The economy of Congo’s economy isn’t in too bad of shape. UNICEF has helped them out drastically. They have provided the country with 4,850,000 dollars in 2011 (CIA). The money UNICEF has given them has gone to (in order of most money spent) keeping country clean, nutrition, education, health, and child protection. The country is ranked 53 out of 197 for best current account balance and is one of the top countries in its continent for current account balance (CIA). The country relies heavily on its trading. Some of the items the trade include: petroleum, lumber, plywood, sugar, cocoa, coffee, and diamonds. Their main export which brings in 88.5% of their export earnings is petroleum (CIA). They are very involved with importing goods, also. Some of their main imports include: capital equipment, construction materials, and foods. They have had their struggles though. In the late 1990’s they had a serious problem with oil. The economy started to get better towards the mid 2000’s and last year the World Bank gave the country 1.9 billion dollars (CIA). As we can see, the country has had their ups and downs as an economy but has recently been in good shape thanks to UNICEF and the World Bank.
Denis Sassou-Nguesso, President of The Republic of Congo, sits on the right hand side of the picture.
Geography
Congo is located on the eastern coast of Africa, right on the equator. It has about 170 kilometers of coastline and is slightly smaller than the state of Montana (CIA). The climate is very warm and humid. The nation experiences severe flooding from March to June every year due to the tropical climate. Aside from being very rainy in these months, Congo experiences a very dry season from June to October. The topography of the land is very rocky and the terrain can be fairly mountainous in areas. The land is rich with resources, including minerals such as gold, magnesium, and copper. Congo also has a lot of petroleum resources. The nation exports many of these resources as a means of bringing money into the economy (see economy). They have been very successful with the exports in the past decade.
<------ THIS IS CONGO, UP-CLOSE AND PERSONAL!
THIS IS WHERE CONGO IS LOCATED IN AFRICA ------>
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Population and Living Statistics
Congo has a relatively small population in comparison with the rest of the countries in the world with only about 4.25 million people. Of these people, the median age is only 17 years old (CIA). Congo has a very high poverty rate, especially for the country having a fairly well balanced economy. The life expectancy is only under 55 years old (CIA). That is about 20 years shorter than the life expectancy in America. There are several issues that cause this number to be so low. The first issue is drinking water. While most of the population does have clean drinking water, 29% of the population drink unimproved water (CIA). The next problem is the lack of sanitation in congo. Only 30% of the population has access to good sanitation facilities.
The last problem and perhaps, the biggest, is the extremely low physician-to-people ratio. There isn't even 1 physician to every 10,000 people living in the country. This is a problem considering the lack of sanitation and the high disease rate. Congo is ranked 46th in people living with HIV/AIDS in the world with 77,000 and has many other infectious diseases attacking the population (CIA).
A large group of congolese people
History
Congo was previously a French colony. It gained its independence in 1960 (CIA). Congo struggled with many problems. In 1963 the Congolese took charge of the country. They then elected President Massamba Debat as their president in 1963 for 5 years then President Massamba Debat was overthrown in 1968 by the military and captain Marien Ngouabi (STATE). Congo was then Africa’s first republic ever in 1968 (STATE). This shaping the way for future African countries. Years went on and everything was fine until a huge conflict in 1997 between the election of Lissouba and Sassou-Nguesso (STATE). There was a 4 month conflict between the two involving the military. This all took place in the countries capital of Brazzaville. Then after months of fighting Sassou-Nguesso was the president. In July 2009 elections were held for president and Sassou-Nguesso won (STATE). The effects of the war were not good. The city of Brazzaville took a couple years to heal. A lot of money was also dumped into the war as well. But today Congo has been doing well and has a promising future.
This was a riot during the war in 1997 in the Countries capital Brazzaville
Quotes
"Poverty is the parent of revolution and crime."
~ARISTOTLE "There is a need to take advantage of the change that has taken place in the Congo, however tragic that has been in its coming."~PAUL KAGAME "When I was a boy we didn't wake up with Vietnam and have Cyprus for lunch and the Congo for dinner."
~LYNDON B. JOHNSON "I would hate to see operations in the Congo held hostage to Sierra Leone but I really think that's the way it's got to be. At one point we've got to decide to get it right and we've got to be professional."
~ALEX MORRISON
Works Cited
"Background Note: Republic of the Congo." U.S. Department of State. N.p., 24 Oct. 2011. Web. 17 Nov. 2011. [[http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/ 2825.htm|
BBC. "Republic of the Congo profile." BBC News Africa. Country News or Information, 19 July 2011. Web. 9 Nov. 2011. [[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/ world-africa-14121191|
Central Intelligence Agency. "Africa:Congo Republic Of The." Congo Republic OfThe. The World Factbook, 18 Oct. 2011. Web. 9 Nov. 2011. [[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world- factbook/geos/ cf.html|
CIA World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency, n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2011. <http:/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbookindex.html>.
“DR Congo Deal: Reaction in Quotes.” news.bbc.co.uk. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2011. <http:/“We have observed great political will, a spirit of compromise and lots of flexibility... But we exhort them to demonstrate the same political courage and flexibility in the implementation of the document.” >.
