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Compare Swaziland (2007) - Congo, Republic of the (2006)

Compare Swaziland (2007) z Congo, Republic of the (2006)

 Swaziland (2007)Congo, Republic of the (2006)
 SwazilandCongo, Republic of the
Administrative divisions 4 districts; Hhohho, Lubombo, Manzini, Shiselweni 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: 40.3% (male 230,238/female 226,184)


15-64 years: 56.1% (male 304,899/female 331,036)


65 years and over: 3.6% (male 15,870/female 24,839) (2007 est.)
0-14 years: 46.4% (male 864,407/female 853,728)


15-64 years: 50.7% (male 930,390/female 945,545)


65 years and over: 2.9% (male 44,430/female 63,814) (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products sugarcane, cotton, corn, tobacco, rice, citrus, pineapples, sorghum, peanuts; cattle, goats, sheep cassava (tapioca), sugar, rice, corn, peanuts, vegetables, coffee, cocoa; forest products
Airports 18 (2007) 32 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways total: 1


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2007)
total: 4


over 3,047 m: 1


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 17


914 to 1,523 m: 7


under 914 m: 10 (2007)
total: 28


1,524 to 2,437 m: 6


914 to 1,523 m: 11


under 914 m: 11 (2006)
Area total: 17,363 sq km


land: 17,203 sq km


water: 160 sq km
total: 342,000 sq km


land: 341,500 sq km


water: 500 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than New Jersey slightly smaller than Montana
Background Autonomy for the Swazis of southern Africa was guaranteed by the British in the late 19th century; independence was granted in 1968. Student and labor unrest during the 1990s pressured King MSWATI III, the world's last ruling monarch, to grudgingly allow political reform and greater democracy, although he has backslid on these promises in recent years. Swaziland recently surpassed Botswana as the country with the world's highest known rates of HIV/AIDS infection. Upon independence in 1960, the former French region of Middle Congo became the Republic of the Congo. A quarter century of experimentation with Marxism was abandoned in 1990 and a democratically elected government took office in 1992. A brief civil war in 1997 restored former Marxist President Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO, and ushered in a period of ethnic and political unrest. Southern-based rebel groups agreed to a final peace accord in March 2003, but the calm is tenuous and refugees continue to present a humanitarian crisis. The Republic of Congo was once one of Africa's largest petroleum producers, but with declining production it will need to hope for new offshore oil finds to sustain its oil earnings over the long term.
Birth rate 26.98 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) 42.57 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Budget revenues: $977 million


expenditures: $1.034 billion (2006 est.)
revenues: $1.328 billion


expenditures: $1.065 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)
Capital name: Mbabane


geographic coordinates: 26 18 S, 31 06 E


time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)


note: Lobamba (royal and legislative capital)
name: Brazzaville


geographic coordinates: 4 16 S, 15 17 E


time difference: UTC+1 (six hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate varies from tropical to near temperate tropical; rainy season (March to June); dry season (June to October); persistent high temperatures and humidity; particularly enervating climate astride the Equator
Coastline 0 km (landlocked) 169 km
Constitution signed by the King in July 2005 went into effect on 8 February 2006 approved by referendum 20 January 2002
Country name conventional long form: Kingdom of Swaziland


conventional short form: Swaziland


local long form: Umbuso weSwatini


local short form: eSwatini
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 30.35 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) 12.93 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Debt - external $484 million (2006 est.) $5 billion (2000 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Lynn ALLISON


embassy: Central Bank Building, Mahlokahla Street, Mbabane


mailing address: P. O. Box 199, Mbabane


telephone: [268] 404-6441 through 404-6445


FAX: [268] 404-5959
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Mark BIEDLINGMAIER


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 Ephraim Mandla HLOPHE


chancery: 1712 New Hampshire Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20009


