Republic of the Congo - Geography

Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Republic of the Congo. About 70% of the population lives in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, or along the railroad between them. Mother's mean age at first birth is 19.6 years (2011/12 est.) (Note: data represents median age at first birth among women 20-49), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 282 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Geographical data of Republic of the Congo
Location Central Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and Gabon
Geographic coordinates 1 00 S, 15 00 E
Map references Africa
Tarrain coastal plain, southern basin, central plateau, northern basin
Natural Resources petroleum, timber, potash, lead, zinc, uranium, copper, phosphates, gold, magnesium, natural gas, hydropower
Natural Hazards seasonal flooding
Irrigated Land 20 sq km (2012)
Major rivers (by length in km) Oubangui (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 aquifers Congo Basin
Land Boundaries 5,554 km
Border Countries 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
Climate tropical; rainy season (March to June); dry season (June to October); persistent high temperatures and humidity; particularly enervating climate astride the Equator
Area
Total Area
Land Area 341,500 sq km
Water Area 500 sq km
comparative Area slightly smaller than Montana; about twice the size of Florida
Maritime Claims
Territorial sea 12 nm
Contiguous zone 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone 200 nm
Elevations
Highest point Mont Nabeba 1,020 m
Lowest point Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Mean elevation 430 m
Land Use
Agricultural land 31.3% (2022 est.)
Agricultural land: arable land arable land: 1.6% (2022 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent crops permanent crops: 0.4% (2022 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent pasture permanent pasture: 29.3% (2022 est.)
Forest 64.2% (2022 est.)
Other 4.5% (2022 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

People and Society

In Republic of the Congo, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: Kongo (Bakongo) 40.5%, Teke 16.9%, Mbochi 13.1%, foreigner 8.2%, Sangha 5.6%, Mbere/Mbeti/Kele 4.4%, Punu 4.3%, Pygmy 1.6%, Oubanguiens 1.6%, Duma 1.5%, Makaa 1.3%, other and unspecified 1% (2014-15 est.)

Population
Pop growth rate 2.38% (2024 est.)
Birth rate 28.7 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Death rate 4.8 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Health expenditure 3.9% of GDP (2021)
Physicians Density
Hospital bed Density
Total fertility rate 3.79 children born/woman (2024 est.)
Gross reproduction rate 1.87 (2024 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate 30.1% (2014/15)
Est married women (ages 15-49) 51.8% (2023 est.)
Literacy age 15 and over can read and write
Education expenditures 4.5% of GDP (2020 est.)
Net Migration rate -0.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Nationality Congolese or Congo | Congolese (singular and plural)
Languages
Religions Roman Catholic 33.1%, Awakening Churches/Christian Revival 22.3%, Protestant 19.9%, Salutiste 2.2%, Muslim 1.6%, Kimbanguiste 1.5%, other 8.1%, none 11.3% (2007 est.)
Age Structure
0-14 years 37.8% (male 1,162,298/female 1,143,668)
15-64 years 57.8% (male 1,770,337/female 1,756,925)
65 years and over 4.3% (2024 est.) (male 113,338/female 151,099)
Dependency Ratios
Total dependency ratio 78.8
Youth dependency ratio 74
Elderly dependency ratio 4.8
Potential support ratio 20.9 (2021 est.)
Median Age
Total 20.7 years (2024 est.)
Male 20.5 years
Female 20.9 years
Urbanization
Urban population 69.2% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization 3.19% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas (Pop) 2.638 million BRAZZAVILLE (capital), 1.336 million Pointe-Noire (2023).
Sex Ratio
At birth 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over 0.75 male(s)/female
Total population 1 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Infant Motality
Total 30.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male 33.5 deaths/1,000 live births
Female 27.7 deaths/1,000 live births
Life Expectancy at birth
Total population 72.9 years (2024 est.)
Male 71.5 years
Female 74.3 years
Drinking Water Sources
Improved: urban urban: 97.5% of population
Improved: rural rural: 56.4% of population
Improved: total total: 84.2% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 2.5% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 43.6% of population
Unimproved: total total: 15.8% of population (2020 est.)
Sanitation facility acess
Improved: urban urban: 73.4% of population
Improved: rural rural: 15.1% of population
Improved: total total: 54.7% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 26.6% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 84.9% of population
Unimproved: total total: 45.3% of population (2020 est.)
Alcohol consumption per capita
Total 5.74 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Beer 5.11 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Wine 0.1 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Spirits 0.52 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Other alcohols 0.01 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Tobacco use
Total 14.5% (2020 est.)
Male 26.8% (2020 est.)
Female 2.1% (2020 est.)
Child marriage
Women married by age 15 8.4%
Women married by age 18 29.1%
Men married by age 18 5.6% (2018 est.)
Demographic profile
All Important Facts about Republic of the Congo

Want to know more about Republic of the Congo? Check all different factbooks for Republic of the Congo below.

Republic of the Congo is found in Middle Africa