Congo
Updated: Oct 2, 2022
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Country Name
Republic of the Congo, also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic, or simply either Congo or the Congo.
Location
Congo is a country located on the western coast of Central Africa. It is bordered by five countries: Gabon to its west; Cameroon to its northwest the Central African Republic to its northeast; the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the southeast and the Angolan exclave of Cabinda to its south; and the Atlantic Ocean to its southwest.
Capital
Brazzaville.
Flag
The Republic of the Congo flag was originally adopted on August 18, 1958. It was abandoned in 1970 and then readopted on June 10, 1991.
The Republic of the Congo is often called Congo-Brazzaville, to avoid confusion with the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Republic of the Congo's flag is divided diagonally with three stripes -
the left stripe is green; the middle stripe is yellow, and the right stripe is
red. The green and red stripes are of equal size, but the yellow stripe is
narrower.
The motto of the Republic of the Congo is 'Unite-Travail-Progress'; which
translates to 'Unity-Labor-Progress'.
The green represents the agriculture and forests of the Congo, the yellow represents the "friendship and nobility" of the Congolese people. However, the symbolism behind the red was left unexplained.
Language
French is the official language of the Congo, while Kituba and Lingala are the country's national languages.
French is used as the medium of instruction in schools and other educational facilities throughout the country. It is also taught as a subject as part of the school curriculum. French is also used as the language of communication by the government, as the government is patterned by the French system.
Religion
Most citizens of the Republic of the Congo are Christian, though the majority of them still carry on indigenous religious practices to some degree. Many Christians practice Kimbanguism, which originated in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The movement retains many Christian elements but believes in ancestral worship.
Christianity accounts for almost 50% of the total population with 90% of all Christians being Roman Catholics. Muslims are less than 2% of the country with a majority of them as immigrants.
Currency
Central African CFA franc (XAF).
Time Zone
+01:00 GMT.
Government Regime
Unitary dominant-party semi-presidential republic.
Climate
In the Republic of Congo, the climate is equatorial hot and humid all year round, with no real dry season in the north, and tropical hot and humid, with a dry and cooler season in winter in the center and south.
In the north, the temperatures are high throughout the year, and the air is muggy, even though the altitude of a few hundred meters makes it a little more bearable than if it was at sea level. In the center-south, the temperature decreases from June to September, especially along the coast, where it becomes a bit cool during the day, and on the hills of the Plateaux Department, when it becomes a bit cool at night.
International Phone Code
+242
Internet Code
.cg