Congo Republic of the Geography - 2022

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 1,775 km; Gabon 2,567 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: Mont Nabeba 1,020 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)

Major rivers (by length in km)

Ubangi (shared with Central African Republic [s] and Democratic Republic of Congo [m]) - 2,270 km
note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

Major watersheds (area sq km)

Atlantic Ocean drainage: Congo (3,730,881 sq km)

Major aquifers

Congo Basin

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

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 2022 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 2022 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Congo Republic of the 2022 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.