Congo, Democratic Republic of the

   Introduction Congo, Democratic Republic of the
   ----------------------------------------------
                            Background: Since 1997 the Democratic Republic
                                        of the Congo (DROC; formerly called
                                        Zaire) has been rent by ethnic
                                        strife and civil war, touched off by
                                        a massive inflow in 1994 of refugees
                                        from the fighting in Rwanda and
                                        Burundi. The government of former
                                        president MOBUTU Sese Seko was
                                        toppled by a rebellion led by
                                        Laurent KABILA in May 1997; his
                                        regime was subsequently challenged
                                        by a Rwanda- and Uganda-backed
                                        rebellion in August 1998. Troops
                                        from Zimbabwe, Angola, Namibia,
                                        Chad, and Sudan intervened to
                                        support the Kinshasa regime. A
                                        cease-fire was signed on 10 July
                                        1999 by the DROC, Zimbabwe, Angola,
                                        Uganda, Namibia, Rwanda, and
                                        Congolese armed rebel groups RCD-
                                        G and MLC, but sporadic fighting
                                        continued. KABILA was assassinated
                                        on 16 January 2001 and his son
                                        Joseph KABILA was named head of
                                        state on 26 January 2001. Despite
                                        taking a radically different
                                        approach than his father, the new
                                        president has been equally
                                        unsuccessful in ending the war.
  
   Geography Congo, Democratic Republic of the
   -------------------------------------------
                              Location: Central Africa, northeast of Angola
                Geographic coordinates: 0 00 N, 25 00 E
                        Map references: Africa
                                  Area: total: 2,345,410 sq km
                                        water: 77,810 sq km
                                        land: 2,267,600 sq km
                    Area - comparative: slightly less than one-fourth the
                                        size of the US
                       Land boundaries: total: 10,744 km
                                        border countries: Angola 2,511 km
                                        (of which 225 km is the boundary of
                                        Angola's discontiguous Cabinda
                                        Province), Burundi 233 km, Central
                                        African Republic 1,577 km, Republic
                                        of the Congo 2,410 km, Rwanda 217
                                        km, Sudan 628 km, Tanzania 473 km,
                                        Uganda 765 km, Zambia 1,930 km
                             Coastline: 37 km
                       Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: boundaries
                                        with neighbors
                                        territorial sea: 12 NM
                               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
                    Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
                                        highest point: Pic Marguerite on
                                        Mont Ngaliema (Mount Stanley) 5,110
                                        m
                     Natural resources: cobalt, copper, cadmium, petroleum,
                                        industrial and gem diamonds, gold,
                                        silver, zinc, manganese, tin,
                                        germanium, uranium, radium, bauxite,
                                        iron ore, coal, hydropower, timber
                              Land use: arable land: 2.96%
                                        permanent crops: 0.52%
                                        other: 96.52% (1998 est.)
                        Irrigated land: 110 sq km (1998 est.)
                       Natural hazards: periodic droughts in south; Congo
                                        River floods (seasonal); in the
                                        east, in the Great Rift Valley,
                                        there are active volcanoes
          Environment - current issues: poaching threatens wildlife
                                        populations; water pollution;
                                        deforestation; refugees responsible
                                        for significant deforestation, soil
                                        erosion, and wildlife poaching;
                                        mining of minerals (coltan - a
                                        mineral used in creating capacitors,
                                        diamonds, and gold) causing
                                        environmental damage
            Environment - international party to: Biodiversity, Climate
                            agreements: Change, Desertification, Endangered
                                        Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of
                                        the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear
                                        Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection,
                                        Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber
                                        94, Wetlands
                                        signed, but not ratified:
                                        Environmental Modification
                      Geography - note: straddles Equator; has very narrow
                                        strip of land that controls the
                                        lower Congo River and is only outlet
                                        to South Atlantic Ocean; dense
                                        tropical rain forest in central
                                        river basin and eastern highlands
  