telephone: [1] (202) 234-5002


FAX: [1] (202) 234-8254
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 in 2006, Swazi king advocates resort to ICJ to claim parts of Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal from South Africa 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 $46.03 million (2005) $159.1 million (1995)
Economy - overview In this small, landlocked economy, subsistence agriculture occupies more than 80% of the population. The manufacturing sector has diversified since the mid-1980s. Sugar and wood pulp remain important foreign exchange earners. Mining has declined in importance in recent years with only coal and quarry stone mines remaining active. Surrounded by South Africa, except for a short border with Mozambique, Swaziland is heavily dependent on South Africa from which it receives more than nine-tenths of its imports and to which it sends 60% of its exports. Customs duties from the Southern African Customs Union and worker remittances from South Africa substantially supplement domestically earned income. The government is trying to improve the atmosphere for foreign investment. Overgrazing, soil depletion, drought, and sometimes floods persist as problems for the future. More than one-fourth of the population needed emergency food aid in 2004-05 because of drought, and nearly two-fifths of the adult population has been infected by HIV/AIDS. 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 through oil-backed loans that have contributed to a growing debt burden and chronic revenue shortfalls. Economic reform efforts have been undertaken with the support of international organizations, notably the World Bank and the IMF. However, the reform program came to a halt in June 1997 when civil war erupted. Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO, who returned to power when the war ended in October 1997, publicly expressed interest in moving forward on economic reforms and privatization and in renewing cooperation with international financial institutions. Economic progress was badly hurt by slumping oil prices and the resumption of armed conflict in December 1998, which worsened the republic's budget deficit. The current administration presides over an uneasy internal peace and faces difficult economic challenges of stimulating recovery and reducing poverty. Recovery of oil prices has boosted the economy's GDP and near-term prospects. The Republic of Congo may be eligible for an IMF-World Bank heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) initiative in early 2006, provided it meets the strict fiscal and monetary targets set out for it under a new three-year Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) with the IMF.
Electricity - consumption 1.3 billion kWh (2005) 619 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2005) 0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports 872 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2005) 300 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - production 460 million kWh (2005) 343 million kWh (2003)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Great Usutu River 21 m


highest point: Emlembe 1,862 m
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Mount Berongou 903 m
Environment - current issues limited supplies of potable water; wildlife populations being depleted because of excessive hunting; overgrazing; soil degradation; soil erosion 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, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection


signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
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 African 97%, European 3% Kongo 48%, Sangha 20%, M'Bochi 12%, Teke 17%, Europeans and other 3%
Exchange rates emalangeni per US dollar - 6.85 (2006), 6.3593 (2005), 6.4597 (2004), 7.5648 (2003), 10.5407 (2002) Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001)
Executive branch chief of state: King MSWATI III (since 25 April 1986)


head of government: Prime Minister Absolom Themba DLAMINI (since 14 November 2003)


cabinet: Cabinet recommended by the prime minister and confirmed by the monarch


elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch from among the elected members of the House of Assembly
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 term); election last held 10 March 2002 (next to be held in 2009)


election results: Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO reelected president; percent of vote - Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO 89.4%, Joseph Kignoumbi Kia MBOUNGOU 2.7%
Exports NA bbl/day NA bbl/day
Exports - commodities soft drink concentrates, sugar, wood pulp, cotton yarn, refrigerators, citrus and canned fruit petroleum, lumber, plywood, sugar, cocoa, coffee, diamonds
Exports - partners South Africa 59.7%, EU 8.8%, US 8.8%, Mozambique 6.2% (2006) China 38.9%, US 29%, Taiwan 11.8%, South Korea 7.2% (2005)
Fiscal year 1 April - 31 March calendar year
Flag description three horizontal bands of blue (top), red (triple width), and blue; the red band is edged in yellow; centered in the red band is a large black and white shield covering two spears and a staff decorated with feather tassels, all placed horizontally 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: 11.9%


industry: 46.1%


services: 41.9% (2006 est.)
agriculture: 6.2%


industry: 57%


services: 36.9% (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 2.1% (2006 est.) 8.2% (2005 est.)
Geographic coordinates 26 30 S, 31 30 E 1 00 S, 15 00 E
Geography - note landlocked; almost completely surrounded by South Africa about 70% of the population lives in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, or along the railroad between them
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 1.6%


highest 10%: 40.7% (2001)
lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
Imports NA bbl/day NA bbl/day
Imports - commodities motor vehicles, machinery, transport equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products, chemicals capital equipment, construction materials, foodstuffs
Imports - partners South Africa 95.6%, EU 0.9%, Japan 0.9%, Singapore 0.3% (2006) France 25.6%, China 11.3%, US 8.1%, India 8%, Italy 7.5%, Belgium 5.1%, Netherlands 4.2% (2005)
Independence 6 September 1968 (from UK) 15 August 1960 (from France)
Industrial production growth rate 3.7% (FY95/96) 0% (2002 est.)
Industries coal, wood pulp, sugar, soft drink concentrates, textile and apparel petroleum extraction, cement, lumber, brewing, sugar, palm oil, soap, flour, cigarettes
Infant mortality rate total: 70.66 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 74 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 67.21 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
total: 85.29 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 91 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 79.41 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 5.7% (2006 est.) 2.2% (2005 est.)
International organization participation ACP, AfDB, AU, C, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO 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, IPU, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW (signatory), UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Irrigated land 500 sq km (2003) 20 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch High Court; Supreme Court; judges for both courts are appointed by the monarch Supreme Court or Cour Supreme
Labor force 300,000 (2006) NA
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: NA%


