Congo, Republic of the

Broadcast media

1 state-owned TV and 3 state-owned radio stations; several privately owned TV and radio stations; satellite TV service is available; rebroadcasts of several international broadcasters are available (2007)

Internet country code

.cg

Internet users

total: 362,000 | percent of population: 7.6% (July 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 171

Telephone system

general assessment: primary network consists of microwave radio relay and coaxial cable with services barely adequate for government use; key exchanges are in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, and Loubomo; intercity lines frequently out of order | domestic: fixed-line infrastructure inadequate, providing less than 1 connection per 100 persons; in the absence of an adequate fixed-line infrastructure, mobile-cellular subscribership has surged to 110 per 100 persons | international: country code - 242; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2015)

Telephones - fixed lines

total subscriptions: 17,000 | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: less than 1 (July 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 193

Telephones - mobile cellular

total: 5.216 million | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 110 (July 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 118

Agriculture - products

cassava (manioc, tapioca), sugar, rice, corn, peanuts, vegetables, coffee, cocoa; forest products

Budget

revenues: $3.776 billion | expenditures: $4.687 billion (2015 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-10.3% of GDP (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 203

Central bank discount rate

4.25% (31 December 2009) | 4.75% (31 December 2008) | country comparison to the world: 87

Commercial bank prime lending rate

14.8% (31 December 2015 est.) | 14.8% (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 43

Current account balance

-$1.264 billion (2015 est.) | -$1.281 billion (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 142

Debt - external

$4.324 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | $3.901 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 134

Economy - overview

The economy is a mixture of subsistence farming and hunting, an industrial sector based largely on oil and support services, and government spending. Oil has supplanted forestry as the mainstay of the economy, providing a major share of government revenues and exports. Natural gas is increasingly being converted to electricity rather than being flared, greatly improving energy prospects. New mining projects, particularly iron ore, which entered production in late 2013, may add as much as $1 billion to annual government revenue. | Economic reform efforts have been undertaken with the support of international organizations, notably the World Bank and the IMF, including the recently concluded Article IV consultations. The current administration faces difficult economic challenges of stimulating recovery and reducing poverty. The recent drop in oil prices has constrained government spending; lower oil prices forced the government to cut more than $1 billion in planned spending. However, the government increased infrastructure spending for the September 2015 All-Africa Games and also ahead of the March 2016 presidential election, putting further pressure on the budget. | Officially the country became a net external creditor as of 2011, with external debt representing only about 16% of GDP and debt servicing less than 3% of government revenue.

Exchange rates

Cooperation Financiere en Afrique Centrale francs (XAF) per US dollar - | 591.45 (2015 est.) | 494.42 (2014 est.) | 494.42 (2013 est.) | 510.53 (2012 est.) | 471.87 (2011 est.)

Exports

$5.231 billion (2015 est.) | $9.12 billion (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 107

Exports - commodities

petroleum, lumber, plywood, sugar, cocoa, coffee, diamonds

Exports - partners

China 42.1%, Italy 16.9%, US 4.9%, India 4.7%, Portugal 4.2% (2015)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP (official exchange rate)

$8.878 billion (2015 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$29.36 billion (2015 est.) | $28.64 billion (2014 est.) | $26.81 billion (2013 est.) | note: data are in 2015 US dollars | country comparison to the world: 131

GDP - composition, by end use

household consumption: 48.7% | government consumption: 12% | investment in fixed capital: 50.5% | investment in inventories: 0.1% | exports of goods and services: 51.9% | imports of goods and services: -63.2% (2015 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture: 4.9% | industry: 69.3% | services: 25.8% (2015 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$6,700 (2015 est.) | $6,700 (2014 est.) | $6,400 (2013 est.) | note: data are in 2015 US dollars | country comparison to the world: 156

GDP - real growth rate

2.5% (2015 est.) | 6.8% (2014 est.) | 3.3% (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 132

Gross national saving

36.3% of GDP (2015 est.) | 35.8% of GDP (2014 est.) | 26.7% of GDP (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 140

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 2.1% | highest 10%: 37.1% (2005)

Imports

$3.934 billion (2015 est.) | $4.939 billion (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 132

Imports - commodities

capital equipment, construction materials, foodstuffs

Imports - partners

China 20.3%, France 14.2%, South Korea 9.8%, US 4.9%, UK 4.4%, Italy 4.1%, India 4.1% (2015)

Industrial production growth rate

1.4% (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 126

Industries

petroleum extraction, cement, lumber, brewing, sugar, palm oil, soap, flour, cigarettes

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

2.6% (2015 est.) | 0.1% (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 121

Labor force

1.807 million (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 124

Market value of publicly traded shares

$NA

Population below poverty line

46.5% (2011 est.)

