Congo is sometimes known as the Republic of the Congo or Congo-Brazzaville (after its capital city) to distinguish it from its larger neighbour, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The Equator runs across the middle of the country. In the north is a swampy, thickly-forested region, part of the vast Congo rainforest. In the south, the land rises to a low plateau, the Batéké Plateau, part of the Crystal Mountains, before sloping down to wide plains at the coast. The country’s eastern border is formed by the River Oubangi, and further south by the immense River Congo. Congo’s location on the Equator gives it a hot, humid climate all year round; its main rainy season is between October and December.

People

Congo’s population is made up of Bantu peoples; about half belong to the largest group, the Kongo. Other groups include the Teke and Sanga. About three-quarters of the population live in the cities of Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire, or in towns along the railway that runs between them. Congo’s Baka people, who live by hunting and fishing, have inhabited an area in the northeastern rainforest for centuries. Vast areas of Congo are almost completely uninhabited. Many Congolese people follow Christianity alongside traditional beliefs such as animism. Animists believe that non-human things, such as hills, trees and rivers, have spirits.

Economy

Oil is an important industry: it provides nearly all Congo’s foreign income. In 1997, a civil war, called the War of 5th June, broke out between supporters of rival presidential candidates—with control over Congo's oil resources a key factor. The war, which lasted until 1999, left a lot of people living in poverty: ordinary people see little of the wealth created by oil. Many people work in construction and in shops and factories.

Outside the cities, farmers grow cassava, sugar cane, maize and coffee. A fast-developing new industry in Congo is eco-tourism, a type of “green” tourism that encourages safari trips into the rainforest while taking care not to harm the animals’ habitats.

River Congo

The Congo is Africa’s second-longest river and the fifth-longest in the world. It flows through the dense Congo rainforest to the Atlantic Ocean, providing a vital lifeline for travel and trade. Congo’s capital, Brazzaville, is situated on the River Congo. Downstream from here the river is wide enough for large merchant ships to set out for the Atlantic Ocean. Further upstream, local people use a type of dugout canoe, called a pirogue, to travel on the river. The Congo has huge potential for producing hydro-electric power—more than any other river in the world. Were all its power to be harnessed, it could produce enough electricity to supply the whole of Sub-Saharan Africa.

Facts about Congo

Population 5,399,895

Area 341,500 sq km

Highest point Mont Nabemba 1020 m (3350 ft)

Capital Brazzaville, population 1.61 million

Other major cities Pointe-Noire (pop. 834,000)

Languages French, Kikongo

Religions Christian (Roman Catholic) 33%, Christian (Protestant) 20%, other Christian 22%, Muslim 2%, others 23%

Ethnicity Kongo 48%, Sanga 20%, Teke 17%, Mbochi 12%, others 3%

Currency Central African CFA franc (XAF)

Chief exports oil, timber, sugar, coffee, cocoa, diamonds