Republic of the Congo Country Overview
Where is Republic of the Congo located? The Republic of the Congo is located in Central Africa. It is also known as Congo-Brazzaville because of its capital, Brazzaville. The Republic of the Congo became independent from France in 1960. On the time zone map, Congo is located in an area called “West Africa Time” (WAT) and has a standard hour difference from coordinated world time. Accordingly, clocks in Congo are always one hour later than universal time (UTC+1). There is no changeover to daylight saving time in summer.
Bordering Countries of Republic of the Congo
According to abbreviationfinder, Republic of the Congo is bordered by six countries in Central Africa. To the north, it shares a border with Gabon and the Central African Republic. To the south, it is bordered by Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The eastern border of Congo is shared with Cameroon and Cabinda, an exclave province of Angola. The western border of Congo is shared with the Atlantic Ocean.
Gabon to the north has a total land area of over 267,000 square kilometers, making it one of Africa’s largest countries. It has a population estimated at around 2 million people and its capital city is Libreville. It is home to rainforest habitats where gorillas, elephants and other wildlife can be found in abundance. The Central African Republic to Congo’s north has a total land area of over 622,000 square kilometers and a population estimated at around 5 million people; its capital city is Bangui. It is known for its savannas full of antelope and other wildlife species as well as dense rainforest habitats that are home to chimpanzees and other primates.
To Congo’s south lies Angola with a total land area just over 1 million square kilometers making it Africa’s seventh largest country by size; its population estimated at around 25 million people and its capital city Luanda. Angola has vast savanna grasslands which are home to elephants, lions, cape buffalo, hippos and other large mammals as well as dense rainforest habitats where chimpanzees can be found in abundance; Angola also features some stunning coastal areas along the Atlantic Ocean which are popular tourist destinations for beachgoers looking for some sun and sand. Finally, to Congo’s east lies Cameroon with an area just under 475 thousand square kilometers making it Africa’s sixth largest country; its population estimated at around 25 million people; its capital city Yaoundé; Cameroon features diverse landscapes from mountains to coastal areas along the Gulf of Guinea as well as savanna grasslands full of wildlife species such as antelopes and gorillas in addition to lush rainforests that are home to primates such as chimpanzees.
Population Distribution
As of 2023, the latest population of Republic of the Congo is 5,293,070, based on our calculation of the current data from UN (United Nations).
| Total population | 5,293,070 |
| Population growth rate | 2.26% |
| Birth rate | 34.40 births per 1,000 people |
| Life expectancy | |
| Overall | 55.60 years |
| Men | 54.27 years |
| Women | 56.96 years |
| Age structure | |
| 0-14 years | 41.75% |
| 15-64 years | 55.15% |
| 65 years and above | 3.10% |
| Median age | 19.80 years |
| Gender ratio (Male to Female) | 0.99 |
| Population density | 15.48 residents per km² |
| Urbanization | 53.50% |
| Ethnicities | |
| especially Bantu groups: 52% Bakongo u. Vili-Congo, 24% Bateke u. Bavili, 12% Mbochi; so-called pygmies, Ubangi groups and others | |
| Religions | |
| Christians 50%, animists 48%, Muslims 2% | |
| Human Development Index (HDI) | 0.609 |
| HDI ranking | 138th out of 194 |
People in Republic of Congo
More than 5 million people live in the Republic of the Congo. Most of the Congolese live in the south and southeast of the country. Around half of the population live in the two cities of Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire.
98 percent of the population belong to a Bantu people. The largest of these Bantu peoples in the Republic of the Congo is the Bakongo people (around 40 percent). The Bakongo are the descendants of the residents of the Kingdom of the Congo. They live mainly on the coast of the Republic of the Congo, where their settlement area extends to Angola. There are several subgroups like the Lari or Vili. About 18 percent of the population are Batéké, 12 percent are Mboschi and 11 percent are Kuyu.
The original population were pygmy peoples. Today they only make up about one percent of the population. Another minority are Europeans.
Languages in Republic of Congo
The official language is French. This is a legacy from colonial times when the Republic of the Congo was a French colony.
The residents mainly use Lingála and Kituba to communicate. Both are recognized as national languages. Lingála was originally the language of the Bangala people who lived in the area between the Congo and Ubangi rivers. It is mainly spoken in the north of the Republic of the Congo. Kituba is a creole language based on the Bantu language Kikongo. It is spoken more in the south of the country.
There are also the languages of the individual peoples, such as Kikongo, Mbosi, Teke or Koyo. A total of 62 languages are spoken in the Republic of the Congo.
Religions in Republic of Congo
79 percent of the Congolese are Christians. The majority are Catholics (33.1 percent). 22 percent belong to revival movements. These are Christian churches that value the conversion of the individual and a particularly Christian way of life. 19.9 percent are Protestants.