Congo, Republic of the, is a hot, humid country in west-central Africa. The equator runs through the country. A thick rain forest covers the northern half of Congo. Much of the north is inhabited chiefly by wild animals. Most of Congo’s people live in the southern half.
Congo was once a territory in French Equatorial Africa. It became independent in 1960. Its name in French, the official language, is République du Congo. It is sometimes called Congo (Brazzaville) to distinguish it from its neighbor, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), or Congo (Kinshasa). Brazzaville is the capital and largest city.
Most of Congo’s soil is poor, but the country has oil and other mineral resources. Congo is a transportation center. Pointe-Noire, on the Atlantic coast, is an important port.
Government.
Congo’s Constitution was adopted in 2015. A president, elected for a five-year term, serves as head of state. A prime minister, appointed by the president, is the head of the government. Parliament consists of a 151-member National Assembly and a 72-member Senate. Members of the Assembly are elected directly by the people to five-year terms. Members of the Senate are elected by local councils to six-year terms.
People.
Most of Congo’s people live in the southern part of the country and along the Atlantic coast. The few people in the north travel by canoe, ferry, or plane.
The people belong to four main groups: (1) the Kongo, (2) the Batéké, (3) the M’Bochi, and (4) the Sangha. Each group includes several subgroups. About 50 percent of the people belong to the Kongo group. They are farmers who live in the country’s west and southwest. About 17 percent are Batéké. They live north of Brazzaville and hunt and fish for a living. About 12 percent are M’Bochi. They live in the north. Fishing was once the chief occupation of the M’Bochi, but today, many work as clerks and technicians. About 20 percent are Sangha. They live in the northern forest.
More than 100 languages are spoken in Congo. The main languages are French, Lingala, and Monokutuba. Many Congolese are Christians but also follow traditional African religions. About 2 percent of the people are Muslims. They live mostly as traders in the large cities.
Most of Congo’s people can read and write. About 75 percent of the children receive elementary education, and a smaller percentage receive secondary education. Marien Ngouabi University in Brazzaville attracts students from many French-speaking countries in central Africa.
Land.
Congo covers 132,047 square miles (342,000 square kilometers). It includes six geographical regions.
The Coastal Plain
extends about 40 miles (64 kilometers) inland from the Atlantic Ocean. The region is generally dry and treeless. Lagoons are near the coast.
The Mayombé Escarpment,
and a series of plateaus rising from 1,600 to 2,600 feet (490 to 790 meters) above sea level, lie inland, behind the coastal plain. River valleys are cut into these forested ridges.
The Niari Valley,
a richer farming region, lies beyond the Mayombé Escarpment. It is covered by wooded land and savannas (grasslands with scattered trees).
The Malebo Pool Region,
east of the Niari Valley, consists of a series of bare hills. Most of the land there has been cleared for farming. Malebo Pool is a lake formed by the widening of the Congo River.
The Batéké Plateau
is a grass-covered elevated plain in central Congo. Deep, forested valleys containing tributaries of the Congo River divide the plateau.
The Congo River Basin
in the north includes large swampy areas. The Ubangi, the main Congo tributary, forms the country’s northeastern border.
Most of Congo has a tropical climate, with rainfall from October to July. Parts of the Congo River Basin receive about 100 inches (250 centimeters) of rainfall a year, and temperatures average from 75 to 78 °F (24 to 26 °C). The Batéké Plateau averages less than 60 inches (150 centimeters) of rain a year. Temperatures there vary from 70 to 80 °F (21 to 27 °C). The coastal area is cooler and drier than the rest of the country.
Economy.
Congo’s economy is primarily based on petroleum production. Petroleum is the country’s most valuable resource and chief export. Most petroleum production occurs offshore in the Atlantic Ocean. Congo’s other mineral resources include copper, diamonds, gold, iron, lead, potash, and zinc.
