Advanced search
image
Travel & living abroad

Sub Saharan Africa

Congo

 Flag of Congo

Map of Congo Last reviewed: 11 June 2010

Country information

Map of Congo

Full Country Name: The Republic of Congo
Area: 342,000 sq km (132,000 sq miles)
Population: 4.01 million (2009 est)
Capital City: Brazzaville (population: 1.28m)
People: 15 main Bantu groups, the largest being Bacongo, Vili, Bateke, M'Bochi, and Sangha. There are also over 70 subgroups and a small pygmy population (making up around 5% of the population).
Language(s): French (official), Lingala, Kikongo and Munukutuba (national)
Religion(s): traditional beliefs (50%), Roman Catholic (35%), other Christians (15%), Muslim (2%)
Currency: Central African Franc CFA (fixed to euro), shared with Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.
Major political parties: The largest political party is the Congolese Labour Party (PCT). Other parties include the Pan-African Union for Social Democracy (UPADS), Congolese Movement for Democracy and Integral Development (MCDDI), Mouvement Action et Renouveau (MAR), Mouvement pour la Solidarité et le Développement (MSD) and Union pour la Démocratie et la République-Mwinda (UDR-Mwinda)
Head of State: President Denis Sassou-Nguesso
Membership of international groupings/organisations: African Development Bank (AFDB), Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC), United Nations (UN), African Union (AU), Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS).

HEALTH


In the 2008 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic the UNAIDS/WHO Working Group estimated that around 73,000 adults aged 15 or over in Congo were living with HIV; the prevalence rate was estimated at around 3.5% of the adult population (in comparison,  the prevalence rate in adults in the UK is around 0.2%).  
Water-borne diseases are common in Congo, with outbreaks of cholera occurring in the last few years in Brazzaville, Loudima, Pointe Noire and Kouilou.
Outbreaks of the human form of the Ebola fever have occurred in recent years. The end of the last outbreak of Ebola was in 2005. There have been no reported cases since, although the WHO has warned that an outbreak could occur in the future. The use of ‘Bush meat’ is widely thought to propagate diseases, such as Ebola.

Health Needs

Country information

Pick Another Country :

Travel Advice

Travel Advice: Democratic Republic of Congo


Read about our work in DRC

Standing proud in Kinshasa


See also


Useful links


Contacts

Congo

Address:

37 bis Rue Paul Valéry
75116 Paris
France


Telephone:

(00) 33 1 45 00 6057

Fax:

(00) 33 1 40 67 1733

Office hours:

 

FCO Blogger