industry: NA%


services: NA%
-
Land boundaries total: 535 km


border countries: Mozambique 105 km, South Africa 430 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: 10.25%


permanent crops: 0.81%


other: 88.94% (2005)
arable land: 1.45%


permanent crops: 0.15%


other: 98.4% (2005)
Languages English (official, government business conducted in English), siSwati (official) French (official), Lingala and Monokutuba (lingua franca trade languages), many local languages and dialects (of which Kikongo is the most widespread)
Legal system based on South African Roman-Dutch law in statutory courts and Swazi traditional law and custom in traditional courts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations based on French civil law system and customary law
Legislative branch bicameral Parliament or Libandla consists of the Senate (30 seats; 10 members appointed by the House of Assembly and 20 appointed by the monarch; to serve five-year terms) and the House of Assembly (65 seats; 10 members appointed by the monarch and 55 elected by popular vote; to serve five-year terms)


elections: House of Assembly - last held 18 October 2003 (next to be held in October 2008)


election results: House of Assembly - balloting is done on a nonparty basis; candidates for election are nominated by the local council of each constituency and for each constituency the three candidates with the most votes in the first round of voting are narrowed to a single winner by a second round
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 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: 32.23 years


male: 31.84 years


female: 32.62 years (2007 est.)
total population: 52.8 years


male: 51.65 years


female: 53.98 years (2006 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 81.6%


male: 82.6%


female: 80.8% (2003 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, between Mozambique and South Africa Western Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and Gabon
Map references Africa Africa
Maritime claims none (landlocked) territorial sea: 200 nm
Merchant marine - registered in other countries: 1 (Congo, Democratic Republic of the 1) (2006)
Military branches Umbutfo Swaziland Defense Force (USDF): Ground Force (includes air wing), Royal Swaziland Police Force (RSPF) (2007) Congolese Armed Forces (FAC): Army, Congolese Air Force (Armee de l'Air Congolaise), Navy, Gendarmerie, Republican Guard (2005)
Military expenditures - dollar figure - $85.22 million (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 4.7% (2006) 1.4% (2005 est.)
National holiday Independence Day, 6 September (1968) Independence Day, 15 August (1960)
Nationality noun: Swazi(s)


adjective: Swazi
noun: Congolese (singular and plural)


adjective: Congolese or Congo
Natural hazards drought seasonal flooding
Natural resources asbestos, coal, clay, cassiterite, hydropower, forests, small gold and diamond deposits, quarry stone, and talc petroleum, timber, potash, lead, zinc, uranium, copper, phosphates, gold, magnesium, natural gas, hydropower
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) -3.62 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Pipelines - gas 89 km; liquid petroleum gas 4 km; oil 744 km (2006)
Political parties and leaders the status of political parties, previously banned, is unclear under the new (2006) Constitution and currently being debated - the following are considered political associations; African United Democratic Party or AUDP [Stanley MAUNDZISA, president]; Imbokodvo National Movement or INM; Ngwane National Liberatory Congress or NNLC [Obed DLAMINI, president]; People's United Democratic Movement or PUDEMO [Mario MASUKU, president] the most important of the many parties are the Democratic and Patriotic Forces or FDP [Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO, president] (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); 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; 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 1,133,066


note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2007 est.)
3,702,314


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 2006 est.)
Population below poverty line 69% (2006) NA%
Population growth rate -0.337% (2007 est.) 2.6% (2006 est.)
Radio broadcast stations AM 3, FM 2 (plus 4 repeaters), shortwave 3 (2004) AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 3 (2001)
Railways total: 301 km


narrow gauge: 301 km 1.067-m gauge (2006)
total: 894 km


narrow gauge: 894 km 1.067-m gauge (2005)
Religions Zionist 40% (a blend of Christianity and indigenous ancestral worship), Roman Catholic 20%, Muslim 10%, other (includes Anglican, Bahai, Methodist, Mormon, Jewish) 30% Christian 50%, animist 48%, Muslim 2%
Sex ratio at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.018 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.921 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.639 male(s)/female


total population: 0.947 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
at birth: 1.03 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: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: a somewhat modern but not an advanced system


domestic: system consists of carrier-equipped, open-wire lines and low-capacity, microwave radio relay


international: country code - 268; 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 44,000 (2006) 13,800 (2004)
Telephones - mobile cellular 250,000 (2006) 490,000 (2005)
Television broadcast stations 12 (includes 7 relay stations) (2004) 1 (2002)
Terrain mostly mountains and hills; some moderately sloping plains coastal plain, southern basin, central plateau, northern basin
Total fertility rate 3.43 children born/woman (2007 est.) 6.07 children born/woman (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate 40% (2006 est.) NA%
Waterways - 4,385 km (on Congo and Oubanqui rivers) (2005)
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