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Compare Italy (2002) - Congo, Republic of the (2002)

Compare Italy (2002) z Congo, Republic of the (2002)

 Italy (2002)Congo, Republic of the (2002)
 ItalyCongo, Republic of the
Administrative divisions 20 regions (regioni, singular - regione); Abruzzi, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Lazio, Liguria, Lombardia, Marche, Molise, Piemonte, Puglia, Sardegna, Sicilia, Toscana, Trentino-Alto Adige, Umbria, Valle d'Aosta, Veneto 9 regions (regions, singular - region) and 1 commune*; Bouenza, Brazzaville*, Cuvette, Kouilou, Lekoumou, Likouala, Niari, Plateaux, Pool, Sangha
Age structure 0-14 years: 14.1% (male 4,198,569; female 3,954,159)


15-64 years: 67.3% (male 19,334,208; female 19,492,048)


65 years and over: 18.6% (male 4,436,073; female 6,300,568) (2002 est.)
0-14 years: 42.4% (male 630,985; female 622,024)


15-64 years: 54.3% (male 783,238; female 823,882)


65 years and over: 3.3% (male 39,369; female 58,950) (2002 est.)
Agriculture - products fruits, vegetables, grapes, potatoes, sugar beets, soybeans, grain, olives; beef, dairy products; fish cassava (tapioca), sugar, rice, corn, peanuts, vegetables, coffee, cocoa; forest products
Airports 135 (2001) 33 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways total: 96


over 3,047 m: 5


2,438 to 3,047 m: 34


1,524 to 2,437 m: 15


914 to 1,523 m: 30


under 914 m: 12 (2002)
total: 4


over 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 38


1,524 to 2,437 m: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 18


under 914 m: 18 (2002)
total: 27


1,524 to 2,437 m: 6


914 to 1,523 m: 10


under 914 m: 11 (2002)
Area total: 301,230 sq km


land: 294,020 sq km


water: 7,210 sq km


note: includes Sardinia and Sicily
total: 342,000 sq km


land: 341,500 sq km


water: 500 sq km
Area - comparative slightly larger than Arizona slightly smaller than Montana
Background Italy became a nation-state in 1861 when the city-states of the peninsula, along with Sardinia and Sicily, were united under King Victor EMMANUEL. An era of parliamentary government came to a close in the early 1920s when Benito MUSSOLINI established a Fascist dictatorship. His disastrous alliance with Nazi Germany led to Italy's defeat in World War II. A democratic republic replaced the monarchy in 1946 and economic revival followed. Italy was a charter member of NATO and the European Economic Community (EEC). It has been at the forefront of European economic and political unification, joining the European Monetary Union in 1999. Persistent problems include illegal immigration, the ravages of organized crime, corruption, high unemployment, and the low incomes and technical standards of southern Italy compared with the prosperous north. 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.
Birth rate 8.93 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) 37.91 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Budget revenues: $504 billion


expenditures: $517 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.)
revenues: $870 million


expenditures: $970 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997 est.)
Capital Rome Brazzaville
Climate predominantly Mediterranean; Alpine in far north; hot, dry in south tropical; rainy season (March to June); dry season (June to October); constantly high temperatures and humidity; particularly enervating climate astride the Equator
Coastline 7,600 km 169 km
Constitution 1 January 1948 constitution approved by referendum in January 2002
Country name conventional long form: Italian Republic


conventional short form: Italy


local long form: Repubblica Italiana


local short form: Italia


former: Kingdom of Italy
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
Currency euro (EUR); Italian lira (ITL)


note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries
Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States
Death rate 10.13 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) 16.1 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Debt - external $NA $5 billion (1999 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Melvin SEMBLER


embassy: Via Vittorio Veneto 119/A, 00187-Rome


mailing address: PSC 59, Box 100, APO AE 09624


telephone: [39] (06) 46741


FAX: [39] (06) 488-2672, 4674-2356


consulate(s) general: Florence, Milan, Naples
chief of mission: Ambassador Robin R. SANDERS


