1) General culture
Education
|
Adjusted savings; |
3.79 % of GNI |
[98th of 168] |
|
Children out of school, primary |
376,221 |
[15th of 126] |
|
Education enrolment by level > Primary level |
509,507 |
[95th of 189] |
|
Education enrolment by level > Tertiary level |
12,456 |
[109th of 150] |
|
Education expenditure of government > As percentage of GNI |
2.8% |
[37th of 127] |
|
Education expenditure of government > As percentage of total government |
8.1% |
[47th of 85] |
|
Education spending (% of GDP) |
3.2% |
[101st of 132] |
|
Education spending (% of total government expenditure) |
12.6% |
[69th of 96] |
|
Education, primary completion rate |
57 |
[103rd of 148] |
|
Illiteracy rates by sex, aged 15+ |
16.2% |
[60th of 138] |
|
Illiteracy rates by sex, aged 15+ > Women |
21.6% |
[55th of 138] |
|
Literacy rate, adult total > % of people ages 15 and above |
67.14 % |
[73rd of 121] |
|
Literacy rate, youth female > % of females ages 15-24 |
90.28 % |
[58th of 123] |
|
Literacy rate, youth total > % of people ages 15-24 |
92.53 % |
[56th of 123] |
|
Public spending on education, total > % of GDP |
2.2 % |
[46th of 136] |
|
Public spending on education, total > % of government expenditure |
8.09 % |
[45th of 103] |
|
Pupil-teacher ratio, primary |
82.8 |
[2nd of 159] |
|
School enrollment, tertiary > % gross |
3.65 % gross |
[116th of 141] |
|
Scientific and technical journal articles |
13 |
[125th of 175] |
|
Women to men parity index, as ratio of literacy rates, aged 15-24 |
0.98 |
[19th of 138] |
Health
|
Birth rate, crude > per 1,000 people |
44.26 per 1,000 people |
[13th of 195] |
|
Contraceptive prevalence > % of women ages 15-49 |
44.3 % |
[6th of 57] |
|
expenditure per capita > current US$ |
27.6 $ |
[144th of 186] |
|
expenditure, private > % of GDP |
1.27 % |
[153rd of 187] |
|
expenditure, public > % of GDP |
1.23 % |
[171st of 187] |
|
expenditure, total > % of GDP |
2.5 % |
[181st of 187] |
|
Fertility rate, total > births per woman |
5.6 births per woman |
[20th of 194] |
|
Hospital beds > per 1,000 people |
3.35 per 1,000 people |
[67th of 149] |
|
Improved water source > % of population with access |
58 % |
[154th of 176] |
|
Incidence of tuberculosis > per 100,000 people |
366.58 per 100,000 people |
[19th of 200] |
|
Infant mortality rate |
93.86 |
[17th of 179] |
|
life expectancy > Date of information |
2006 est. |
|
|
Life expectancy at birth, male > years |
51.54 years |
[153rd of 194] |
|
Life expectancy at birth, total > years |
52.81 years |
[152nd of 194] |
|
Major infectious diseases > Degree of risk |
very high |
|
|
Major infectious diseases > Food or waterborne diseases
|
||
|
Malnutrition prevalence, height for age > % of children under 5 |
27.5 % |
[8th of 52] |
|
Physicians > per 1,000 people |
0.2 per 1,000 people |
[35th of 148] |
|
Prevalence of HIV, total > % of population ages 15-49 |
5.27 % |
[17th of 148] |
|
Prevalence of undernourishment > % of population |
33 % |
[23rd of 172] |
Sports
|
National Olympic Committee > NOC by recognition date > # |
116 |
[25th of 68] |
Food
|
beverages and tobacco > % of value added in manufacturing |
57.61 % |
[7th of 103] |
|
exports > % of merchandise exports |
1.01 % |
[125th of 156] |
Language
|
Languages of the African Union > Illiteracy > Literacy rate |
82.8 |
[109th of 174] |
2) Religion
|
Islam > Percentage Muslim |
2% |
[108th of 168] |
|
|
Islam > Population |
60,782 |
[121st of 165] |
|
|
Islam in Africa > Islamic population in Africa and population percentage > Population |
2 % |
[38th of 45] |
|
|
Protestantism > By country > Protestants |
151,956 |
[103rd of 167] |
|
|
Protestantism > By country > Protestants > % Protestant |
5 % |
[92nd of 163] |
|
|
Religions > All
|
|||
|
Religions > Muslim |
2 % |
[90th of 100] |
|
|
Roman Catholicism > By country > Roman Catholicism > % Catholic |
42.65 % |
[56th of 170] |
|
|
Roman Catholicism > By country > Roman Catholicism > Catholic total |
1,296,187 |
[73rd of 170] |
|
|
Seventh-day Adventist Membership |
640 |
[161st of 232] |
|
3) Media
|
Cinemas |
30 |
[49th of 61] |
|
Cinemas > Seats |
4,400 |
[34th of 44] |
|
Fixed line and mobile phone subscribers > per 1,000 people |
102.36 per 1,000 people |
[132nd of 193] |
|
Households with television > % |
6.02 % |
[131st of 160] |
|
Mobile phone subscribers |
490,000 |
[123rd of 198] |
|
Newspapers and periodicals > Circulation > Daily |
21,000 |
[79th of 90] |
|
Newspapers and periodicals > Number of titles > Daily |
6 |
[64th of 106] |
|
Personal computers |
17,000 |
[140th of 164] |
|
Radio broadcast stations |
AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 3 |
|
|
Radio receivers |
341,000 |
[144th of 188] |
|
Radios |
341,000 |
[143rd of 221] |
|
Telecommunications revenue > % GDP |
2.85 % GDP |
[95th of 167] |
|
