Former military ruler Denis Sassou-Nguesso officially returned to power in 1997 after a short but bloody
four-month civil war.
Sassou-Nguesso ruled the former French colony from 1979 until the early 1990s. He was knocked out in a first round of elections in 1992, when Pascal Lissouba became Congo's first democratically elected president.
From exile in Burkina Faso, Lissouba is urging a campaign of civil disobedience to undermine Sassou-Nguesso.
Relief workers estimate that about a quarter of Congo's population of 2.8 million has been displaced by the conflict.
Land and People | History |
| Financial | Weather
DEMOGRAPHICS
- Population:
- 2,583,198
- Average life span:
- 44 male, 47 female
- GDP per capita (US$):
- $1,960
- Literacy rate:
- 75%
THE LAND AND ITS PEOPLE
- Capital:
- Brazzaville
- Size:
- 132,047 square miles (342,000 square km)
- Government type:
- Republic
- Political leaders:
- Denis Sassou Nguesso, President of Congo
- Religions:
- Christianity -- mostly Roman Catholic (50%), indigenous beliefs (48%), Islam (2%)
- Languages:
- French (official), Lingala, Kikongo, and other African languages
HISTORY
- 15th century -- Loango Kingdom and Anzico Kingdom of the Batekes flourish.
- 1885 -- France establishes control of Congo region.
- 1960 -- Independence.
- 1963 -- Coup leads to Marxist government.
- 1990 -- Marxism renounced and opposition parties legalized.
- 1991 -- Country is renamed the Republic of Congo.
- 1992 -- Pascal Lissouba wins presidential elections.
- 1997 -- Denis Sassou Nguesso topples Lissouba's elected government.
FINANCIAL
- Monetary unit:
- CFA Franc
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CNN WEATHER INFORMATION
CNN WEATHER INFORMATION:
- Forecast and satellite maps:
- Africa forecast map
- Africa satellite image