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 chief of mission: Ambassador Ferdinando SALLEO


chancery: 3000 Whitehaven Street NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 612-4400


FAX: [1] (202) 518-2151


consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Miami, New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and San Francisco


consulate(s): Detroit
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 Croatia and Italy are still trying to resolve bilateral property and ethnic minority rights dating from World War II most of the Congo River boundary with the Democratic Republic of the Congo is indefinite (no agreement has been reached on the division of the river or its islands, except in the Stanley Pool/Pool Malebo area)
Economic aid - donor ODA, $1 billion (2002 est.) -
Economic aid - recipient - $159.1 million (1995) (1995)
Economy - overview Italy has a diversified industrial economy with roughly the same total and per capita output as France and the UK. This capitalistic economy remains divided into a developed industrial north, dominated by private companies, and a less developed agricultural south, with 20% unemployment. Most raw materials needed by industry and more than 75% of energy requirements are imported. Over the past decade, Italy has pursued a tight fiscal policy in order to meet the requirements of the Economic and Monetary Unions and has benefited from lower interest and inflation rates. The current government has enacted numerous short-term reforms aimed at improving competitiveness and long-term growth. Rome has moved slowly, however, on implementing needed structural reforms, such as lightening the high tax burden and overhauling Italy's rigid labor market and over-generous pension system, because of the current economic slowdown and opposition from labor unions. 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. Given a fragile peace, agreements with the IMF and the World Bank, and general international support for reconstruction and development, prospects for structural reform and 4% growth in 2002-03 appear strong.
Electricity - consumption 283.74 billion kWh (2000) 406.9 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports 484 million kWh (2000) 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports 44.831 billion kWh (2000) 126 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production 257.41 billion kWh (2000) 302 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel: 80%


hydro: 17%


nuclear: 0%


other: 3% (2000)
fossil fuel: 1%


hydro: 99%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (1999)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m


highest point: Mont Blanc (Monte Bianco) de Courmayeur 4,748 m (a secondary peak of Mont Blanc)
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Mount Berongou 903 m
Environment - current issues air pollution from industrial emissions such as sulfur dioxide; coastal and inland rivers polluted from industrial and agricultural effluents; acid rain damaging lakes; inadequate industrial waste treatment and disposal facilities air pollution from vehicle emissions; water pollution from the dumping of raw sewage; tap water is not potable; deforestation
Environment - international agreements party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling


signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
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 Italian (includes small clusters of German-, French-, and Slovene-Italians in the north and Albanian-Italians and Greek-Italians in the south) 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 - 1.1324 (January 2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); Italian lire per US dollar - 1,688.7 (January 1999), 1,736.2 (1998), 1,703.1 (1997) Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 742.79 (January 2002), 733.04 (2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.70 (1999), 589.95 (1998), 583.67 (1997); note - from 1 January 1999, the XAF is pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XAF per euro
Executive branch chief of state: President Carlo Azeglio CIAMPI (since 13 May 1999)


head of government: Prime Minister (referred to in Italy as the president of the Council of Ministers) Silvio BERLUSCONI (since 10 June 2001)


cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and approved by the president


elections: president elected by an electoral college consisting of both houses of Parliament and 58 regional representatives for a seven-year term; election last held 13 May 1999 (next to be held NA May 2006); prime minister appointed by the president and confirmed by Parliament


election results: Carlo Azeglio CIAMPI elected president; percent of electoral college vote - 70%


note: a five-party government coalition includes Forza Italia, National Alliance, Northern League, Democratic Christian Center, United Christian Democrats
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 $259.2 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.) $2.6 billion f.o.b. (2001)
Exports - commodities engineering products, textiles and clothing, production machinery, motor vehicles, transport equipment, chemicals; food, beverages and tobacco; minerals and nonferrous metals petroleum 90%, lumber, plywood, sugar, cocoa, coffee, diamonds
Exports - partners EU 53.8% (Germany 14.5%, France 12.2%, UK 6.7%, Spain 6.1%), US 9.7% (2001) US 20.9%, South Korea 15.5%, China 6.7%, Germany 3.2% (2000)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and red; similar to the flag of Ireland, which is longer and is green (hoist side), white, and orange; also similar to the flag of the Cote d'Ivoire, which has the colors reversed - orange (hoist side), white, and green


