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Compare French Guiana (2005) - Congo, Republic of the (2005)

Compare French Guiana (2005) z Congo, Republic of the (2005)

 French Guiana (2005)Congo, Republic of the (2005)
 French GuianaCongo, Republic of the
Administrative divisions none (overseas department of France) 10 regions (regions, singular - region) and 1 commune*; Bouenza, Brazzaville*, Cuvette, Cuvette-Ouest, Kouilou, Lekoumou, Likouala, Niari, Plateaux, Pool, Sangha
Age structure 0-14 years: 29.3% (male 29,262/female 27,947)


15-64 years: 64.7% (male 67,895/female 58,534)


65 years and over: 6.1% (male 6,038/female 5,830) (2005 est.)
0-14 years: 37.3% (male 571,011/female 563,414)


15-64 years: 59% (male 886,297/female 907,348)


65 years and over: 3.7% (male 45,799/female 65,257) (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products corn, rice, manioc (tapioca), sugar, cocoa, vegetables, bananas; cattle, pigs, poultry cassava (tapioca), sugar, rice, corn, peanuts, vegetables, coffee, cocoa; forest products
Airports 11 (2004 est.) 32 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 4


over 3,047 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 2


under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
total: 4


over 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 7


914 to 1,523 m: 2


under 914 m: 5 (2004 est.)
total: 28


1,524 to 2,437 m: 6


914 to 1,523 m: 11


under 914 m: 11 (2004 est.)
Area total: 91,000 sq km


land: 89,150 sq km


water: 1,850 sq km
total: 342,000 sq km


land: 341,500 sq km


water: 500 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Indiana slightly smaller than Montana
Background First settled by the French in 1604, French Guiana was the site of notorious penal settlements until 1951. The European Space Agency launches its communication satellites from Kourou. Upon independence in 1960, the former French region of Middle Congo became the Republic of the Congo. A quarter century of experimentation with Marxism was abandoned in 1990 and a democratically elected government installed in 1992. A brief civil war in 1997 restored former Marxist President SASSOU-NGUESSO, but ushered in a period of ethnic 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 is one of Africa's largest petroleum producers with significant potential for offshore development.
Birth rate 20.7 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) 27.88 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget revenues: $225 million


expenditures: $390 million, including capital expenditures of $105 million (1996)
revenues: $870.1 million


expenditures: $1.102 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)
Capital Cayenne Brazzaville
Climate tropical; hot, humid; little seasonal temperature variation tropical; rainy season (March to June); dry season (June to October); constantly high temperatures and humidity; particularly enervating climate astride the Equator
Coastline 378 km 169 km
Constitution 4 October 1958 (French Constitution) approved by referendum 20 January 2002
Country name conventional long form: Department of Guiana


conventional short form: French Guiana


local long form: none


local short form: Guyane
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
Death rate 4.85 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) 14.82 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external $1.2 billion (1988) $5 billion (2000 est.)
Dependency status overseas department of France -
Diplomatic representation from the US none (overseas department of France) chief of mission: Ambassador Roger A. MEECE


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)
Diplomatic representation in the US none (overseas department of France) chief of mission: Ambassador Serge MOMBOULI


chancery: 4891 Colorado Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20011


telephone: [1] (202) 726-5500


FAX: [1] (202) 726-1860
Disputes - international Suriname claims area between Riviere Litani and Riviere Marouini (both headwaters of the Lawa) in French Guiana 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
Economic aid - recipient NA $159.1 million (1995)
Economy - overview The economy is tied closely to the much larger French economy through subsidies and imports. Besides the French space center at Kourou (which accounts for 25% of GDP), fishing and forestry are the most important economic activities. Forest and woodland cover 90% of the country. The large reserves of tropical hardwoods, not fully exploited, support an expanding sawmill industry that provides sawn logs for export. Cultivation of crops is limited to the coastal area, where the population is largely concentrated; rice and manioc are the major crops. French Guiana is heavily dependent on imports of food and energy. Unemployment is a serious problem, particularly among younger workers. The economy is a mixture of village agriculture and handicrafts, an industrial sector based largely on oil, support services, and a government characterized by budget problems and overstaffing. Oil has supplanted forestry as the mainstay of the economy, providing a major share of government revenues and exports. In the early 1980s, rapidly rising oil revenues enabled the government to finance large-scale development projects with GDP growth averaging 5% annually, one of the highest rates in Africa. The government has mortgaged a substantial portion of its oil earnings, contributing to a shortage of revenues. The 12 January 1994 devaluation of Franc Zone currencies by 50% resulted in inflation of 61% in 1994, but inflation has subsided since. Economic reform efforts continued with the support of international organizations, notably the World Bank and the IMF. The reform program came to a halt in June 1997 when civil war erupted. Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO, who returned to power when the war ended in October 1997, publicly expressed interest in moving forward on economic reforms and privatization and in renewing cooperation with international financial institutions. However, economic progress was badly hurt by slumping oil prices and the resumption of armed conflict in December 1998, which worsened the republic's budget deficit. The current administration presides over an uneasy internal peace and faces difficult economic challenges of stimulating recovery and reducing poverty.
Electricity - consumption 427.9 million kWh (2002) 573.6 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2002) 0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2002) 250 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - production 460.1 million kWh (2002) 348 million kWh (2002)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Bellevue de l'Inini 851 m
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Mount Berongou 903 m
Environment - current issues NA air pollution from vehicle emissions; water pollution from the dumping of raw sewage; tap water is not potable; deforestation
Environment - international agreements - party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Ethnic groups black or mulatto 66%, white 12%, East Indian, Chinese, Amerindian 12%, other 10% Kongo 48%, Sangha 20%, M'Bochi 12%, Teke 17%, Europeans and other 3%


