Country Profiles: Republic of the Congo

The Republic of the Congo is located in Africa.

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 new offshore oil finds to sustain its oil earnings over the long term.

CIA World Factbook

With an area of 342,000 sq km, it is slightly smaller than the U.S. state of Montana.

The Republic of the Congo shares a border with Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Gabon. It has coastal plains, a southern basin, a central plateau, and a northern basin.



People who live in the Republic of the Congo are called Congolese, which (along with the word Congo) is also an adjective used to describe something from this country. As of July 2012, there are 4,366,266 people in the Congo. The ethnic groups that reside in the Congo are mostly Kongo 48%, with some Sangha 20%, M'Bochi 12%, Teke 17%, Europeans and other 3%. Several languages are spoken there French (official), Lingala and Monokutuba (lingua franca trade languages), many local languages and dialects (of which Kikongo is the most widespread). Christians make up approximately 50% of the population, while animists (48%) and Muslims (2%) make up the rest.

The country's official name is Republic of the Congo, but it is referred to as Congo. The capital is Brazzaville, and the country is made up of 10 regions. Though Congo gained independence from the French on August 15, 1960, a constitution was not drafted until 1992. The constitution can be found here through Constitution Finder. The current president is Denis Sassou-Nguesso. Information about the leaders of Congo's government can be found here. The currency is the Cooperation Financiere en Afrique Centrale francs (abbreviated XAF), which stands at 511.4 XAF per USD as of 2012.



All of this information was gathered from the CIA World Factbook. For more information, check out these resources...

Republic of the Congo, CIA World Factbook

Background Notes: Republic of the Congo, U.S. Department of State

2011 Country Report on Human Rights Practices in the Republic of the Congo, U.S. Department of State.

You can also check out the Country Studies tab on our Fed Docs libguide here for more resources on all of the countries.


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Liaison Librarian:

Accounting; Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism; Legal Research;
Marketing; Planning and Urban Studies; Political Science