note: inspired by the French flag brought to Italy by Napoleon in 1797
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 purchasing power parity - $1.438 trillion (2002 est.) purchasing power parity - $2.5 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 2%


industry: 30%


services: 68% (2001 est.)
agriculture: 10%


industry: 48%


services: 42% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $25,000 (2002 est.) purchasing power parity - $900 (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 0.4% (2002 est.) 4.2% (2001 est.)
Geographic coordinates 42 50 N, 12 50 E 1 00 S, 15 00 E
Geography - note strategic location dominating central Mediterranean as well as southern sea and air approaches to Western Europe about 70% of the population lives in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, or along the railroad between them
Heliports 4 (2002) -
Highways total: 668,669 km


paved: 668,669 km (including 6,460 km of expressways)


unpaved: 0 km (2001)
total: 12,800 km


paved: 1,242 km


unpaved: 11,558 km (1996)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 2%


highest 10%: 27% (2000)
lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
Illicit drugs important gateway for and consumer of Latin American cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin entering the European market; money laundering by organized crime and from smuggling -
Imports $238.2 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.) $725 million f.o.b. (2001)
Imports - commodities engineering products, chemicals, transport equipment, energy products, minerals and nonferrous metals, textiles and clothing; food, beverages and tobacco petroleum products, capital equipment, construction materials, foodstuffs
Imports - partners EU 56.5% (Germany 17.7%, France 11.1%, Netherlands 6.2%, UK 5.1%), US 4.9% (2001) France 20.5%, US 9.8%, Italy 7.5%, Belgium 3.8% (2000)
Independence 17 March 1861 (Kingdom of Italy proclaimed; Italy was not finally unified until 1870) 15 August 1960 (from France)
Industrial production growth rate -2.8% (2002) NA%
Industries tourism, machinery, iron and steel, chemicals, food processing, textiles, motor vehicles, clothing, footwear, ceramics petroleum extraction, cement, lumber, brewing, sugar, palm oil, soap, flour, cigarettes
Infant mortality rate 5.76 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) 97.91 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2.4% (2002) 3% (2001 est.)
International organization participation AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CCC, CDB, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECLAC, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 7, G- 8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MINURSO, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOGIP, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC, CCC, CEEAC, CEMAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 93 (Italy and Holy See) (2000) 1 (2000)
Irrigated land 26,980 sq km (1998 est.) 10 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch Constitutional Court or Corte Costituzionale (composed of 15 judges: one-third appointed by the president, one-third elected by Parliament, one-third elected by the ordinary and administrative Supreme Courts) Supreme Court or Cour Supreme
Labor force 23.6 million (2001 est.) NA
Labor force - by occupation services 63%, industry 32%, agriculture 5% (2001) -
Land boundaries total: 1,932.2 km


border countries: Austria 430 km, France 488 km, Holy See (Vatican City) 3.2 km, San Marino 39 km, Slovenia 232 km, Switzerland 740 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: 28.07%


permanent crops: 9.25%


other: 62.68% (1998 est.)
arable land: 0.5%


permanent crops: 0.13%


other: 99.37% (1998 est.)
Languages Italian (official), German (parts of Trentino-Alto Adige region are predominantly German speaking), French (small French-speaking minority in Valle d'Aosta region), Slovene (Slovene-speaking minority in the Trieste-Gorizia area) French (official), Lingala and Monokutuba (lingua franca trade languages), many local languages and dialects (of which Kikongo has the most users)
Legal system based on civil law system; appeals treated as new trials; judicial review under certain conditions in Constitutional Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction based on French civil law system and customary law
Legislative branch bicameral Parliament or Parlamento consists of the Senate or Senato della Repubblica (315 seats elected by popular vote of which 232 are directly elected and 83 are elected by regional proportional representation; in addition, there are a small number of senators-for-life including former presidents of the republic; members serve five-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camera dei Deputati (630 seats; 475 are directly elected, 155 by regional proportional representation; members serve five-year terms)


