NZ 1, Sweden 3) (2006)	none (2002 est.)
Military - note	defense is the responsibility of New Zealand, in consultation with the Cook Islands and at its request	-
Military branches	no regular military forces; Ministry of Police and Disaster Management (2005)	Army, Navy, Air Force, Special Security Battalion
Military expenditures - dollar figure	-	$250 million (FY97)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	-	4.6% (FY97)
Military manpower - availability	-	males age 15-49: 11,996,175 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service	-	males age 15-49: 6,110,595 (2002 est.)
National holiday	Constitution Day, first Monday in August (1965)	Independence Day, 30 June (1960)
Nationality	noun: Cook Islander(s) adjective: Cook Islander	noun: Congolese (singular and plural) adjective: Congolese or Congo
Natural hazards	typhoons (November to March)	periodic droughts in south; Congo River floods (seasonal); in the east, in the Great Rift Valley, there are active volcanoes
Natural resources	NEGL	cobalt, copper, cadmium, petroleum, industrial and gem diamonds, gold, silver, zinc, manganese, tin, germanium, uranium, radium, bauxite, iron ore, coal, hydropower, timber
Net migration rate	-	-2.75 migrant(s)/1,000 population note: one million refugees fled into Zaire (now called the Democratic Republic of the Congo or DROC) in 1994 as a result of the ethnic fighting in Rwanda; fighting in the DROC between rebels and government forces in October 1996 caused 875,000 refugees to return to Rwanda in late 1996 and early 1997 and additional refugees have returned in subsequent years; fighting between the Congolese government and Uganda- and Rwanda-backed Congolese rebels spawned a regional war in DROC in August 1998, which left 1.8 million Congolese displaced in DROC and caused 300,000 Congolese refugees to flee to surrounding countries (2002 est.)
People - note	2001 census counted a resident population of 15,017	-
Pipelines	-	petroleum products 390 km
Political parties and leaders	Cook Islands Party or CIP [Henry PUNA]; Democratic Party or Demo [Dr. Terepai MAOATE]	Democratic Social Christian Party or PDSC [Andre BO-BOLIKO]; Forces for Renovation for Union and Solidarity or FONUS [Joseph OLENGHANKOY]; National Congolese Lumumbist Movement or MNC [Francois LUMUMBA]; Popular Movement of the Revolution or MPR [three factions: MPR-Fait Prive (Catherine NZUZI wa Mbombo); MPR/Vunduawe (Felix VUNDUAWE); MPR/Mananga (MANANGA Dintoka Mpholo)]; Unified Lumumbast Party or PALU [Antoine GIZENGA]; Union for Democracy and Social Progress or UDPS [Etienne TSHISEKEDI wa Mulumba]; Union of Federalists and Independent Republicans or UFERI [two factions: UFERI (Lokambo OMOKOKO); UFERI/OR (Adolph Kishwe MAYA)]
Political pressure groups and leaders	NA	NA
Population	21,388 (July 2006 est.)	55,225,478 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.)
Population below poverty line	NA%	NA%
Population growth rate	-1.2% between 1996-2001 (2001 census)	2.79% (2002 est.)
Ports and harbors	-	Banana, Boma, Bukavu, Bumba, Goma, Kalemie, Kindu, Kinshasa, Kisangani, Matadi, Mbandaka
Radio broadcast stations	AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (2004)	AM 3, FM 11, shortwave 2 (2001)
Radios	-	18.03 million (1997)
Railways	-	total: 5,138 km narrow gauge: 3,987 km 1.067-m gauge (858 km electrified); 125 km 1.000-m gauge; 1,026 km 0.600-m gauge note: severely reduced route-distance in use because of damage to facilities by civil strife (2000 est.)
Religions	Cook Islands Christian Church 55.9%, Roman Catholic 16.8%, Seventh-Day Adventists 7.9%, Church of Latter Day Saints 3.8%, other Protestant 5.8%, other 4.2%, unspecified 2.6%, none 3% (2001 census)	Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant 20%, Kimbanguist 10%, Muslim 10%, other syncretic sects and indigenous beliefs 10%
Sex ratio	107 male(s)/female (2001 census)	at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Suffrage	NA years of age; universal adult	18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Telephone system	general assessment: Telecom Cook Islands offers international direct dialing, Internet, email, fax, and Telex domestic: the individual islands are connected by a combination of satellite earth stations, microwave systems, and VHF and HF radiotelephone; within the islands, service is provided by small exchanges connected to subscribers by open-wire, cable, and fiber-optic cable international: country code - 682; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)	general assessment: poor domestic: barely adequate wire and microwave radio relay service in and between urban areas; domestic satellite system with 14 earth stations international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use	6,200 (2002)	20,000 (2000)
Telephones - mobile cellular	1,500 (2002)	15,000 (2000)
Television broadcast stations	1 (outer islands receive satellite broadcasts) (2004)	4 (2001)
Terrain	low coral atolls in north; volcanic, hilly islands in south	vast central basin is a low-lying plateau; mountains in east
Total fertility rate	3.1 children born/woman (2001 census)	6.77 children born/woman (2002 est.)
Unemployment rate	13.1% (2005)	NA%
Waterways	-	15,000 km (including the Congo and its tributaries, and unconnected lakes)

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