Unicef. "West and Central Africa-Republic of Congo." Unicef-Humanitarian Action for Children//. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Nov. 2011. [[http://www.unicef.org/ hac2011/hac_congo.php|
Congo
A Wiki page by Kevin Tyransky and Tyler Pirc
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Economy
The economy of Congo’s economy isn’t in too bad of shape. UNICEF has helped them out drastically. They have provided the country with 4,850,000 dollars in 2011 (CIA). The money UNICEF has given them has gone to (in order of most money spent) keeping country clean, nutrition, education, health, and child protection. The country is ranked 53 out of 197 for best current account balance and is one of the top countries in its continent for current account balance (CIA). The country relies heavily on its trading. Some of the items the trade include: petroleum, lumber, plywood, sugar, cocoa, coffee, and diamonds. Their main export which brings in 88.5% of their export earnings is petroleum (CIA). They are very involved with importing goods, also. Some of their main imports include: capital equipment, construction materials, and foods. They have had their struggles though. In the late 1990’s they had a serious problem with oil. The economy started to get better towards the mid 2000’s and last year the World Bank gave the country 1.9 billion dollars (CIA). As we can see, the country has had their ups and downs as an economy but has recently been in good shape thanks to UNICEF and the World Bank.Geography
Congo is located on the eastern coast of Africa, right on the equator. It has about 170 kilometers of coastline and is slightly smaller than the state of Montana (CIA). The climate is very warm and humid. The nation experiences severe flooding from March to June every year due to the tropical climate. Aside from being very rainy in these months, Congo experiences a very dry season from June to October. The topography of the land is very rocky and the terrain can be fairly mountainous in areas. The land is rich with resources, including minerals such as gold, magnesium, and copper. Congo also has a lot of petroleum resources. The nation exports many of these resources as a means of bringing money into the economy (see economy). They have been very successful with the exports in the past decade.<------ THIS IS CONGO, UP-CLOSE AND PERSONAL!
THIS IS WHERE CONGO IS LOCATED IN AFRICA ------>
==
==
Population and Living Statistics
Congo has a relatively small population in comparison with the rest of the countries in the world with only about 4.25 million people. Of these people, the median age is only 17 years old (CIA). Congo has a very high poverty rate, especially for the country having a fairly well balanced economy. The life expectancy is only under 55 years old (CIA). That is about 20 years shorter than the life expectancy in America. There are several issues that cause this number to be so low. The first issue is drinking water. While most of the population does have clean drinking water, 29% of the population drink unimproved water (CIA). The next problem is the lack of sanitation in congo. Only 30% of the population has access to good sanitation facilities.The last problem and perhaps, the biggest, is the extremely low physician-to-people ratio. There isn't even 1 physician to every 10,000 people living in the country. This is a problem considering the lack of sanitation and the high disease rate. Congo is ranked 46th in people living with HIV/AIDS in the world with 77,000 and has many other infectious diseases attacking the population (CIA).
History
Congo was previously a French colony. It gained its independence in 1960 (CIA). Congo struggled with many problems. In 1963 the Congolese took charge of the country. They then elected President Massamba Debat as their president in 1963 for 5 years then President Massamba Debat was overthrown in 1968 by the military and captain Marien Ngouabi (STATE). Congo was then Africa’s first republic ever in 1968 (STATE). This shaping the way for future African countries. Years went on and everything was fine until a huge conflict in 1997 between the election of Lissouba and Sassou-Nguesso (STATE). There was a 4 month conflict between the two involving the military. This all took place in the countries capital of Brazzaville. Then after months of fighting Sassou-Nguesso was the president. In July 2009 elections were held for president and Sassou-Nguesso won (STATE). The effects of the war were not good. The city of Brazzaville took a couple years to heal. A lot of money was also dumped into the war as well. But today Congo has been doing well and has a promising future.Quotes
"Poverty is the parent of revolution and crime."~ARISTOTLE
"There is a need to take advantage of the change that has taken place in the Congo, however tragic that has been in its coming."~PAUL KAGAME
"When I was a boy we didn't wake up with Vietnam and have Cyprus for lunch and the Congo for dinner."
~LYNDON B. JOHNSON
"I would hate to see operations in the Congo held hostage to Sierra Leone but I really think that's the way it's got to be. At one point we've got to decide to get it right and we've got to be professional."
~ALEX MORRISON
Works Cited
"Background Note: Republic of the Congo." U.S. Department of State. N.p., 24 Oct. 2011. Web. 17 Nov. 2011. [[http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/ 2825.htm|BBC. "Republic of the Congo profile." BBC News Africa. Country News or Information, 19 July 2011. Web. 9 Nov. 2011. [[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/ world-africa-14121191|
Central Intelligence Agency. "Africa:Congo Republic Of The." Congo Republic Of The. The World Factbook, 18 Oct. 2011. Web. 9 Nov. 2011. [[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world- factbook/geos/ cf.html|
CIA World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency, n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2011. <http:/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbookindex.html>.
“Democratic Republic of Congo.” globalissues.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2011. <http:/http://www.globalissues.org/article/87/the-democratic-republic-of-congo>.
“DR Congo Deal: Reaction in Quotes.” news.bbc.co.uk. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2011. <http:/“We have observed great political will, a spirit of compromise and lots of flexibility... But we exhort them to demonstrate the same political courage and flexibility in the implementation of the document.” >.
JoinAfrica.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2011. <http:/http://www.joinafrica.com/Country_Rankings/peo_liv_hiv_africa.htm>.
Unicef. "West and Central Africa-Republic of Congo." Unicef-Humanitarian Action for Children//. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Nov. 2011. [[http://www.unicef.org/ hac2011/hac_congo.php|