elections: Senate - last held 13 May 2001 (next to be held NA 2006); Chamber of Deputies - last held 13 May 2001 (next to be held NA 2006)


election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - House of Liberties 177 (Forza Italia 82, National Alliance 46, CCD-CDU 29, Northern League 17, others 3), Olive Tree 128 (Democrats of the Left 62, Daisy Alliance 42, Sunflower Alliance 16, Italian Communist Party 3, independents 5), non-affiliated with either coalition 10, senators for life 9; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - House of Liberties 367 (Forza Italia 189, National Alliance 96, CCD-CDU 40, Northern League 30, others 12), Olive Tree 248 (Democrats of the Left 138, Daisy Alliance 76, Sunflower Alliance 18, Italian Communist Party 9, independents 7), non-affiliated with either coalition 15
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 NA 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: 79.25 years


male: 76.08 years


female: 82.63 years (2002 est.)
total population: 47.71 years


male: 44.27 years


female: 51.24 years (2002 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 98% (1998)


male: NA%


female: NA%
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 74.9%


male: 83.1%


female: 67.2% (1995 est.)
Location Southern Europe, a peninsula extending into the central Mediterranean Sea, northeast of Tunisia Western Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and Gabon
Map references Europe Africa
Maritime claims continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation


territorial sea: 12 NM
territorial sea: 200 NM
Merchant marine total: 467 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 8,499,248 GRT/10,383,988 DWT


ships by type: bulk 45, cargo 41, chemical tanker 91, combination ore/oil 4, container 24, liquefied gas 37, multi-functional large-load carrier 1, passenger 15, petroleum tanker 80, refrigerated cargo 4, roll on/roll off 70, short-sea passenger 27, specialized tanker 12, vehicle carrier 16


note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Croatia 1, Denmark 4, France 1, Greece 3, Man, Isle of 1, Monaco 7, Netherlands 6, Norway 1, Panama 2, Spain 1, Switzerland 1, Taiwan 15, Turkey 1, United Kingdom 6, United States 12 (2002 est.)
-
Military branches Army, Navy, Air Force, Carabinieri Army, Air Force, Navy, Gendarmerie, National Police
Military expenditures - dollar figure $20.2 billion (2002) $84 million (FY01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 1.64% (2002) 2.8% (FY01)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49: 14,184,307 (2002 est.) males age 15-49: 702,048 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49: 12,157,753 (2002 est.) males age 15-49: 356,388 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - military age 18 years of age (2002 est.) 20 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males: 304,369 (2002 est.) males: 32,350 (2002 est.)
National holiday Republic Day, 2 June (1946) Independence Day, 15 August (1960)
Nationality noun: Italian(s)


adjective: Italian
noun: Congolese (singular and plural)