   People Congo, Democratic Republic of the
   ----------------------------------------
                            Population: 55,225,478
                                        note: estimates for this country
                                        explicitly take into account the
                                        effects of excess mortality due to
                                        AIDS; this can result in lower life
                                        expectancy, higher infant mortality
                                        and death rates, lower population
                                        and growth rates, and changes in the
                                        distribution of population by age
                                        and sex than would otherwise be
                                        expected (July 2002 est.)
                         Age structure: 0-14 years: 48.2% (male 13,369,493;
                                        female 13,256,174)
                                        15-64 years: 49.3% (male 13,343,303;
                                        female 13,860,996)
                                        65 years and over: 2.5% (male
                                        581,568; female 813,944) (2002 est.)
                Population growth rate: 2.79% (2002 est.)
                            Birth rate: 45.55 births/1,000 population (2002
                                        est.)
                            Death rate: 14.93 deaths/1,000 population (2002
                                        est.)
                    Net migration rate: -2.75 migrant(s)/1,000 population
                                        note: one million refugees fled into
                                        Zaire (now called the Democratic
                                        Republic of the Congo or DROC) in
                                        1994 as a result of the ethnic
                                        fighting in Rwanda; fighting in the
                                        DROC between rebels and government
                                        forces in October 1996 caused
                                        875,000 refugees to return to Rwanda
                                        in late 1996 and early 1997 and
                                        additional refugees have returned in
                                        subsequent years; fighting between
                                        the Congolese government and Uganda-
                                        and Rwanda-backed Congolese rebels
                                        spawned a regional war in DROC in
                                        August 1998, which left 1.8 million
                                        Congolese displaced in DROC and
                                        caused 300,000 Congolese refugees to
                                        flee to surrounding countries (2002
                                        est.)
                             Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
                                        under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
                                        15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
                                        65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/
                                        female
                                        total population: 0.98 male(s)/
                                        female (2002 est.)
                 Infant mortality rate: 98.05 deaths/1,000 live births (2002
                                        est.)
              Life expectancy at birth: total population: 49.13 years
                                        female: 51.13 years (2002 est.)
                                        male: 47.19 years
                  Total fertility rate: 6.77 children born/woman (2002 est.)
      HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 5.07% (1999 est.)
     HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/ 1.1 million (1999 est.)
                                  AIDS:
                     HIV/AIDS - deaths: 95,000 (1999 est.)
                           Nationality: noun: Congolese (singular and
                                        plural)
                                        adjective: Congolese or Congo
                         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
                              Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read
                                        and write French, Lingala, Kingwana,
                                        or Tshiluba
                                        total population: 77.3%
                                        male: 86.6%
                                        female: 67.7% (1995 est.)
  
   Government Congo, Democratic Republic of the
   --------------------------------------------
                          Country name: conventional long form: Democratic
                                        Republic of the Congo
                                        conventional short form: none
                                        local short form: none
                                        former: Congo Free State, Belgian
                                        Congo, Congo/Leopoldville, Congo/
                                        Kinshasa, Zaire
                                        local long form: Republique
                                        Democratique du Congo
                                        abbreviation: DROC
                       Government type: dictatorship; presumably undergoing
                                        a transition to representative
                                        government
                               Capital: Kinshasa
              Administrative divisions: 10 provinces (provinces, singular -
                                        province) and one city* (ville);
                                        Bandundu, Bas-Congo, Equateur,
                                        Kasai-Occidental, Kasai-Oriental,
                                        Katanga, Kinshasa*, Maniema, Nord-
                                        Kivu, Orientale, Sud-Kivu
                          Independence: 30 June 1960 (from Belgium)
                      National holiday: Independence Day, 30 June (1960)
                          Constitution: 24 June 1967, amended August 1974,
                                        revised 15 February 1978, amended
                                        April 1990; transitional
                                        constitution promulgated in April
                                        1994; in November 1998, a draft
                                        constitution was approved by former
                                        President Laurent KABILA but it was
                                        not ratified by a national
                                        referendum; one outcome of the
                                        ongoing inter-Congolese dialogue is
                                        to be a new constitution
                          Legal system: based on Belgian civil law system
                                        and tribal law; has not accepted
                                        compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
                              Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and
                                        compulsory
                      Executive branch: chief of state: President Joseph
                                        KABILA (since 26 January 2001); note
                                        - following the assassination of his
                                        father, Laurent Desire KABILA, on 16
                                        January 2001, Joseph KABILA
                                        succeeded to the presidency; the
                                        president is both the chief of state
                                        and head of government
                                        head of government: President Joseph
                                        KABILA (since 26 January 2001); note
                                        - following the assassination of his
                                        father, Laurent Desire KABILA, on 16
                                        January 2001, Joseph KABILA
                                        succeeded to the presidency; the
                                        president is both the chief of state
                                        and head of government
                                        cabinet: National Executive Council,
                                        appointed by the president
                                        elections: before Laurent Desire
                                        KABILA seized power on 16 May 1997,
                                        the president was elected by popular
                                        vote for a seven-year term; election
                                        last held 29 July 1984 (next was
                                        scheduled to be held in May 1997);
                                        formerly, there was also a prime
                                        minister who was elected by the High
                                        Council of the Republic; note -
                                        elections were not held in 1991 as
                                        called for by the constitution
                                        note: Marshal MOBUTU Sese Seko Kuku
                                        Ngbendu wa Za Banga was president
                                        from 24 November 1965 until forced
                                        into exile on 16 May 1997 when his
                                        government was overthrown militarily
                                        by Laurent Desire KABILA; KABILA
                                        immediately assumed governing
                                        authority and pledged to hold
                                        elections by April 1999, but, in
                                        December 1998, announced that
                                        elections would be postponed until
                                        all foreign military forces
                                        attempting to topple the government
                                        had withdrawn from the country;
                                        KABILA was assassinated in January
                                        2001 and was succeeded by his son
                                        Joseph KABILA
                                        election results: results of the
                                        last election were: MOBUTU Sese Seko
                                        Kuku Ngbendu wa Za Banga reelected
                                        president in 1984 without opposition
                    Legislative branch: a 300-member Transitional
                                        Constituent Assembly established in
                                        August 2000
                                        elections: NA; members of the
                                        Transitional Constituent Assembly
                                        were appointed by former President
                                        Laurent Desire KABILA
                       Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Cour Supreme
         Political parties and leaders: Democratic Social Christian Party or
                                        PDSC [Andre BO-BOLIKO]; Forces for
                                        Renovation for Union and Solidarity
                                        or FONUS [Joseph OLENGHANKOY];
                                        National Congolese Lumumbist
                                        Movement or MNC [Francois LUMUMBA];
                                        Popular Movement of the Revolution
                                        or MPR [three factions: MPR-Fait
                                        Prive (Catherine NZUZI wa Mbombo);
                                        MPR/Vunduawe (Felix VUNDUAWE); MPR/
                                        Mananga (MANANGA Dintoka Mpholo)];
                                        Unified Lumumbast Party or PALU
                                        [Antoine GIZENGA]; Union for
                                        Democracy and Social Progress or
                                        UDPS [Etienne TSHISEKEDI wa
                                        Mulumba]; Union of Federalists and
                                        Independent Republicans or UFERI
                                        [two factions: UFERI (Lokambo
                                        OMOKOKO); UFERI/OR (Adolph Kishwe
                                        MAYA)]
          Political pressure groups and NA
                               leaders:
             International organization ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, CEEAC, CEPGL,
                         participation: ECA, FAO, G-19, G-24, G-77, IAEA,
                                        IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD,
                                        IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,
                                        Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO
                                        (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW
                                        (signatory), PCA, SADC, UN, UNCTAD,
                                        UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL,
                                        WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
   Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Faida
                                        MITIFU
                                        FAX: [1] (202) 234-2609
                                        telephone: [1] (202) 234-7690, 7691
                                        chancery: 1800 New Hampshire Avenue
                                        NW, Washington, DC 20009
     Diplomatic representation from the chief of mission: Ambassador Aubrey
                                    US: HOOKS
                                        embassy: 310 Avenue des Aviateurs,
                                        Kinshasa
                                        mailing address: Unit 31550, APO AE
                                        09828
                                        telephone: [243] (12) 21804, 21807
                                        FAX: [243] (88) 43805
                      Flag description: light blue with a large yellow five-
                                        pointed star in the center and a
                                        columnar arrangement of six small
                                        yellow five-pointed stars along the
                                        hoist side
  
