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Compare West Bank (2004) - Congo, Republic of the (2003)

Compare West Bank (2004) z Congo, Republic of the (2003)

 West Bank (2004)Congo, Republic of the (2003)
 West BankCongo, Republic of the
Administrative divisions - 9 regions (regions, singular - region) and 1 commune*; Bouenza, Brazzaville*, Cuvette, Kouilou, Lekoumou, Likouala, Niari, Plateaux, Pool, Sangha
Age structure 0-14 years: 43.8% (male 518,470; female 493,531)


15-64 years: 52.8% (male 623,785; female 595,376)


65 years and over: 3.5% (male 34,226; female 45,816) (2004 est.)
0-14 years: 38.4% (male 570,491; female 563,079)


15-64 years: 58% (male 844,655; female 868,851)


65 years and over: 3.6% (male 44,166; female 63,016) (2003 est.)
Agriculture - products olives, citrus, vegetables; beef, dairy products cassava (tapioca), sugar, rice, corn, peanuts, vegetables, coffee, cocoa; forest products
Airports 3 (2003 est.) 31 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways total: 3


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


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


over 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways - total: 27


1,524 to 2,437 m: 6


914 to 1,523 m: 10


under 914 m: 11 (2002)
Area total: 5,860 sq km


land: 5,640 sq km


water: 220 sq km


note: includes West Bank, Latrun Salient, and the northwest quarter of the Dead Sea, but excludes Mt. Scopus; East Jerusalem and Jerusalem No Man's Land are also included only as a means of depicting the entire area occupied by Israel in 1967
total: 342,000 sq km


land: 341,500 sq km


water: 500 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Delaware slightly smaller than Montana
Background The Israel-PLO Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements (the DOP), signed in Washington on 13 September 1993, provided for a transitional period not exceeding five years of Palestinian interim self-government in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Under the DOP, Israel agreed to transfer certain powers and responsibilities to the Palestinian Authority, which includes the Palestinian Legislative Council elected in January 1996, as part of the interim self-governing arrangements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. A transfer of powers and responsibilities for the Gaza Strip and Jericho took place pursuant to the Israel-PLO 4 May 1994 Cairo Agreement on the Gaza Strip and the Jericho Area and in additional areas of the West Bank pursuant to the Israel-PLO 28 September 1995 Interim Agreement, the Israel-PLO 15 January 1997 Protocol Concerning Redeployment in Hebron, the Israel-PLO 23 October 1998 Wye River Memorandum, and the 4 September 1999 Sharm el-Sheikh Agreement. The DOP provides that Israel will retain responsibility during the transitional period for external and internal security and for public order of settlements and Israeli citizens. Direct negotiations to determine the permanent status of Gaza and West Bank that began in September 1999 after a three-year hiatus, were derailed by a second intifadah that broke out in September 2000. The resulting widespread violence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Israel's military response, and instability within the Palestinian Authority continue to undermine progress toward a permanent agreement. Following the death of longtime Palestinian leader Yasir ARAFAT in November 2004, the election of his successor Mahmud ABBAS in January 2005 could bring a turning point in the conflict. 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 ethnically based unrest. Southern-based rebel groups agreed to a final peace accord in March 2003. The Republic of Congo is one of Africa's largest petroleum producers with significant potential for offshore development.
Birth rate 33.21 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) 29.46 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Budget revenues: $676.6 million


expenditures: $1.155 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (includes Gaza Strip) (2003 est.)
revenues: $870 million


expenditures: $970 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997 est.)
Capital - Brazzaville
Climate temperate; temperature and precipitation vary with altitude, warm to hot summers, cool to mild winters tropical; rainy season (March to June); dry season (June to October); constantly high temperatures and humidity; particularly enervating climate astride the Equator
Coastline 0 km (landlocked) 169 km
Constitution - constitution approved by referendum 20 January 2002
Country name conventional long form: none


conventional short form: West Bank
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 new Israeli shekel (ILS); Jordanian dinar (JOD) Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States
Death rate 4.07 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) 14.2 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Debt - external $108 million (includes Gaza Strip) (1997 est.) $5 billion (2000 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US - 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 Serge MOMBOULI


chancery: 4891 Colorado Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20011