Public debt

48% of GDP (2015 est.) | 36.4% of GDP (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 89

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$2.244 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | $4.939 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 114

Stock of broad money

$4.875 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | $4.858 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 132

Stock of domestic credit

$1.807 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | $105.7 million (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 142

Stock of narrow money

$3.131 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | $4.036 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 116

Taxes and other revenues

42.5% of GDP (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 34

Unemployment rate

53% (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 203

Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy

6.5 million Mt (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 117

Crude oil - exports

252,300 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 27

Crude oil - imports

0 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 171

Crude oil - production

269,000 bbl/day (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 33

Crude oil - proved reserves

1.6 billion bbl (1 January 2016 es) | country comparison to the world: 37

Electricity - consumption

900 million kWh (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 161

Electricity - exports

22 million kWh (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 119

Electricity - from fossil fuels

12.2% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 197

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants

87.8% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 15

Electricity - from nuclear fuels

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 65

Electricity - from other renewable sources

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 166

Electricity - imports

18 million kWh (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 102

Electricity - installed generating capacity

500,000 kW (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 158

Electricity - production

1.7 billion kWh (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 146

Electricity access

population without electricity: 2,600,000 | electrification - total population: 42% | electrification - urban areas: 62% | electrification - rural areas: 5% (2013)

Natural gas - consumption

1.5 billion cu m (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 83

Natural gas - exports

39 million cu m (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 47

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 176

Natural gas - production

1.5 billion cu m (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 59

Natural gas - proved reserves

90.61 billion cu m (1 January 2016 es) | country comparison to the world: 57

Refined petroleum products - consumption

16,000 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 142

Refined petroleum products - exports

5,426 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 95

Refined petroleum products - imports

2,615 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 178

Refined petroleum products - production

18,550 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 95

Area

total: 342,000 sq km | land: 341,500 sq km | water: 500 sq km | country comparison to the world: 64

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Montana

Climate

tropical; rainy season (March to June); dry season (June to October); persistent high temperatures and humidity; particularly enervating climate astride the Equator

Coastline

169 km

Elevation

mean elevation: 430 m | elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m | highest point: Mount Berongou 903 m

Environment - current issues

air pollution from vehicle emissions; water pollution from raw sewage; tap water is not potable; deforestation

Environment - international agreements

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands | signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geographic coordinates

1 00 S, 15 00 E

Geography - note

about 70% of the population lives in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, or along the railroad between them

Irrigated land

20 sq km (2012)

Land boundaries

total: 5,008 km | border countries (5): Angola 231 km, Cameroon 494 km, Central African Republic 487 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 1,229 km, Gabon 2,567 km

Land use

agricultural land: 31.1% | arable land 1.6%; permanent crops 0.2%; permanent pasture 29.3% | forest: 65.6% | other: 3.3% (2011 est.)

Location

Central Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and Gabon

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm | contiguous zone: 24 nm | exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Natural hazards

seasonal flooding

Natural resources

petroleum, timber, potash, lead, zinc, uranium, copper, phosphates, gold, magnesium, natural gas, hydropower

Terrain

coastal plain, southern basin, central plateau, northern basin

Administrative divisions

12 departments (departments, singular - department); Bouenza, Brazzaville, Cuvette, Cuvette-Ouest, Kouilou, Lekoumou, Likouala, Niari, Plateaux, Pointe-Noire, Pool, Sangha

Capital

name: Brazzaville | geographic coordinates: 4 15 S, 15 17 E | time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Citizenship

citizenship by birth: no | citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of the Republic of the Congo | dual citizenship recognized: no | residency requirement for naturalization: 10 years