   Economy Congo, Democratic Republic of the
   -----------------------------------------
                    Economy - overview: The economy of the Democratic
                                        Republic of the Congo - a nation
                                        endowed with vast potential wealth -
                                        has declined drastically since the
                                        mid-1980s. The war, which began in
                                        August 1998, has dramatically
                                        reduced national output and
                                        government revenue and has increased
                                        external debt. Foreign businesses
                                        have curtailed operations due to
                                        uncertainty about the outcome of the
                                        conflict, lack of infrastructure,
                                        and the difficult operating
                                        environment. The war has intensified
                                        the impact of such basic problems as
                                        an uncertain legal framework,
                                        corruption, raging inflation, and
                                        lack of openness in government
                                        economic policy and financial
                                        operations. A number of IMF and
                                        World Bank missions have met with
                                        the government to help it develop a
                                        coherent economic plan, and
                                        President KABILA has begun
                                        implementing reforms.
                                   GDP: purchasing power parity - $32
                                        billion (2001 est.)
                GDP - real growth rate: -4% (2001 est.)
                      GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $590 (2001
                                        est.)
           GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 54%
                                        industry: 9%
                                        services: 37% (1999 est.)
         Population below poverty line: NA%
     Household income or consumption by lowest 10%: NA%
                      percentage share: highest 10%: NA%
      Inflation rate (consumer prices): 358% (2001 est.)
                           Labor force: 14.51 million (1993 est.)
           Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 65%, industry 16%,
                                        services 19% (1991 est.)
                     Unemployment rate: NA%
                                Budget: revenues: $269 million
                                        expenditures: $244 million,
                                        including capital expenditures of
                                        $24 million (1996 est.)
                            Industries: mining (diamonds, copper, zinc),
                                        mineral processing, consumer
                                        products (including textiles,
                                        footwear, cigarettes, processed
                                        foods and beverages), cement
     Industrial production growth rate: NA%
              Electricity - production: 5.268 billion kWh (1999)
    Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 2.05%
                                        hydro: 97.95%
                                        other: 0% (1999)
                                        nuclear: 0%
             Electricity - consumption: 4.55 billion kWh (1999)
                 Electricity - exports: 404 million kWh (1999)
                 Electricity - imports: 55 million kWh (1999)
                Agriculture - products: coffee, sugar, palm oil, rubber,
                                        tea, quinine, cassava (tapioca),
                                        palm oil, bananas, root crops, corn,
                                        fruits; wood products
                               Exports: $750 million (f.o.b., 2001 est.)
                 Exports - commodities: diamonds, copper, coffee, cobalt,
                                        crude oil
                    Exports - partners: Benelux 62%, US 18%, South Africa,
                                        Finland, Italy (1999)
                               Imports: $1.024 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)
                 Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, mining and other
                                        machinery, transport equipment,
                                        fuels
                    Imports - partners: South Africa 28%, Benelux 14%,
                                        Nigeria 9%, Kenya 7%, China (1999)
                       Debt - external: $12.9 billion (2000 est.)
              Economic aid - recipient: $195.3 million (1995)
                              Currency: Congolese franc (CDF)
                         Currency code: CDF
                        Exchange rates: Congolese francs per US dollar - 305
                                        (January 2002), 21.82 (2000), 4.02
                                        (1999), 1.61 (1998), 1.31 (1997)
                                        note: on 30 June 1998 the Congolese
                                        franc was introduced, replacing the
                                        new zaire
                           Fiscal year: calendar year
  