note: Europeans estimated at 8,500, mostly French, before the 1997 civil war; may be half that in 1998, following the widespread destruction of foreign businesses in 1997
Exchange rates Euros per US dollar - 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000) Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001), 711.98 (2000)
Executive branch chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Ange MANCINI (since 31 July 2002)


head of government: President of the General Council Joseph HO-TEN-YOU (since 26 March 2001); President of the Regional Council Antoine KARAM (since 22 March 1992)


cabinet: NA


elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; presidents of the General and Regional Councils are appointed by the members of those councils
chief of state: President Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO (since 25 October 1997, following the civil war in which he toppled elected president Pascal LISSOUBA); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO (since 25 October 1997, following the civil war in which he toppled elected president Pascal LISSOUBA); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president


elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (eligible for a second seven-year term); election last held 10 March 2002 (next to be held NA 2009)


election results: Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO reelected president; percent of vote - Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO 89.4%, Joseph Kignoumbi Kia MBOUNGOU 2.7%
Exports NA NA
Exports - commodities shrimp, timber, gold, rum, rosewood essence, clothing petroleum, lumber, plywood, sugar, cocoa, coffee, diamonds
Exports - partners France 62%, Switzerland 7%, US 2% (2001) China 26.8%, Taiwan 19.2%, North Korea 8.4%, US 7.3%, France 5.5%, South Korea 4.8% (2004)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description the flag of France is used 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
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: NA%


industry: NA%


services: NA% (2001 est.)
agriculture: 7.4%


industry: 52%


services: 40.6% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $8,300 (2003 est.) purchasing power parity - $800 (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate NA% 3.7% (2004 est.)
Geographic coordinates 4 00 N, 53 00 W 1 00 S, 15 00 E
Geography - note mostly an unsettled wilderness; the only non-independent portion of the South American continent about 70% of the population lives in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, or along the railroad between them
Highways total: 817 km (1998) total: 12,800 km


paved: 1,242 km


unpaved: 11,558 km (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
lowest 10%: NA


highest 10%: NA
Illicit drugs small amount of marijuana grown for local consumption; minor transshipment point to Europe -
Imports NA NA
Imports - commodities food (grains, processed meat), machinery and transport equipment, fuels and chemicals capital equipment, construction materials, foodstuffs
Imports - partners France 63%, US, Trinidad and Tobago, Italy (2002 est.) France 32.7%, US 10.1%, Germany 6.2%, Italy 6%, China 5.2%, Netherlands 4.5% (2004)
Independence none (overseas department of France) 15 August 1960 (from France)
Industrial production growth rate NA% 0% (2002 est.)
Industries construction, shrimp processing, forestry products, rum, gold mining petroleum extraction, cement, lumber, brewing, sugar, palm oil, soap, flour, cigarettes
Infant mortality rate total: 12.07 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 12.91 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 11.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
total: 92.41 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 98.48 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 86.16 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 1.5% (2002 est.) 1.8% (2004 est.)
International organization participation UPU, WCL, WFTU 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, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Irrigated land 20 sq km (1998 est.) 10 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel (highest local court based in Martinique with jurisdiction over Martinique, Guadeloupe, and French Guiana) Supreme Court or Cour Supreme
Labor force 58,800 (1997) NA
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 18.2%, industry 21.2%, services, government, and commerce 60.6% (1980) -
Land boundaries total: 1,183 km


border countries: Brazil 673 km, Suriname 510 km
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
Land use arable land: 0.14%


permanent crops: 0.05%


other: 99.81% (90% forest, 10% other) (2001)
arable land: 0.51%


permanent crops: 0.13%


other: 99.36% (2001)
Languages French French (official), Lingala and Monokutuba (lingua franca trade languages), many local languages and dialects (of which Kikongo is the most widespread)
Legal system French legal system based on French civil law system and customary law
Legislative branch unicameral General Council or Conseil General (19 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and a unicameral Regional Council or Conseil Regional (31 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms)


elections: General Council - last held NA March 2000 (next to be held NA 2006); Regional Council - last held 15 March 1998 (next to be held NA 2004)


