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.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $2.5 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 4.2% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $900 (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 10% industry: 48% services: 42% (2001 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3% (2001 est.)
Labor force: NA
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues: $870 million expenditures: $970 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997 est.)
Industries: petroleum extraction, cement, lumber, brewing, sugar, palm oil, soap, flour, cigarettes
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: 302 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 0.66% hydro: 99.34% other: 0% (1999) nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: 406.9 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 126 million kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: cassava (tapioca), sugar, rice, corn, peanuts, vegetables, coffee, cocoa; forest products
Exports: $2.6 billion (f.o.b., 2001)
Exports - commodities: petroleum 90%, lumber, plywood, sugar, cocoa, coffee, diamonds
Exports - partners: US 20.9%, South Korea 15.5%, China 6.7%, Germany 3.2% (2000)
Imports: $725 million (f.o.b., 2001)
Imports - commodities: petroleum products, capital equipment, construction materials, foodstuffs
Imports - partners: France 20.5%, US 9.8%, Italy 7.5%, Belgium 3.8% (2000)
Debt - external: $5 billion (1999 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $159.1 million (1995)
Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States
Currency code: XAF
Exchange rates: 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
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications Congo, Republic of the
Telephones - main lines in use: 22,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 250,000 (2001)
Telephone system: 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)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 3 (2001)
Radios: 341,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (2002)
Televisions: 33,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .cg
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Internet users: 500 (2000)
Transportation Congo, Republic of the
Railways: total: 894 km narrow gauge: 894 km 1.067-m gauge (2000 est.)
Highways: total: 12,800 km paved: 1,242 km unpaved: 11,558 km (1996)
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
Pipelines: crude oil 25 km
Ports and harbors: Brazzaville, Impfondo, Ouesso, Oyo, Pointe-Noire
Airports: 33 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 4 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 (2001)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 29 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 12 (2001)
Military Congo, Republic of the
Military branches: Army, Air Force, Navy, Gendarmerie, National Police
Military manpower - military age: 20 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 702,048 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 356,388 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 32,350 (2002 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $84 million (FY01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.8% (FY01)
Transnational Issues Congo, Republic of the
Disputes - international: 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
