The Congo (Brazzaville) is also called the Republic of
the Congo. It is an independent state on the equator in
western Africa.
It is bordered by the Central
African Republic and Cameroon to
the north, The
Democratic Republic of the Congo to
the east, the Atlantic
Ocean and
Angola (Cabinda)
to the southwest, and Gabon to
the west.
It is called the Congo-Brazzaville to distinguish it from Congo-Kinshasa, which is also known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (known as Zaire until 1997).
It was formerly part of French Equatorial Africa, a French colony, and became independent in 1960. It was called the People’s Republic of Congo from 1970-1991.
The country experienced a period of unrest from 1992-1997, followed by civil war 1997-1999. A new constitution was written in 2000, and approved in 2002. A cease-fire was signed in March 2003, but violence continued until 2005. Unrest continues in the country today.
The Congo River and its tributaries flow through part of the country.
The topography includes rocky hills and valleys, tropical rain forest, savanna grasslands, and coastal and swampy areas.
The people of Congo (Brazzaville) belong to several ethnic groups, the largest group (50 percent) being the Kongo people, from whose name the country’s name derived.
The religion of the population is about equally divided between adherants to traditional religion and Christianity.
Agriculture and timber exports have been the largest economic activities, though petroleum and industry are now significant.
Web Sites
Catalog
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Databases
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