telephone: [1] (202) 726-5500


FAX: [1] (202) 726-1860
Disputes - international West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli-occupied with current status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement - permanent status to be determined through further negotiation 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 - recipient $2 billion (includes Gaza Strip) (2001-02 est.) $159.1 million (1995)
Economy - overview Real per capita GDP for the West Bank and Gaza Strip (WBGS) declined by about one-third between 1992 and 1996 due to the combined effect of falling aggregate incomes and rapid population growth. The downturn in economic activity was largely the result of Israeli closure policies - the imposition of border closures in response to security incidents in Israel - which disrupted labor and commodity market relationships between Israel and the WBGS. The most serious social effect of this downturn was rising unemployment, which in the WBGS during the 1980s was generally under 5%; by 1995 it had risen to over 20%. Israel's use of comprehensive closures during the next three years decreased and, in 1998, Israel implemented new policies to reduce the impact of closures and other security procedures on the movement of Palestinian goods and labor. These changes fueled an almost three-year-long economic recovery in the West Bank and Gaza Strip; real GDP grew by 5% in 1998 and 6% in 1999. Recovery was upended in the last quarter of 2000 with the outbreak of violence, which triggered tight Israeli closures of Palestinian self-rule areas and severely disrupted trade and labor movements. In 2001, and even more severely in 2002, Israeli military measures in Palestinian Authority areas resulted in the destruction of much capital plant and administrative structure, widespread business closures, and a sharp drop in GDP. Including Gaza Strip, the UN estimates that more than 100,000 Palestinians out of the 125,000 who used to work in Israel, in Israeli settlements, or in joint industrial zones have lost their jobs. In addition, about 80,000 Palestinian workers inside the Territories are losing their jobs. International aid of $2 billion in 2001-02 to the West Bank and Gaza Strip prevented the complete collapse of the economy. In 2004, on-going border issues and the death of Yasser ARAFAT continued to complicate the economic situation. 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 problems of stimulating recovery and reducing poverty.
Electricity - consumption NA kWh 633 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports - 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports NA kWh 300 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production NA kWh; note - most electricity imported from Israel; East Jerusalem Electric Company buys and distributes electricity to Palestinians in East Jerusalem and its concession in the West Bank; the Israel Electric Company directly supplies electricity to most Jewish residents and military facilities; some Palestinian municipalities, such as Nablus and Janin, generate their own electricity from small power plants 358.1 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source - fossil fuel: 0.3%


hydro: 99.7%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (2001)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m


highest point: Tall Asur 1,022 m
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Mount Berongou 903 m
Environment - current issues adequacy of fresh water supply; sewage treatment 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 Palestinian Arab and other 83%, Jewish 17% 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 new Israeli shekels per US dollar - 4.5541 (2003), 4.7378 (2002), 4.2057 (2001), 4.0773 (2000), 4.1397 (1999); Jordanian dinars per US dollar - fixed rate of 0.7090 (from 1996) Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 697 (2002), 733.04 (2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.7 (1999), 589.95 (1998)
Executive branch - 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 $603 million f.o.b., includes Gaza Strip NA (2001)
Exports - commodities olives, fruit, vegetables, limestone petroleum, lumber, plywood, sugar, cocoa, coffee, diamonds
Exports - partners Israel, Jordan, Gaza Strip (2000) Taiwan 28.1%, South Korea 20.4%, China 9.3%, US 8.4%, Germany 6.6%, France 5.2% (2002)
Fiscal year calendar year (since 1 January 1992) calendar year
Flag description - 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 - $1.7 billion (2002 est.) purchasing power parity - $2.5 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 9%


industry: 28%


services: 63%


note: includes Gaza Strip (1999 est.)
agriculture: 10%


industry: 48%


services: 42% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $800 (2002 est.) purchasing power parity - $900 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate -22% (2002 est.) 0% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates 32 00 N, 35 15 E 1 00 S, 15 00 E
Geography - note landlocked; highlands are main recharge area for Israel's coastal aquifers; there are 244 West Bank settlements and 29 East Jerusalem settlements in addition to at least 20 occupied outposts(August 2003 est.) about 70% of the population lives in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, or along the railroad between them
Highways total: 4,500 km


