Congo

Official nameRepublic of the Congo
Name in local languageRépublique du Congo (fr) ; Repubilika ya Kongo (kg) ; Republiki ya Kongó (ln)
ContinentAfrica
SubcontinentSub-Saharan Africa
Population (ranking: 122e)5,279,517 inhabitants (2018)
Population growth3.68 % / year
Area341,821 km²
Density15.45 inhabitants / km²
GDP (ranking: 148e)11.264 billions $USD (2018)
GDP/capita (ranking)2,148 $USD (2018)
GDP growth1.00 % / year (2018)
Life expectancy (ranking)64.30 years (2018)
Birth rate35.10 ‰ (2016)
Fertility rate4.68 children / woman (2015)
Death rate (ranking)9.70 ‰ (2016)
Infant mortality rate (ranking)56.40 ‰ (2016)
Literacy rate80.91 % (2015)
Official languagesFrench (Kikongo and Lingala are recognised regional languages)
CurrencyCentral African CFA franc (XAF)
HDI (ranking: 176e)0.608 / 1 (2018)
EPI (ranking)42.39 (2018)
GovernmentUnitary semi-presidential republic (dictatorship de facto)
Head of StatePresident Denis Sassou-Nguesso
National Day15 August (independence from France in 1960)
ISO CodesCG, COG
DemonymCongolese
Tourists (ranking)211,000 people (2016)
Congo – petite
Corrupt central authorities who practices nepotism on a large scale

Congo (called Congo-Brazzaville to differentiate it from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, its big neighbor) is a country of Central Africa located on the equator, sparsely populated despite an honorable size. The country reaches an estimated 5.3 million inhabitants in 2018. And its annual population growth remains very high, at +3.68% per year on average between 2010 and 2017. Its neighbors are Gabon, Cameroon , the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo – from which it is separated by the Congo River and Oubangui – and Angola, in the region of Cabinda.

Brazzaville, capitale du Congo
Brazzaville, capitale of Congo
Brazzaville, capitale du Congo
Brazzaville, capitale of Congo. Photo: Yann Arthus-Bertrand
Pointe-Noire, Congo
Pointe-Noire, Congo
Habitations dans les marais, Congo
Houses in the swamps, Congo. Photo: Yann Arthus-Bertrand
See all related maps or articles
Urban areas (2017)
Urban areasPopulation
Brazzaville1,838,348 inhabitants
Pointe-Noire1,158,331 inhabitants
Dolisie171,773 inhabitants
Nkayi73,478 inhabitants
Ouesso37,102 inhabitants
See all urban areas
Administrative divisions
DepartmentsPopulationArea
Bouenza357,168 inhabitants12,265 km²
Brazzaville1,373,382 inhabitants264 km²
Cuvette172,876 inhabitants48,250 km²
Cuvette-Ouest72,999 inhabitants26,600 km²
Kouilou92,542 inhabitants13,650 km²
Lékoumou96,393 inhabitants20,950 km²
Likouala154,115 inhabitants66,044 km²
Niari289,198 inhabitants25,942 km²
Plateaux217,864 inhabitants38,400 km²
Pointe-Noire715,334 inhabitants44 km²
Pool529,649 inhabitants33,955 km²
Sangha93,921 inhabitants55,795 km²
See all administrative divisions
See also