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Compare Reunion (2001) - Congo, Republic of the (2005)

Compare Reunion (2001) z Congo, Republic of the (2005)

 Reunion (2001)Congo, Republic of the (2005)
 ReunionCongo, Republic of the
Administrative divisions none (overseas department of France); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 4 arrondissements, 24 communes, and 47 cantons 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:
32.07% (male 120,259; female 114,669)

15-64 years:
62.25% (male 224,347; female 231,698)

65 years and over:
5.68% (male 16,892; female 24,705) (2001 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 sugarcane, vanilla, tobacco, tropical fruits, vegetables, corn cassava (tapioca), sugar, rice, corn, peanuts, vegetables, coffee, cocoa; forest products
Airports 2 (2000 est.) 32 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total:
2

2,438 to 3,047 m:
1

914 to 1,523 m:
1 (2000 est.)
total: 4


over 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways - total: 28


1,524 to 2,437 m: 6


914 to 1,523 m: 11


under 914 m: 11 (2004 est.)
Area total:
2,512 sq km

land:
2,502 sq km

water:
10 sq km
total: 342,000 sq km


land: 341,500 sq km


water: 500 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Rhode Island slightly smaller than Montana
Background The Portuguese discovered the uninhabited island in 1513. From the 17th to the 19th centuries, French immigration supplemented by influxes of Africans, Chinese, Malays, and Malabar Indians gave the island its ethnic mix. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 cost the island its importance as a stopover on the East Indies trade route. 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 21.26 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) 27.88 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget revenues:
NA

expenditures:
NA
revenues: $870.1 million


expenditures: $1.102 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)
Capital Saint-Denis Brazzaville
Climate tropical, but temperature moderates with elevation; cool and dry from May to November, hot and rainy from November to April tropical; rainy season (March to June); dry season (June to October); constantly high temperatures and humidity; particularly enervating climate astride the Equator
Coastline 207 km 169 km
Constitution 28 September 1958 (French Constitution) approved by referendum 20 January 2002
Country name conventional long form:
Department of Reunion

conventional short form:
Reunion

local long form:
none

local short form:
Ile de la Reunion

former:
Bourbon Island
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 French franc (FRF); euro (EUR) -
Death rate 5.52 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) 14.82 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external $NA $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 none 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; note - substantial annual subsidies from France $159.1 million (1995)
Economy - overview The economy has traditionally been based on agriculture. Sugarcane has been the primary crop for more than a century, and in some years it accounts for 85% of exports. The government has been pushing the development of a tourist industry to relieve high unemployment, which amounts to more than 40% of the labor force. The gap in Reunion between the well-off and the poor is extraordinary and accounts for the persistent social tensions. The white and Indian communities are substantially better off than other segments of the population, often approaching European standards, whereas minority groups suffer the poverty and unemployment typical of the poorer nations of the African continent. The outbreak of severe rioting in February 1991 illustrates the seriousness of socioeconomic tensions. The economic well-being of Reunion depends heavily on continued financial assistance from France. 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 1.023 billion kWh (1999) 573.6 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (1999) 0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (1999) 250 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - production 1.1 billion kWh (1999) 348 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel:
54.55%

hydro:
45.45%

nuclear:
0%

other:
0% (1999)
-
Elevation extremes lowest point:
Indian Ocean 0 m

highest point:
Piton des Neiges 3,069 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 French, African, Malagasy, Chinese, Pakistani, Indian 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 - 1.06594 (January 2001), 1.08540 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); French francs per US dollar - 5.8995 (1998), 5.8367 (1997), 5.1155 (1996) 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 Robert POMMIES (since NA 1996)

head of government:
President of the General Council Jean-Luc POUDROUX (since NA March 1998) and President of the Regional Council Paul VERGES (since NA March 1993)

cabinet:
NA

elections:
French president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of the Interior; the presidents of the General and Regional Councils are elected 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 $214 million (f.o.b., 1997) NA
Exports - commodities sugar 63%, rum and molasses 4%, perfume essences 2%, lobster 3%, (1993) petroleum, lumber, plywood, sugar, cocoa, coffee, diamonds
Exports - partners France 74%, Japan 6%, Comoros 4% (1994) 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 purchasing power parity - $3.4 billion (1998 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture:
NA%

industry:
NA%

services:
NA%
agriculture: 7.4%


industry: 52%


services: 40.6% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $4,800 (1998 est.) purchasing power parity - $800 (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 3.8% (1998 est.) 3.7% (2004 est.)
Geographic coordinates 21 06 S, 55 36 E 1 00 S, 15 00 E
Geography - note - about 70% of the population lives in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, or along the railroad between them
Highways total:
2,724 km

paved:
1,300 km (including 73 km of four-lane road)