Constitution

previous 1992; latest approved by referendum 20 January 2002; amended 2015; note - the constitutional referendum approved in October 2015 changed the head of government from the president to the prime minister, reduced the presidential term from 7 to 5 years and limited total presidential terms to 3

Country name

conventional long form: Republic of the Congo | conventional short form: Congo (Brazzaville) | local long form: Republique du Congo | local short form: Congo | former: French Congo, Middle Congo, People's Republic of the Congo, Congo/Brazzaville | etymology: named for the Congo River, which makes up much of the country's eastern border; the river name derives from Kongo, a Bantu kingdom that occupied its mouth at the time of Portuguese discovery in the late 15th century and whose name stems from its people the Bakongo, meaning "hunters"

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Stephanie S. SULLIVAN (since 12 August 2013) | embassy: 70-83 Section D, Maya-Maya Boulevard, Brazzaville | mailing address: B.P. 1015, Brazzaville | telephone: [242] 06 612-2000

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Serge MOMBOULI (since 31 July 2001) | chancery: 1720 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 | telephone: [1] (202) 726-5500 | FAX: [1] (202) 726-1860

Executive branch

chief of state: President Denis SASSOU-Nguesso (since 25 October 1997) | head of government: Prime Minister Clement MOUAMBA (since 23 April 2016); note - a constitutional referendum held in 2015 approved the change of the head of government from the president to the prime minister | cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president | elections/appointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for 2 additional terms); election last held on 20 March 2016 (next to be held in 2021) | election results: Denis SASSOU-Nguesso reelected president; percent of vote - Denis SASSOU-Nguesso (PCT) 60.4%, Guy Price Parfait KOLELAS (MCDDI) 15.1%, Jean-Marie MOKOKO (independent) 13.9%, Pascal Tsaty MABIALA (UPADS) 4.4%, other 6.2%

Flag description

divided diagonally from the lower hoist side by a yellow band; the upper triangle (hoist side) is green and the lower triangle is red; green symbolizes agriculture and forests, yellow the friendship and nobility of the people, red is unexplained but has been associated with the struggle for independence | note: uses the popular Pan-African colors of Ethiopia

Government type

presidential republic

Independence

15 August 1960 (from France)

International law organization participation

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

International organization participation

ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, EITI (compliant country), FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Judicial branch

highest court(s): Supreme Court or Cour Supreme (consists of NA judges); Constitutional Court (consists of 9 members); note - a High Court of Justice, outside the judicial authority, tries cases involving treason by the president of the republic | judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges elected by Parliament and serve until age 65; Constitutional Court members appointed by the president of the republic - 3 directly by the president and 6 nominated by Parliament; members appointed for renewable 9-year terms with one-third of the membership renewed every 3 years | subordinate courts: Court of Audit and Budgetary Discipline; courts of appeal; regional and district courts; employment tribunals; juvenile courts;

Legal system

mixed legal system of French civil law and customary law

Legislative branch

description: bicameral Parliament or Parlement consists of the Senate (72 seats; members indirectly elected by regional councils by simple majority vote to serve 6-year terms with one-half of membership renewed every three years) and the National Assembly (139 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by absolute majority popular vote in two rounds if needed; members serve 5-year terms) | elections: Senate - last held on 12 October 2014 for 36 of the expiry seats (next to be held in 2020); National Assembly - last held on 15 July and 5 August 2012 (next to be held in July 2017) | election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RMP 33, FDU 23, UPADS 2, other 7, independent 7; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PCT 89, MCDDI 7, UPADS 7, RDPS 5, MAR 4, RC 3, MUST 2, UPDP 2, CPR 1, PRL 1, PUR 1, UFD 1, UR 1, independent 12, vacant 3

National anthem

name: "La Congolaise" (The Congolese) | lyrics/music: Jacques TONDRA and Georges KIBANGHI/Jean ROYER and Joseph SPADILIERE | note: originally adopted 1959, restored 1991

National holiday

Independence Day, 15 August (1960)