Telephone average cost of call to US > US$ per three minutes |
5.39 $ |
[7th of 142] |
|
Telephone faults > per 100 mainlines |
60.55 per 100 mainlines |
[53rd of 134] |
|
Telephone mainlines |
13,820 |
[167th of 202] |
|
Telephone subscribers |
397,473 |
[135th of 199] |
|
Telephone subscribers per employee |
23.25 |
[159th of 191] |
|
Television broadcast stations |
1 |
[14th of 89] |
|
Television receivers |
33,000 |
[159th of 185] |
|
Televisions |
33,000 |
[162nd of 215] |
Internet
|
Country code |
.cg |
|
|
Hosts |
5 |
[222nd of 228] |
|
International Internet bandwidth > Mbps |
1 Mbps |
[128th of 167] |
|
Internet Service Providers |
1 |
[180th of 229] |
|
ISP |
1 |
[125th of 162] |
|
Price basket for Internet > US$ per month |
84.51 $/month |
[10th of 180] |
|
Secure Internet servers |
1 |
[166th of 183] |
|
TLD |
.cg |
|
|
Users |
70,000 |
[123rd of 190] |
4) Tourism
1. National Parc
Ndoki-Nouabalé
Besides being home to more than 1,000 species of plants, as well as gorillas,
elephants, antelopes, and over 300 types of birds, National Parc Ndoki-Nouabalé
is one of the country’s best-staffed parks. The virgin rain forest is not
navigable in some places, and a guide is essential for walking or boat tours.
Most visitors to the park arrive via airplane from Brazzaville or Pointe Noire.
2. Lesio-Louna Gorilla Reserve
The Congo is home to some 80 percent of the world’s wild gorillas and
chimpanzees, and even the most nature-averse traveler will fall in love with the
chimp families and majestic gorillas that romp around the country’s several
reserves. Although Ndoki-Nouabalé National Park remains the best location for
seeing all kinds of wildlife, Lesio-Louna virtually guarantees close encounters
with primates and is quite accessible, only a short drive north of Brazzaville.
3. Brazzaville’s Waterfalls
Although Congo-Brazzaville’s waterfalls are generally not as impressive as the
ones in Congo-Kinshasa, Loufoulakari Falls and the nearby Bela Falls are the
exceptions that prove the rule. Cutting noisily through a tangle of untouched
rain forest, these waterfalls are relatively easy to reach from Brazzaville and
offer lovely panoramas of the surrounding forest.
4. Poto Poto
Perhaps Brazzaville’s most famous arrondissement, Poto Poto draws in many
tourists with its sprawling market, where you can bargain with local vendors for
handicrafts, food, and clothing. Traditionally part of the West African area of
town, Poto Poto is also known for a laid-back and popular bar scene as well as
its painting school, established in 1951.
5. Pointe Noire
This city’s convenient port (possessing the only deepwater harbor in Africa
south of Dakar) and offshore oil reserves make it a center for opulence and
expats, although most of the locals still live in poverty. Pointe Noire has a
livelier and more expensive club scene than Brazzaville, but it is generally
worth the cost. Visitors have a choice between the pricey bars on Avenue General
de Gaulle and a more authentic experience in La Cité, Pointe Noire’s “African
district.” The beaches outside the city are world class, and diving equipment
and fishing boat rentals are readily available.
6. Northern Congo Trekking
Although driving to this part of the country is not a pursuit for those with
weak stomachs (or weak transmissions), doing so affords as much authenticity as
you can get in Africa, and the lifestyle in its traditional villages is vastly
different from what one can observe in Pointe Noire and Brazzaville. It is
possible to hire a guide from Ouesso, Oyo, or Owanda who can lead you on rain
forest hikes, and will also take you to pygmy villages on request.
7. Basilique Sainte-Anne and Central Mosque
In architecturally sophisticated Brazzaville, places of worship aren’t just
lovely; they’re innovative, serene, and difficult to bypass. Why would anyone
want to? Basilique Sainte-Anne is a gorgeous modern Catholic church, and the
Temple Mosque has attractive mosaics and a beautifully decorated inner chamber.
8. Congo Rapids
The rapids, which start and stop along the Congo River between Brazzaville and
Kinshasa, are unsafe to raft on but are quite pretty and wonderful to walk
along. Most of the city’s bars and clubs are nearby, so the white water is a
picturesque location at which to mingle with expats and locals.
When to Go
Congo’s wet season lasts from October to May. During that time, roads tend to
turn into muddy quagmires and unwitting tourists into mosquito bait. Avoid this
period, especially if you plan on venturing outside of Brazzaville or Pointe
Noire. Instead, visit between June and August or during the shorter dry season
in December.
| Other articles in this category |
|---|
| Congo at a glance |
| Geography |
| History |
| Culture |
| Economy |
| Politics |
| Military |
