Republic of the Congo - Tourism and Travel

The Republic of the Congo is a country in Central Africa.

It has an area of 132,047 square miles (342,000 square kilometers).

Most of the Republic of the Congo consists of plateau that is covered in savanna or forest and is drained by the Congo River system.

A short coast along the Atlantic Ocean is lined with lagoons and sand dunes.

The Congo River Basin is the second largest river basin in the world. The largest is the Amazon Basin, in South America.

Part of the Congo River runs along the border between the Republic of the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The Amazon River is the only river on Earth that carries a greater volume of water than the Congo.

The Republic of the Congo has a hot, tropical climate.

Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of the Congo, is on the shore of Malebo Pool, or Stanley Pool, an expansion of the Congo River. Malebo Pool is located on the border between the Republic of the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kinshasa, is located on the other side of Stanley Pool.

3,683,000 people live in the Republic of the Congo.

51% are Bakongo, 17% are Teke, 11% are Mbochi and 5% are Mbede.

The official language is French. Kongo, Teke and Lingala are also spoken.

50% of the people practice traditional religions, 25% are Roman Catholic, 23% are Protestant and 2% are Muslim.

The economy of the Republic of the Congo is based on oil and timber sales.

More than half of export revenue comes from oil.

Half of the workforce is involved in agriculture. Cash crops include coffee, cocoa, sugar and oil palms.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo has a presidential system of government.

The official currency is the CFA franc, which equals 100 centimes.