Culture        0  753 reads

1) General culture

Education
 

Adjusted savings;
 education expenditure > % of GNI

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
bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

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
Christian 50%, animist 48%, Muslim 2%

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.

View this article in PDF format Print article
Other articles in this category
Congo at a glance
Geography
History
Culture
Economy
Politics
Military