   Communications Congo, Democratic Republic of the
   ------------------------------------------------
        Telephones - main lines in use: 21,000 (1997)
          Telephones - mobile cellular: 15,000 (2000)
                      Telephone system: general assessment: poor
                                        domestic: barely adequate wire and
                                        microwave radio relay service in and
                                        between urban areas; domestic
                                        satellite system with 14 earth
                                        stations
                                        international: satellite earth
                                        station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic
                                        Ocean)
              Radio broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 11, shortwave 2 (2001)
                                Radios: 18.03 million (1997)
         Television broadcast stations: 4 (2001)
                           Televisions: 6.478 million (1997)
                 Internet country code: .cd
     Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2000)
                        Internet users: 1,500 (1999)
  
   Transportation Congo, Democratic Republic of the
   ------------------------------------------------
                              Railways: total: 5,138 km
                                        narrow gauge: 3,987 km 1.067-m gauge
                                        (858 km electrified); 125 km 1.000-
                                        m gauge; 1,026 km 0.600-m gauge
                                        note: severely reduced route-
                                        distance in use because of damage to
                                        facilities by civil strife (2000
                                        est.)
                              Highways: total: 157,000 km (including 30 km
                                        of expressways)(1996)
                                        paved: NA km
                                        unpaved: NA km
                             Waterways: 15,000 km (including the Congo and
                                        its tributaries, and unconnected
                                        lakes)
                             Pipelines: petroleum products 390 km
                     Ports and harbors: Banana, Boma, Bukavu, Bumba, Goma,
                                        Kalemie, Kindu, Kinshasa, Kisangani,
                                        Matadi, Mbandaka
                       Merchant marine: none (2002 est.)
                              Airports: 232 (2001)
         Airports - with paved runways: total: 24
                                        over 3,047 m: 4
                                        2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
                                        914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2001)
                                        1,524 to 2,437 m: 15
       Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 208
                                        1,524 to 2,437 m: 20
                                        914 to 1,523 m: 96
                                        under 914 m: 92 (2001)
                             Heliports: 1 (2001)
  
   Military Congo, Democratic Republic of the
   ------------------------------------------
                       Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Special
                                          Security Battalion
        Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 11,996,175 (2002
                                          est.)
     Military manpower - fit for military males age 15-49: 6,110,595 (2002
                                 service: est.)
           Military expenditures - dollar $250 million (FY97)
                                  figure:
       Military expenditures - percent of 4.6% (FY97)
                                     GDP:
  
   Transnational Issues Congo, Democratic Republic of the
   ------------------------------------------------------
              Disputes - international: Democratic Republic of the Congo is
                                        in the grip of a civil war that has
                                        drawn in military forces from
                                        neighboring states, with Uganda and
                                        Rwanda supporting the rebel
                                        movements that occupy much of the
                                        eastern portion of the state; Tutsi,
                                        Hutu, and other conflicting ethnic
                                        groups, political rebels, and
                                        various government forces continue
                                        fighting in Great Lakes region,
                                        transcending the boundaries of
                                        Burundi, Democratic Republic of the
                                        Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda; most of
                                        the Congo River boundary with the
                                        Republic of the Congo is indefinite
                                        (no agreement has been reached on
                                        the division of the river or its
                                        islands, except in the Pool Malebo/
                                        Stanley Pool area)
                         Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis, mostly
                                        for domestic consumption