election results: General Council - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PSG 5, various left-wing parties 5, independents 7, other 2; Regional Council - percent of vote by party - PS 28.28%, various left parties 22.56%, RPR 15.91%, independents 8.6%, Walwari Committee 6%; seats by party - PS 11, various left parties 9, RPR 6, independents 3, Walwari Committee 2


note: one seat was elected to the French Senate on 27 September 1998 (next to be held September 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA; 2 seats were elected to the French National Assembly on 9 June-16 June 2002 (next to be held NA 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - UMP/RPR 1, Walwari Committee 1
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 NA May 2007)


election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - FDP 56, other 10; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - FDP 83, UDR 6, UPADS 3, other 45
Life expectancy at birth total population: 77.09 years


male: 73.77 years


female: 80.58 years (2005 est.)
total population: 52.26 years


male: 51.17 years


female: 53.39 years (2005 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 83%


male: 84%


female: 82% (1982 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 83.8%


male: 89.6%


female: 78.4% (2003 est.)
Location Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Brazil and Suriname Western Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and Gabon
Map references South America Africa
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 200 nm
Merchant marine registered in other countries: 3 -
Military - note defense is the responsibility of France -
Military branches no regular military forces; Gendarmerie Congolese Armed Forces (FAC): Army, Air Force (Armee de l'Air Congolaise), Navy, Gendarmerie, Republican Guard (2005)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $NA $126.5 million (2004)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP NA 2.8% (2004)
National holiday Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) Independence Day, 15 August (1960)
Nationality noun: French Guianese (singular and plural)


adjective: French Guianese
noun: Congolese (singular and plural)


adjective: Congolese or Congo
Natural hazards high frequency of heavy showers and severe thunderstorms; flooding seasonal flooding
Natural resources bauxite, timber, gold (widely scattered), petroleum, kaolin, fish, niobium, tantalum, clay petroleum, timber, potash, lead, zinc, uranium, copper, phosphates, gold, magnesium, natural gas, hydropower
Net migration rate 5.11 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Pipelines - gas 53 km; oil 646 km (2004)
Political parties and leaders Guyanese Democratic Action or ADG [Andre LECANTE]; Guyanese Socialist Party or PSG [Marie-Claude VERDAN]; Guyana Democratic Forces or FDG [Georges OTHILY]; Popular National Guyanese Party or PNPG [Jose DORCY]; Socialist Party or PS [Paul DEBRIETTE]; Union for a Popular Movement or UMP (includes RPR) [Muriel ICARE]; Walwari Committee (aligned with the PRG in France) [Christine TAUBIRA-DELANON] the most important of the many parties are the Democratic and Patriotic Forces or FDP (an alliance of Convention for Alternative Democracy, Congolese Labor Party or PCT, Liberal Republican Party, National Union for Democracy and Progress, Patriotic Union for the National Reconstruction, and Union for the National Renewal) [Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO, president]; Congolese Movement for Democracy and Integral Development or MCDDI [Michel MAMPOUYA]; Pan-African Union for Social Development or UPADS [Martin MBERI]; Rally for Democracy and Social Progress or RDPS [Jean-Pierre Thystere TCHICAYA, president]; Rally for Democracy and the Republic or RDR [Raymond Damasge NGOLLO]; Union for Democracy and Republic or UDR [leader NA]; Union of Democratic Forces or UFD [Sebastian EBAO]
Political pressure groups and leaders NA 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
Population 195,506 (July 2005 est.) 3,039,126


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 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% NA
Population growth rate 2.1% (2005 est.) 1.31% (2005 est.)
Ports and harbors Degrad des Cannes Brazzaville, Djeno, Impfondo, Ouesso, Oyo, Pointe-Noire
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 14 (including 6 repeaters), shortwave 6 (including 5 repeaters) (1998) AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 3 (2001)
Railways - total: 894 km


narrow gauge: 894 km 1.067-m gauge (2004)
Religions Roman Catholic Christian 50%, animist 48%, Muslim 2%
Sex ratio at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.16 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 1.04 male(s)/female


total population: 1.12 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
at birth: 1.01 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: 0.98 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: NA


domestic: fair open-wire and microwave radio relay system


international: country code - 594; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
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)
Telephones - main lines in use 51,000 (2001) 7,000 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular 138,200 (2002) 330,000 (2003)
Television broadcast stations 3 (plus eight low-power repeaters) (1997) 1 (2002)
Terrain low-lying coastal plains rising to hills and small mountains coastal plain, southern basin, central plateau, northern basin
Total fertility rate 3.01 children born/woman (2005 est.) 3.54 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate 22% (2001) NA (2003)
Waterways 3,760 km


note: 460 km navigable by small oceangoing vessels and coastal and river steamers, 3,300 km by native craft (2004)
4,385 km (on Congo and Oubanqui rivers) (2004)
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