Forestry and agriculture are also important to Congo’s economy. Forests cover over half of Congo’s land area. Lumber from the rain forest is one of Congo’s most important exports. Congolese farmers grow bananas, cassava, palm oil, plantains, sugar cane, and yams. Cattle, chickens, and pigs are leading livestock raised in the country. Congo’s manufacturing industry centers on processing the country’s forestry and agricultural products.
Congo exports more than it imports. Petroleum is, by far, Congo’s leading export. The country also exports coffee, copper, diamonds, and wood. Congo imports food, machinery, pharmaceuticals (medicinal drugs), and transportation equipment. Congo’s leading trade partners include China, France, Italy, and the United States.
Congo has one of the longest transportation systems in Africa. The Congo-Ocean Railway links Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire. Barges use the Congo and Ubangi rivers north of Malebo Pool at Brazzaville, but rapids below Malebo Pool prevent barges from getting to or from the ocean. Congo’s road system is poorly developed, and the majority of roads are unpaved. Building and maintaining roads is difficult because of heavy rains and thick forests. Both Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire have international airports.
History.
A small part of what is now Congo was part of the Kongo kingdom, which flourished during the 1400’s and 1500’s (see Kongo). Portuguese sailors reached the Congo coast in the 1400’s. Portuguese and other European traders bought slaves and ivory along the coast from the late 1400’s to the 1800’s. But Europeans did not explore the interior of what is now Congo until the late 1800’s. Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza, a French explorer, reached the area in 1875. Henry M. Stanley, the famed British explorer, sailed down the Congo River from its source to the ocean in 1876 and 1877 (see Stanley and Livingstone).
In 1880, Brazza and Makoko, the Batéké king, signed a treaty that placed the area north of the Congo River under French protection. This area, then called Middle Congo, was linked with the territories of Gabon, Chad, and Ubangi-Shari (now the Central African Republic) in 1904. In 1910, the French government named the territories French Equatorial Africa. In 1958, Middle Congo gained internal self-government and was renamed the Republic of the Congo. It became independent on Aug. 15, 1960.
In 1969, a group of army officers seized power in a military coup. They declared Congo a Marxist state and renamed it the People’s Republic of the Congo. From 1970 to 1992, a series of military rulers held power. The government took control of industries. A Marxist group called the Congolese Labor Party was the only political party, and delegates to the National Assembly were elected from a list of candidates approved by the party.
During the 1980’s, economic problems and rivalries between Congo’s ethnic groups brought growing pressure for political reform. In 1989, the government began to reduce state ownership of industries. In 1990, the government abandoned Marxism as its official philosophy and reluctantly agreed to allow reforms. In 1992, voters gave overwhelming approval to a new constitution that called for a multiparty system and direct election of the president. The country resumed its former name, Republic of the Congo.
The first multiparty presidential election took place in 1992. Pascal Lissouba was elected president. Tensions soon developed between Lissouba and the two main opposition leaders—General Denis Sassou Nguesso, who had led Congo as dictator from 1979 to 1992, and Bernard Kolélas. These tensions led to ethnic and political violence in 1993 and 1994.
In June 1997, a civil war broke out between Lissouba’s government and rebels loyal to Sassou Nguesso. The fighting lasted until October, when Sassou Nguesso’s forces overthrew the Lissouba government. Sassou Nguesso declared himself president. In 1998, violence erupted between Sassou Nguesso’s forces and rebel forces loyal to Lissouba and Kolélas. In 1999, Sassou Nguesso’s government signed a peace deal with many rebel groups, though Lissouba and Kolélas did not agree to the deal.
In 2002, voters approved a new Constitution calling for an elected president and a two-house Parliament. Later that year, Sassou Nguesso was elected president under the new Constitution, and his party won control of both houses of Parliament. A rebel group called the Ninjas continued to fight government forces. In 2003, a peace deal ended most of the fighting. In 2007, the Ninjas recommitted themselves to the peace deal, and by 2008 they had disarmed. In 2009, Sassou Nguesso was elected to another term as president. A 2015 constitutional change removed age limits on presidential candidates. This allowed Sassou Nguesso to run in a 2016 election in which he won another term as president.
See also Brazzaville; Congo River.
