The Republic of Congo is a West-Central African country that borders Cameroon, Gabon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Angola. It covers 131,283 square miles and has 10 regions and one municipality. The economy is focused on agriculture, services, and oil, and most citizens live in the southwest. The country has a constant equatorial climate with temperatures around 75 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and 60 degrees Fahrenheit at night.
The Republic of Congo is a country in West-Central Africa that rests on the equator. On its borders are Cameroon, Gabon and the Central African Republic, as well as the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Cabinda, an enclave of Angola. The country also kisses a small portion of the Atlantic Ocean. The Republic of the Congo covers approximately 131,283 square miles (341,499 square kilometers). It is about three times the size of Pennsylvania.
The Republic of Congo, formerly called Middle Congo, was colonized by the French. When the country gained its independence in 1960, it assumed the new name. After gaining independence, the nation installed a Marxist government. In 1990, Marxism was sidelined in favor of a government that included democratic elections. In 1997, however, a brief civil war broke out, resulting in the reinstallation of the country’s previous Marxist president, Denis Sassou Nguesso.
The Republic of the Congo has 10 distinct regions and one municipality. Its regions are further divided into districts; there are forty-six districts in all. Its municipality is also its capital, Brazzaville, which is located on the Congo River. The interior of the country is largely a central plateau resting between an upper and lower basin. Its southwest portion, however, is a coastal lowland area, providing drainage to the Kouilou-Niari River.
The economy of the Republic of the Congo is centered on a combination of agriculture and services, as well as manual labour. It has an industrial sector, which focuses, in large part, on oil. Indeed, oil has assumed the role of the main economic orientation of the country; in the past, the focus was on forestry. The country’s focus on oil leaves it taking a beating when oil prices plummet as they finance needed projects whenever oil prices are higher. Additionally, Congo exports diamonds and natural gas, sometimes facing allegations that its diamond exports are actually smuggled out of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Most citizens of the Republic of the Congo reside in its southwestern part. They tend to be concentrated in areas such as Brazzaville and Point-Noire, as well as villages and smaller towns. Therefore, large areas of the country are uninhabited. Mostly, these areas are found in the northern part of the country which consists of the tropical jungle. This focus on urban areas means that Congo is among the most urbanized nations in Africa.
The Republic of the Congo has fairly constant temperatures all year round, as it is located on the equator. Daytime temperatures tend to hover around 75 degrees Fahrenheit (24 degrees Celsius) while nighttime temperatures average around 60 degrees Fahrenheit (16 degrees Celsius). The southern part of the country sees somewhat cooler temperatures in the middle of the year. Conversely, the middle of the year is slightly warmer in the northern regions.
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