adjective: Congolese or Congo
Natural hazards regional risks include landslides, mudflows, avalanches, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, flooding; land subsidence in Venice seasonal flooding
Natural resources mercury, potash, marble, sulfur, natural gas and crude oil reserves, fish, coal, arable land petroleum, timber, potash, lead, zinc, uranium, copper, phosphates, natural gas, hydropower
Net migration rate 1.73 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Pipelines crude oil 1,703 km; petroleum products 2,148 km; natural gas 19,400 km crude oil 25 km
Political parties and leaders Center-Left Olive Tree Coalition [Francesco RUTELLI] - Democrats of the Left, Daisy Alliance (including Italian Popular Party, Italian Renewal, Union of Democrats for Europe, The Democrats), Sunflower Alliance (including Green Federation, Italian Democratic Socialists), Italian Communist Party; Center-Right Freedom House Coalition [Silvio BERLUSCONI] (formerly House of Liberties and Freedom Alliance) - Forza Italia, National Alliance, The Whiteflower Alliance (includes Christian Democratic Center, United Christian Democrats), Northern League; Christian Democratic Center or CCD [Marco FOLLINI]; Communist Party or PdCI [Oliviero DILIBERTO]; Democrats of the Left or DS [Piero FASSINO]; Forza Italia or FI [Silvio BERLUSCONI]; Green Federation [Alfonso Pecoraro SCANIO]; Italian Communist Party or PdCI [Oliviero DILIBERTO]; Italian Popular Party or PPI [Pierluigi CASTAGNETTI]; Italian Renewal or RI [Lamberto DINI]; Italian Social Democrats or SDI [Enrico BOSELLI]; Socialist Movement-Tricolor Flame or MS-Fiamma [Pino RAUTI]; National Alliance or AN [Gianfranco FINI]; Northern League or NL [Umberto BOSSI]; Southern Tyrols People's Party or SVP (German speakers) [Siegfried BRUGGER]; Sunflower Alliance (includes Green Federation, Italian Social Democrats); The Daisy Alliance (includes Italian Popular Party, Italian Renewal, Union of Democrats for Europe, The Democrats); The Democrats [Arturo PARISI]; The Radicals (formerly Pannella Reformers and Autonomous List) [Marco PANNELLA]; The Whiteflower Alliance (includes Christian Democratic Center, United Christian Democrats); Union of Democrats for Europe or UDEUR [Clemente MASTELLA]; United Christian Democrats or CDU [Rocco BUTTIGLIONE] 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 Italian manufacturers and merchants associations (Confindustria, Confcommercio); organized farm groups (Confcoltivatori, Confagricoltura); Roman Catholic Church; three major trade union confederations (Confederazione Generale Italiana del Lavoro or CGIL [Sergio COFFERATI] which is left wing, Confederazione Italiana dei Sindacati Lavoratori or CISL [Savino PEZZOTTA] which is Roman Catholic centrist, and Unione Italiana del Lavoro or UIL [Pietro LARIZZA] which is lay centrist) 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 57,715,625 (July 2002 est.) 2,958,448


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 0.05% (2002 est.) 2.18% (2002 est.)
Ports and harbors Augusta (Sicily), Bagnoli, Bari, Brindisi, Gela, Genoa, La Spezia, Livorno, Milazzo, Naples, Porto Foxi, Porto Torres (Sardinia), Salerno, Savona, Taranto, Trieste, Venice (2001) Brazzaville, Impfondo, Ouesso, Oyo, Pointe-Noire
Radio broadcast stations AM about 100, FM about 4,600, shortwave 9 (1998) AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 3 (2001)
Radios 50.5 million (1997) 341,000 (1997)
Railways total: 19,786 km


standard gauge: 18,761 km 1.435-m gauge (11,251 km electrified)


narrow gauge: 113 km 1.000-m gauge (113 km electrified); 912 km 0.950-m gauge (192 km electrified) (2001)
total: 894 km


narrow gauge: 894 km 1.067-m gauge (2000 est.)
Religions predominately Roman Catholic with mature Protestant and Jewish communities and a growing Muslim immigrant community Christian 50%, animist 48%, Muslim 2%
Sex ratio at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female


total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female


total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal (except in senatorial elections, where minimum age is 25) 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: modern, well developed, fast; fully automated telephone, telex, and data services


domestic: high-capacity cable and microwave radio relay trunks


international: satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (with a total of 5 antennas - 3 for Atlantic Ocean and 2 for Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region), and NA Eutelsat; 21 submarine cables
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: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use 25 million (1999) 22,000 (1998)
Telephones - mobile cellular 20.5 million (1999) 3,300 (1998)
Television broadcast stations 358 (plus 4,728 repeaters) (1995) 1 (2002)
Terrain mostly rugged and mountainous; some plains, coastal lowlands coastal plain, southern basin, central plateau, northern basin
Total fertility rate 1.19 children born/woman (2002 est.) 4.94 children born/woman (2002 est.)
Unemployment rate 9.1% (2002 est.) NA%
Waterways 2,400 km


note: serves various types of commercial traffic, although of limited overall value (2002)
1,120 km


note: the Congo and Ubangi (Oubangui) rivers provide 1,120 km of commercially navigable water transport; other rivers are used for local traffic only
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