Congo, Republic of the, republic (2005 est. pop. 3,039,000), 132,046 sq mi (342,000 sq km), W central Africa. The Congo is bordered on the west by Gabon; on the north by Cameroon and the Central African Republic; on the east and southeast by the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and on the southwest by Cabinda, an Angolan exclave, and by the Atlantic Ocean. Brazzaville is the capital and largest city. Other important cities include Pointe-Noire and Loubomo. The country is divided into nine administrative regions and the Brazzaville federal district.

Land and People

The terrain is covered mainly by dense tropical rain forest, with stretches of wooded savanna. Tributaries of the Congo and Ubangi rivers, which separate the Congo from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, flow through the country. The climate is warm and humid and rainfall is heavy. The Congo serves as the transport and commercial hub of central Africa, with economically important road, river, and rail systems connecting inland areas with the Atlantic. The country's internal road network is inadequate, however, and has hampered economic development.
About half of the nation's population resides in urban areas, and the population density is relatively low. There are about 15 ethnic groups in the Congo, and these are subdivided into some 75 smaller groups. The Bakongo, who make up nearly half of the population, are mostly farmers or traders and live primarily around Brazzaville; they are Bantu-speaking, as are the Bateke (who live north of Brazzaville), the Mbochi, and the Sanga. Pygmies live in the north, and Vili people dwell along the coast. About half of the Congolese people practice traditional religions; the rest are primarily Christian, although there is a small Muslim minority. French is the country's official language, but many African languages, the most prevalent of which are Lingala and Kikongo, are widely spoken.

Economy

Petroleum production (which supplies 90% of government revenues and exports), forestry, and agriculture are the chief economic activities in the Congo. Domestic food production does not meet national demand, and food must be imported in large quantities. The major subsistence crops are cassava, which accounts for 90% of food output, and yams. Sugarcane, cocoa, and coffee, raised primarily on plantations, are important export crops, as are tobacco, palm products, and peanuts. Timber and plywood are the primary agriculturally derived exports. Diseases restrict cattle raising, and fishing is not well developed.
Industry is limited mainly to the processing of petroleum and agricultural and forest products; much of it is concentrated in Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire and in the Niari valley. Congo's ports were nationalized in 1977, but France still maintains extensive oil interests in the country. Although attempts have been made to diversify the economy, it is still largely dependent on petroleum and therefore influenced by fluctuating world oil prices. Mining is important, with oil, diamonds, and potash the principal mineral exports, but in 2004 diamond exports to most world markets were banned when the diamonds were not certified as legitimately mined. Lead, zinc, uranium, copper, phosphates, and natural gas are other important mineral resources. France, Belgium, and the Netherlands are the major trading partners, followed by Taiwan and the United States. The Congo is a member of the Franc Zone.

Government

Politics of the Republic of the Congo takes place in a framework of a presidential republic, whereby the President is both head of state and head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the two chambers of the parliament. Before the 1997 civil war, the Republic of Congo's system of government was similar to that of the French. However, after taking power, Denis Sassou-Nguesso suspended the constitution approved in 1992 upon which this system was based. The new constitution (adopted by popular vote in 2002), returns to the earlier model with a seven-year presidential term and a bicameral national parliament.

History

Early History through Colonialism
Pygmies, migrating from the Congo (Kinshasa) region, were probably the first inhabitants of what is now the Republic of the Congo. Other early inhabitants include the Bakongo, the Bateke, and the Sanga, who arrived in the 15th cent. After the coastal areas were explored by the Portuguese navigator Diogo Cão in 1482, commerce developed between the Europeans and the coastal African states, which raided the interior for slaves to trade.
Portuguese traders predominated throughout the 17th cent., although French trade centers were established (mainly at Loanga), and English and Dutch merchants sought commercial opportunities. Europeans penetrated inland in the late 19th cent., with Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza leading major expeditions in 1875 and 1883. In 1880 he negotiated an agreement with the Bateke to establish a French protectorate over the north bank of the Congo River.
Between 1889 and 1910, the Congo (called the French Congo and later the Middle Congo) was administered primarily by French companies that held concessions to exploit the area's rubber and ivory resources. Scandals over the decimation of the African population through forced labor and porterage broke out in 1905 and 1906. France restricted the role of the concessionaires in 1907, and in 1910 the Congo became a colony in French Equatorial Africa. Renewed forced labor and other abuses sparked an African revolt in 1928. The Free French forces made the Congo a bastion of their struggle against the Germans and the Vichy regime during World War II. In 1946, the region was granted a territorial assembly and representation in the French parliament. In the French constitutional referendum of 1958, the Congo opted for autonomy within the French Community.