Congo Republic of the Geography - 2021

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Location

Central Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and Gabon

Geographic coordinates

1 00 S, 15 00 E

Map references

Africa

Area

total: 342,000 sq km

land: 341,500 sq km

water: 500 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Montana; about twice the size of Florida

Area comparison map

Land boundaries

total: 5,554 km

border countries (5): Angola 231 km, Cameroon 494 km, Central African Republic 487 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 1775 km, Gabon 2567 km

Coastline

169 km

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate

tropical; rainy season (March to June); dry season (June to October); persistent high temperatures and humidity; particularly enervating climate astride the Equator

Terrain

coastal plain, southern basin, central plateau, northern basin

Elevation

highest point: Mount Berongou 903 m

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

mean elevation: 430 m

Natural resources

petroleum, timber, potash, lead, zinc, uranium, copper, phosphates, gold, magnesium, natural gas, hydropower

Land use

agricultural land: 31.1% (2018 est.)

arable land: 1.6% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 0.2% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 29.3% (2018 est.)

forest: 65.6% (2018 est.)

other: 3.3% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land

20 sq km (2012)

Total renewable water resources

832 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

Population distribution

the population is primarily located in the south, in and around the capital of Brazzaville as shown in this population distribution map

Natural hazards

seasonal flooding

Environment - international agreements

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note

about 70% of the population lives in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, or along the railroad between them

NOTE: The information regarding Congo Republic of the on this page is re-published from the 2021 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Congo Republic of the 2021 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Congo Republic of the 2021 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.