paved: 2,700 km


unpaved: 1,800 km


note: Israelis have developed many highways to service Jewish settlements (1997 est.)
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 $1.9 billion c.i.f., includes Gaza Strip NA (2001)
Imports - commodities food, consumer goods, construction materials capital equipment, construction materials, foodstuffs
Imports - partners Israel, Jordan, Gaza Strip (2000) France 22.1%, Italy 8.5%, Belgium 6%, US 5.2%, India 4.1% (2002)
Independence - 15 August 1960 (from France)
Industrial production growth rate NA 0% (2002 est.)
Industries generally small family businesses that produce cement, textiles, soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs; the Israelis have established some small-scale, modern industries in the settlements and industrial centers petroleum extraction, cement, lumber, brewing, sugar, palm oil, soap, flour, cigarettes
Infant mortality rate total: 20.16 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 22.28 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 17.91 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
total: 95.34 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 101.45 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 89.04 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2.2% (includes Gaza Strip) (2001 est.) 4% (2002 est.)
International organization participation - ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC, CEEAC, CEMAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) - 1 (2000)
Irrigated land NA sq km 10 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch - Supreme Court or Cour Supreme
Labor force NA NA
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 13%, industry 21%, services 66% (1996) -
Land boundaries total: 404 km


border countries: Israel 307 km, Jordan 97 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: 16.9%


permanent crops: 18.97%


other: 64.13% (2001)
arable land: 0.5%


permanent crops: 0.13%


other: 99.37% (1998 est.)
Languages Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by Israeli settlers and many Palestinians), English (widely understood) 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 French civil law system and customary law
Legislative branch - 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: 72.88 years


male: 71.14 years


female: 74.72 years (2004 est.)
total population: 50.02 years


male: 49.04 years


female: 51.02 years (2003 est.)
Literacy definition: NA


total population: NA


male: NA


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


total population: 83.8%


male: 89.6%


female: 78.4% (2003 est.)
Location Middle East, west of Jordan Western Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and Gabon
Map references Middle East Africa
Maritime claims none (landlocked) territorial sea: 200 NM
Military branches - Army, Air Force, Navy, Gendarmerie, National Police
Military expenditures - dollar figure NA $84 million (FY01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP NA 2.8% (FY01)
Military manpower - availability - males age 15-49: 754,814 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service - males age 15-49: 381,556 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - military age - 20 years of age (2003 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually - males: 31,644 (2003 est.)
National holiday - Independence Day, 15 August (1960)
Nationality noun: NA


adjective: NA
noun: Congolese (singular and plural)


adjective: Congolese or Congo
Natural hazards droughts seasonal flooding
Natural resources arable land petroleum, timber, potash, lead, zinc, uranium, copper, phosphates, natural gas, hydropower
Net migration rate 2.98 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Pipelines - gas 53 km; oil 673 km (2003)
Political parties and leaders - 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 - 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 2,311,204


note: in addition, there are about 187,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank and fewer than 177,000 in East Jerusalem (July 2004 est.)
2,954,258


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 2003 est.)
Population below poverty line 60% (2003 est.) NA%
Population growth rate 3.21% (2004 est.) 1.53% (2003 est.)
Ports and harbors none Brazzaville, Impfondo, Ouesso, Oyo, Pointe-Noire
Radio broadcast stations AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0


note: the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation broadcasts from an AM station in Ramallah on 675 kHz; numerous local, private stations are reported to be in operation (2000)
AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 3 (2001)
Railways - total: 894 km


narrow gauge: 894 km 1.067-m gauge (2002)
Religions Muslim 75% (predominantly Sunni), Jewish 17%, Christian and other 8% Christian 50%, animist 48%, Muslim 2%
Sex ratio at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female


total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female


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


total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
Suffrage - 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: NA


domestic: NA


international: NA


note: Israeli company BEZEK and the Palestinian company PALTEL are responsible for communication services in the West Bank
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 301,600 (total for West Bank and Gaza Strip) (2002) 22,000 (1998)
Telephones - mobile cellular 480,000 (cellular subscribers in both West Bank and Gaza Strip) (2003) 3,300 (1998)
Television broadcast stations NA 1 (2002)
Terrain mostly rugged dissected upland, some vegetation in west, but barren in east coastal plain, southern basin, central plateau, northern basin
Total fertility rate 4.52 children born/woman (2004 est.) 3.65 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate 50% (includes Gaza Strip) (2002 est.) NA%
Waterways - 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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