since 1983. A sluggish growth rate of 1.5% during 1985–90 has led to large budget deficits, declining incomes, and balance-of-payments difficulties.
_#_GDP: $245 million, per capita $530; real growth rate 1.5% (1990 est.)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.9% (1989)
_#_Unemployment rate: over 16% (1988 est.)
_#_Budget: revenues $88 million; expenditures $92 million, including capital expenditures of $13 million (1990 est.)
_#_Exports: $16 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.);
commodities—vanilla, cloves, perfume oil, copra;
partners—US 53%, France 41%, Africa 4%, FRG 2% (1988)
_#_Imports: $41 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.);
commodities—rice and other foodstuffs, cement, petroleum products, consumer goods;
partners—Europe 62% (France 22%, other 40%), Africa 5%, Pakistan, China (1988)
_#_External debt: $242 million (December 1990)
_#_Industrial production: growth rate 3.4% (1988 est.); accounts for 5% of GDP
_#_Electricity: 16,000 kW capacity; 24 million kWh produced, 55 kWh per capita (1989)
_#_Industries: perfume distillation, textiles, furniture, jewelry, construction materials
_#_Agriculture: accounts for 40% of GDP; most of population works in subsistence agriculture and fishing; plantations produce cash crops for export—vanilla, cloves, perfume essences, and copra; principal food crops—coconuts, bananas, cassava; world's leading producer of essence of ylang-ylang (for perfumes) and second-largest producer of vanilla; large net food importer
_#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY80–89), $10 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970–88), $406 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979–89), $22 million; Communist countries (1970–89), $18 million
_#_Currency: Comoran franc (plural—francs); 1 Comoran franc (CF) = 100 centimes
_#_Exchange rates: Comoran francs (CF) per US$1—256.54 (January 1991), 272.26 (1990), 319.01 (1989), 297.85 (1988), 300.54 (1987), 346.30 (1986), 449.26 (1985); note—linked to the French franc at 50 to 1 French franc
_#_Fiscal year: calendar year
_*Communications #_Highways: 750 km total; about 210 km bituminous, remainder crushed stone or gravel
_#_Ports: Mutsamudu, Moroni
_#_Civil air: 4 major transport aircraft
_#_Airports: 4 total, 4 usable; 4 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440–3,659 m; 3 with runways 1,220–2,439 m
_#_Telecommunications: sparse system of radio relay and high-frequency radio communication stations for interisland and external communications to Madagascar and Reunion; over 1,800 telephones; stations—2 AM, 1 FM, 1 TV
_*Defense Forces #_Branches: Comoran Defense Force (FCD), Federal Gendarmerie (GFC)
_#_Manpower availability: males 15–49, 101,332; 60,592 fit for military service
_#Defense expenditures: $NA, 3% of GDP (1981) % @Congo *Geography #_Total area: 342,000 km2; land area: 341,500 km2
_#_Comparative area: slightly smaller than Montana
_#_Land boundaries: 5,504 km total; Angola 201 km, Cameroon 523 km, Central African Republic 467 km, Gabon 1,903 km, Zaire 2,410 km
_#_Coastline: 169 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Territorial sea: 200 nm
_#_Disputes: long section with Zaire along the Congo River is indefinite (no division of the river or its islands has been made)
_#_Climate: tropical; rainy season (March to June); dry season (June to October); constantly high temperatures and humidity; particularly enervating climate astride the Equator
_#_Terrain: coastal plain, southern basin, central plateau, northern basin
_#_Natural resources: petroleum, timber, potash, lead, zinc, uranium, copper, phosphates, natural gas
_#_Land use: arable land 2%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 29%; forest and woodland 62%; other 7%
_#_Environment: deforestation; about 70% of the population lives in Brazzaville, Pointe Noire, or along the railroad between them
_*People #_Population: 2,309,444 (July 1991), growth rate 3.0% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 43 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 13 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 108 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 52 years male, 56 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 5.7 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun—Congolese (sing., pl.); adjective—Congolese or Congo
_#_Ethnic divisions: about 15 ethnic groups divided into some 75 tribes, almost all Bantu; most important ethnic groups are Kongo (48%) in the south, Sangha (20%) and M'Bochi (12%) in the north, Teke (17%) in the center; about 8,500 Europeans, mostly French
_#_Religion: Christian 50%, animist 48%, Muslim 2%
_#_Language: French (official); many African languages with Lingala and Kikongo most widely used
_#_Literacy: 57% (male 70%, female 44%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
_#_Labor force: 79,100 wage earners; agriculture 75%, commerce, industry, and government 25%; 51% of population of working age; 40% of population economically active (1985)
_#_Organized labor: 20% of labor force (1979 est.)
_*Government #_Long-form name: Republic of the Congo
_#_Type: republic
_#_Capital: Brazzaville
_#_Administrative divisions: 9 regions (regions, singular—region); Bouenza, Cuvette, Kouilou, Lekoumou, Likouala, Niari, Plateaux, Pool, Sangha; note—there may be a new capital district of Brazzaville
_#_Independence: 15 August 1960 (from France; formerly Congo/Brazzaville)
_#_Constitution: 8 July 1979, currently being modified
_#_Legal system: based on French civil law system and customary law
_#_National holiday: National Day, 15 August (1960)