unpaved:
1,424 km

note:
370 km of road are maintained by national authorities, 754 km by departmental authorities and 1600 km by local authorities (1994)
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
Imports $2.5 billion (c.i.f., 1997) NA
Imports - commodities manufactured goods, food, beverages, tobacco, machinery and transportation equipment, raw materials, and petroleum products capital equipment, construction materials, foodstuffs
Imports - partners France 64%, Bahrain 3%, Germany 3%, Italy 3% (1994) 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 sugar, rum, cigarettes, handicraft items, flower oil extraction petroleum extraction, cement, lumber, brewing, sugar, palm oil, soap, flour, cigarettes
Infant mortality rate 8.49 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 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) NA% 1.8% (2004 est.)
International organization participation FZ, InOC, 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
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 1 (2000) -
Irrigated land 60 sq km (1993 est.) 10 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel Supreme Court or Cour Supreme
Labor force 261,000 (1995) NA
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 8%, industry 19%, services 73% (1990) -
Land boundaries 0 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:
17%

permanent crops:
2%

permanent pastures:
5%

forests and woodland:
35%

other:
41% (1993 est.)
arable land: 0.51%


permanent crops: 0.13%


other: 99.36% (2001)
Languages French (official), Creole widely used French (official), Lingala and Monokutuba (lingua franca trade languages), many local languages and dialects (of which Kikongo is the most widespread)
Legal system French law based on French civil law system and customary law
Legislative branch unicameral General Council (47 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve six-year terms) and a unicameral Regional Council (45 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve six-year terms)

elections:
General Council - last held NA March 1994 (next to be held NA 2000); 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 - PCR 12, PS 12, UDF 11, RPR 5, others 7; Regional Council - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PCR 7, UDF 8, PS 6, RPR 4, various right-wing candidates 15, various left-wing candidates 5

note:
Reunion elects three representatives to the French Senate; elections last held 14 April 1996 (next to be held NA 2001); results - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - RPR 1, PCR 2; Reunion also elects five deputies to the French National Assembly; elections last held 25 May and 1 June 1997 (next to be held NA 2002); results - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PCR 3, PS 1, and RPR-UDF 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:
72.93 years

male:
69.53 years

female:
76.49 years (2001 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:
79%

male:
76%

female:
80% (1982 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 83.8%


male: 89.6%


female: 78.4% (2003 est.)
Location Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar Western Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and Gabon
Map references World Africa
Maritime claims exclusive economic zone:
200 NM

territorial sea:
12 NM
territorial sea: 200 nm
Merchant marine total:
1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 28,264 GRT/44,885 DWT

ships by type:
chemical tanker 1 (2000 est.)
-
Military - note defense is the responsibility of France -
Military branches French forces (Army, Navy, Air Force, and Gendarmerie) Congolese Armed Forces (FAC): Army, Air Force (Armee de l'Air Congolaise), Navy, Gendarmerie, Republican Guard (2005)
Military expenditures - dollar figure - $126.5 million (2004)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP - 2.8% (2004)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49:
190,846 (2001 est.)
-
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49:
97,497 (2001 est.)
-
Military manpower - military age 18 years of age -
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males:
6,243 (2001 est.)
-
National holiday Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) Independence Day, 15 August (1960)
Nationality noun:
Reunionese (singular and plural)

adjective:
Reunionese
noun: Congolese (singular and plural)


adjective: Congolese or Congo
Natural hazards periodic, devastating cyclones (December to April); Piton de la Fournaise on the southeastern coast is an active volcano seasonal flooding
Natural resources fish, arable land, hydropower petroleum, timber, potash, lead, zinc, uranium, copper, phosphates, gold, magnesium, natural gas, hydropower
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Pipelines - gas 53 km; oil 646 km (2004)
Political parties and leaders Communist Party of Reunion or PCR [Paul VERGES]; Rally for the Republic or RPR [Andre Maurice PIHOUEE]; Socialist Party or PS [Jean-Claude FRUTEAU]; Union for French Democracy or UDF [Gilbert GERARD] 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 732,570 (July 2001 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 1.57% (2001 est.) 1.31% (2005 est.)
Ports and harbors Le Port, Pointe des Galets Brazzaville, Djeno, Impfondo, Ouesso, Oyo, Pointe-Noire
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 55, shortwave 0 (1998) AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 3 (2001)
Radios 173,000 (1997) -
Railways 0 km total: 894 km


narrow gauge: 894 km 1.067-m gauge (2004)
Religions Roman Catholic 86%, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist (1995) 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:
0.97 male(s)/female

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

total population:
0.97 male(s)/female (2001 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:
adequate system; principal center is Saint-Denis

domestic:
modern open wire and microwave radio relay network

international:
radiotelephone communication to Comoros, France, Madagascar; new microwave route to Mauritius; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian 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 236,500 (1997) 7,000 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular 85,000 (1999) 330,000 (2003)
Television broadcast stations 22 (plus 18 low-power repeaters) (1997) 1 (2002)
Terrain mostly rugged and mountainous; fertile lowlands along coast coastal plain, southern basin, central plateau, northern basin
Total fertility rate 2.58 children born/woman (2001 est.) 3.54 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate 42.8% (1998) NA (2003)
Waterways none 4,385 km (on Congo and Oubanqui rivers) (2004)
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