Country · Africa
Republic of the Congo
The Republic of the Congo is a country in Middle Africa. About 5.2 million people live there, in an area of 342 000 square kilometres. Its capital city is Brazzaville.
Picture credit: Bsm15 (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Claime BATSIMBA (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Bsm15 (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Prével EPOTA (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Brazzaville_-_by_Creative.webm (CC BY 3.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where is the Republic of the Congo?
The Republic of the Congo lies in Middle Africa, on the continent of Africa.
It sits in the southern half of the world, roughly 111 km from the equator.
It shares a border with 5 countries: Angola, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, DR Congo and Gabon.
How big is the Republic of the Congo?
The Republic of the Congo covers 342 000 square kilometres.
That is about 8.3 times the size of Switzerland.
Among the world's countries that makes it the 64th largest.
Spread everybody out evenly and you get about 15.3 people on every square kilometre.
That is emptier than the world average of roughly 60 people per square kilometre.
Who lives in the Republic of the Congo?
About 5.2 million people live in the Republic of the Congo.
That is the 118th biggest population in the world.
People here speak French, Kikongo and Lingala.
They pay with the Central African CFA franc (Fr).
On average, people born here can expect to live about 47 years.
The land of the Republic of the Congo
The land of the Republic of the Congo sits on average 430 metres above sea level.
It lies inside the tropics, which is the single biggest reason its weather is the way it is.
What makes the Republic of the Congo different?
Websites from here often end in .cg.
The Republic of the Congo and the rest of the world
Out of every thousand people alive on Earth, about one lives in the Republic of the Congo.
It takes up about 0.26 % of all the land that countries stand on.
Within Africa the country ranks 27th of 54 by size, and 37th by population.
The Republic of the Congo and its neighbours
DR Congo, its largest neighbour, is about 6.9 times bigger.
DR Congo has more people: 84.1 million against 5.2 million.
Nature and animals
Of the animals on this site, one lives wild in the Republic of the Congo: Gorilla. The highest mountain in the country is Mont Nabemba, at 1 020 metres. The longest river in the country is the Congo. The largest lake in the country is Pool Malebo.
Photographs from Wikimedia Commons under free licences — every credit is on the page itself and in the picture credits.
Where this country lands in the record lists
How big is the Republic of the Congo compared with the United States?
- The United States is about 27 times as big as the Republic of the Congo: 9 372 610 km² against 342 000 km².
- The Republic of the Congo is about 1.4 times as big as the United Kingdom: 342 000 km² against 242 900 km².
Questions children ask
What is the capital of the Republic of the Congo?
The capital of the Republic of the Congo is Brazzaville. It is the city where the country's government works from.
How many people live in the Republic of the Congo?
About 5.2 million people live in the Republic of the Congo, which makes it the 118th most populated country in the world. (Source: World Bank, 2018.)
Which countries border the Republic of the Congo?
The Republic of the Congo borders Angola, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, DR Congo and Gabon — 5 neighbours in total.
How big is the Republic of the Congo?
The Republic of the Congo covers 342 000 square kilometres, making it the 64th largest country in the world. That is about 8.3 times the size of Switzerland.
What is the highest mountain in the Republic of the Congo?
The highest mountain in the Republic of the Congo is Mont Nabemba, 1 020 metres above sea level. It is the country's highest point.
What is the longest river in the Republic of the Congo?
The longest river in the Republic of the Congo is the Congo. The whole river measures about 4 700 kilometres, and part of that course runs through the country.
What is the largest lake in the Republic of the Congo?
The largest lake in the Republic of the Congo is Pool Malebo. The whole lake covers about 500 km², and part of it belongs to neighbouring countries.
Which continent is the Republic of the Congo in?
The Republic of the Congo is in Africa, in the part called Middle Africa.
Where these numbers come from
Borders and outlines: Natural Earth. Names, capitals, areas, languages and currencies: ISO 3166 data (world-countries). Population: World Bank, 2018. Every derived figure on this page (ranks, density, distance from the equator) is calculated from those values.
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