Travelling Club - Congo (Brazzaville)

Fact Sheet: Congo (Brazzaville)

• Location: Central Africa, northeast of Angola
• Geographic coordinates: 0 00 N, 25 00 E
• Area: total: 2,345,410 sq km
• Climate: tropical; hot and humid in equatorial river basin; cooler and drier in southern highlands; cooler and wetter in eastern highlands; north of Equator - wet season (April to October), dry season (December to February); south of Equator - wet season (November to March), dry season (April to October)
• Terrain: vast central basin is a low-lying plateau; mountains in east
• Natural hazards: periodic droughts in south; Congo River floods (seasonal); in the east, in the Great Rift Valley, there are active volcanoes
• Population: 62,660,551
• Ethnic groups: over 200 African ethnic groups of which the majority are Bantu; the four largest tribes - Mongo, Luba, Kongo (all Bantu), and the Mangbetu-Azande (Hamitic) make up about 45% of the population
• Religions: Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant 20%, Kimbanguist 10%, Muslim 10%, other syncretic sects and indigenous beliefs 10%
• Languages: French (official), Lingala (a lingua franca trade language), Kingwana (a dialect of Kiswahili or Swahili), Kikongo, Tshiluba
• Government type: transitional government
• Capital: name: Kinshasa
• Currency code: Congolese franc (CDF)
• Exchange rates: Congolese francs per US dollar - 437.86 (2005), 401.04 (2004), 405.34 (2003), 346.49 (2002), 206.62 (2001)
• Internet country code: .cd
• Airports: 234 (2006)