National symbol(s)

lion, elephant; national colors: green, yellow, red

Political parties and leaders

Action Movement for Renewal or MAR [Roland BOUITI-VIAUDO] | Citizen's Rally or RC | Congolese Labour Party or PCT [Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO] | Congolese Movement for Democracy and Integral Development or MCDDI [Guy Price Parfait KOLELAS] | Movement for Unity, Solidarity, and Work or MUST [Claudine MUNARI] | Pan-African Union for Social Development or UPADS [Pascal Tsaty MABIALA] | Party for the Unity of the Republic or PUR | Patriotic Union for Democracy and Progress or UPDP [Auguste-Celestin GONGARD NKOUA | Prospects and Realities Club or CPR | Rally for Democracy and Social Progress or RDPS [Bernard BATCHI] | Rally of the Presidential Majority or RMP | Republican and Liberal Party or PRL | Union for the Republic or UR | Union of Democratic Forces | Union for Democracy and Republic or UDR | United Democratic Forces or FDU [Sebastian EBAO]; many smaller parties

Political pressure groups and leaders

Congolese Trade Union Congress or CSC | General Union of Congolese Pupils and Students or UGEEC | Revolutionary Union of Congolese Women or URFC | Union of Congolese Socialist Youth or UJSC

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Background

Upon independence in 1960, the former French region of Middle Congo became the Republic of the Congo. A quarter century of experimentation with Marxism was abandoned in 1990 and a democratically elected government took office in 1992. A brief civil war in 1997 restored former Marxist President Denis SASSOU-Nguesso, and ushered in a period of ethnic and political unrest. Southern-based rebel groups agreed to a final peace accord in March 2003. The Republic of Congo is one of Africa's largest petroleum producers, but with declining production it will need new offshore oil finds to sustain its oil earnings over the long term.

Military branches

Congolese Armed Forces (Forces Armees Congolaises, FAC): Army (Armee de Terre), Navy, Congolese Air Force (Armee de l'Air Congolaise); Gendarmerie; Special Presidential Security Guard (GSSP) (2013)

Military service age and obligation

18 years of age for voluntary military service; women may serve in the Armed Forces (2012)

Age structure

0-14 years: 41.53% (male 1,016,677/female 998,331) | 15-24 years: 17.26% (male 419,248/female 418,397) | 25-54 years: 34% (male 831,091/female 818,853) | 55-64 years: 4.18% (male 101,118/female 101,879) | 65 years and over: 3.03% (male 64,519/female 82,299) (2016 est.)

Birth rate

35.1 births/1,000 population (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 21

Child labor - children ages 5-14

total number: 252,171 | percentage: 25% (2005 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

12.3% (2015) | country comparison to the world: 61

Contraceptive prevalence rate

44.7% (2011/12)

Death rate

9.7 deaths/1,000 population (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 49

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 86.2% | youth dependency ratio: 79.4% | elderly dependency ratio: 6.8% | potential support ratio: 14.7% (2015 est.)

Drinking water source

urban: 95.8% of population | rural: 40% of population | total: 76.5% of population | urban: 4.2% of population | rural: 60% of population | total: 23.5% of population (2015 est.)

Education expenditures

6.2% of GDP (2010) | country comparison to the world: 39

Ethnic groups

Kongo 48%, Sangha 20%, M'Bochi 12%, Teke 17%, Europeans and other 3%

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

2.75% (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 22

HIV/AIDS - deaths

4,400 (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 34

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

80,700 (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 46

Health expenditures

5.2% of GDP (2014) | country comparison to the world: 179

Infant mortality rate

total: 56.4 deaths/1,000 live births | male: 61.4 deaths/1,000 live births | female: 51.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 24

Languages

French (official), Lingala and Monokutuba (lingua franca trade languages), many local languages and dialects (of which Kikongo is the most widespread)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 59.3 years | male: 58.1 years | female: 60.6 years (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 201

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write | total population: 79.3% | male: 86.4% | female: 72.9% (2015 est.)

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk: very high | food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever | vectorborne disease: malaria and dengue fever | animal contact disease: rabies | water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2016)

Major urban areas - population

BRAZZAVILLE (capital) 1.888 million; Pointe-Noire 969,000 (2015)

Maternal mortality rate

442 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 16

Median age

total: 19.7 years | male: 19.6 years | female: 19.9 years (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 192

Mother's mean age at first birth

19.8 | note: median age at first birth among women 25-29 (2011/12 est.)

