Generic Information
The Republic of the Congo (French: République du Congo), also referred to as Congo-Brazzaville, West Congo, the Congo Republic or simply Congo is a country located in in the central-western part of sub-Saharan Africa, along the Equator, lying between latitudes 4°N and 5°S, and longitudes 11° and 19°E. It is bordered by Gabon and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Cameroon to the north west, the Central African Republic to the north east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the east and south and the Angolan exclave of Cabinda to the southwest.
The capital, Brazzaville, is located on the Congo River, in the south of the country, immediately across from Kinshasa (about 5km), the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The southwest of the country is a coastal plain for which the primary drainage is the Kouilou-Niari River; the interior of the country consists of a central plateau between two basins to the south and north. Forests are under increasing exploitation pressure.
Since the country is located on the Equator, the climate is consistent year-round, with the average day temperature being a humid 24 °C (75 °F) and nights generally between 16 °C (61 °F) and 21 °C (70 °F). The average yearly rainfall ranges from 1,100 millimetres (43 in) in south in the Niari valley to over 2,000 millimetres (79 in) in central parts of the country. The dry season is from June to August while in the majority of the country the wet season has two rainfall maxima: one in March–May and another in September–November.
The political stability and development of hydrocarbon production made the Republic of the Congo the fourth largest oil producer in the Gulf of Guinea, providing the country with a degree of prosperity despite instability in some areas and unequal distribution of oil revenue nationwide. Congo's economy is heavily dependent on the oil sector and economic growth has slowed considerably since the post-2015 drop in oil prices.
It has a population of 4,662,446 (2014 Estimate) and a density of 12.8/km2 the 2015 Human development index is 0.592 placing the Country at the 135th position.
Generic country information can be located from sources which are regularly maintained and reflect current facts and figures. For a generic country overview, please consult the following sources:
Republic of the Congo Wikipedia Country Information https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_the_Congo
Republic of the Congo IMF Country Information http://www.imf.org/external/country/COG/index.htm
Republic of the Congo Economist Intelligence Unit Information* http://country.eiu.com/AllCountries.aspx
(*note - this is a paid service)
Humanitarian Info
Republic of the Congo World Food Programme Information http://www1.wfp.org/countries/congo
Republic of the Congo United Nations office for the Coordination of Humanitarian affairs (http://www.unocha.org/where-we-work/ocha-presence)`
Facts and Figures
Republic of the Congo Wolfram Alpha Information http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=Republic+of+the+Congo
Republic of the Congo World Bank Information http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/congo
Republic of the Congo Population Information http://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/republic-of-the-congo-population/