Nationality

noun: Congolese (singular and plural) | adjective: Congolese or Congo

Net migration rate

-4.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 191

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

9.7% (2014) | country comparison to the world: 163

Physicians density

0.1 physicians/1,000 population (2007)

Population

4,852,412 | 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, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 125

Population growth rate

2.06% (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 44

Religions

Roman Catholic 33.1%, Awakening Churches/Christian Revival 22.3%, Protestant 19.9%, Salutiste 2.2%, Muslim 1.6%, Kimbanguiste 1.5%, other 8.1%, none 11.3% (2010 est.)

Sanitation facility access

urban: 20% of population | rural: 5.6% of population | total: 15% of population | urban: 80% of population | rural: 94.4% of population | total: 85% of population (2015 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 11 years | male: 11 years | female: 11 years (2012)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female | 0-14 years: 1.02 male(s)/female | 15-24 years: 1 male(s)/female | 25-54 years: 1.01 male(s)/female | 55-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female | 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female | total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2016 est.)

Total fertility rate

4.63 children born/woman (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 21

Urbanization

urban population: 65.4% of total population (2015) | rate of urbanization: 3.22% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Disputes - international

the location of the boundary in the broad Congo River with the Democratic Republic of the Congo is undefined except in the Pool Malebo/Stanley Pool area

Refugees and internally displaced persons

refugees (country of origin): 8,549 (Rwanda) (2015); 29,304 (Central African Republic); 12,223 (Democratic Republic of the Congo) (2016) | IDPs: 7,800 (multiple civil wars since 1992) (2015)

Trafficking in persons

current situation: the Republic of the Congo is a source and destination country for children, men, and women, subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking; most trafficking victims are from Benin, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and, to a lesser extent, other neighboring countries and are subjected to domestic servitude and market vending by West African and Congolese nationals; adults and children, the majority from the DRC, are also sex trafficked in Congo, mainly Brazzaville; internal trafficking victims, often from rural areas, are exploited as domestic servants or forced to work in quarries, bakeries, fishing, and agriculture | tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - the Republic of the Congo does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so; the country drafted an action plan based on anti-trafficking legislation, which remains pending in the Supreme Court; the government made minimal anti-trafficking law enforcement efforts in 2014, failing to prosecute or convict suspected traffickers from cases dating back to 2010; serious allegations of official complicity continue to be reported; the government lacks a systematic means of identifying victims and relies on NGOs and international organizations to identify victims and NGOs and foster families to provide care to victims; the quality of care varied widely because the foster care system was allegedly undermined by inadequate security and official complicity (2015)

Airports

27 (2013) | country comparison to the world: 125

Airports - with paved runways

total: 8 | over 3,047 m: 2 | 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 | 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 (2013)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 19 | 1,524 to 2,437 m: 8 | 914 to 1,523 m: 9 | under 914 m: 2 (2013)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

TN (2016)

Merchant marine

registered in other countries: 1 (Democratic Republic of the Congo 1) (2010) | country comparison to the world: 148

National air transport system

number of registered air carriers: 3 | inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 12 | annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 657,926 | annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 2,987,493 mt-km (2015)

Pipelines

gas 232 km; liquid petroleum gas 4 km; oil 982 km (2013)

Ports and terminals

major seaport(s): Pointe-Noire | river port(s): Brazzaville (Congo); Impfondo (Oubangi); Ouesso (Sangha); Oyo (Alima) | oil terminal(s): Djeno

Railways

total: 510 km | narrow gauge: 510 km 1.067-m gauge (2014) | country comparison to the world: 113

Roadways

total: 17,000 km | paved: 1,212 km | unpaved: 15,788 km (2006) | country comparison to the world: 118

Waterways

1,120 km (commercially navigable on Congo and Oubanqui Rivers above Brazzaville; there are many ferries across the river to Kinshasa; the Congo south of Brazzaville-Kinshasa to the coast is not navigable because of rapids, necessitating a rail connection to Pointe Noire; other rivers are used for local traffic only) (2011) | country comparison to the world: 61