broadcast stations:
NA
Televisions:
1,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.km
Internet hosts:
11 (2003)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)
Internet users:
5,000 (2003)
Transportation Comoros
Highways: total: 880 km paved: 673 km unpaved: 207 km (1999 est)
Ports and harbors:
Mayotte, Moutsamoudou
Merchant marine:
total: 79 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 452,801 GRT/681,343 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 9, cargo 55, chemical tanker 1, container 1,
livestock carrier 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 5,
refrigerated cargo 5, roll on/roll off 1
foreign-owned: 35 (Bulgaria 1, Germany 1, Greece 7, India 1, Jordan
1, Kenya 1, Lebanon 3, Nigeria 1, Norway 1, Pakistan 1, Philippines
1, Russia 2, Syria 3, Turkey 6, Ukraine 4, United Kingdom 1) (2005)
Airports:
4 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2004 est.)
Military Comoros
Military branches:
Comoran Security Force
Manpower available for military service:
males age 18–49: 138,940 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18–49: 98,792 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$11.6 million (2004)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
3% (2004)
Transnational Issues Comoros
Disputes - international: claims French-administered Mayotte
This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005
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@Congo, Democratic Republic of the
Introduction Congo, Democratic Republic of the
Background:
Established as a Belgian colony in 1908, the Republic of the Congo
gained its independence in 1960, but its early years were marred by
political and social instability. Col. Joseph MOBUTU seized power
and declared himself president in a November 1965 coup. He
subsequently changed his name - to MOBUTU Sese Seko - as well as
that of the country - to Zaire. MOBUTU retained his position for 32
years through several subsequent sham elections as well as through
the use of brutal force. Ethnic strife and civil war, touched off by
a massive inflow of refugees in 1994 from fighting in Rwanda and
Burundi, led in May 1997 to the toppling of the MOBUTU regime by a
rebellion led by Laurent KABILA. He renamed the country the
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DROC), but in August 1998 his
regime was itself challenged by an insurrection backed by Rwanda and
Uganda. Troops from Zimbabwe, Angola, Namibia, Chad, and Sudan
intervened to support the Kinshasa regime. A cease-fire was signed
in July 1999 by the DROC, Zimbabwe, Angola, Uganda, Namibia, Rwanda,
and Congolese armed rebel groups, but sporadic fighting continued.
Laurent KABILA was assassinated in January 2001 and his son Joseph
KABILA was named head of state. In October 2002, the new president
was successful in negotiating the withdrawal of Rwandan forces
occupying eastern Congo; two months later, the Pretoria Accord was
signed by all remaining warring parties to end the fighting and
establish a government of national unity. A transitional government
was set up in July 2003; Joseph KABILA remains as president and is
joined by four vice presidents representing the former government,
former rebel groups, and the political opposition.
Geography Congo, Democratic Republic of the
Location:
Central Africa, northeast of Angola
Geographic coordinates:
0 00 N, 25 00 E
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 2,345,410 sq km
land: 2,267,600 sq km
water: 77,810 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly less than one-fourth the size of the US
Land boundaries:
total: 10,730 km
border countries: Angola 2,511 km (of which 225 km is the boundary
of Angola's discontiguous Cabinda Province), Burundi 233 km, Central
African Republic 1,577 km, Republic of the Congo 2,410 km, Rwanda
217 km, Sudan 628 km, Tanzania 459 km, Uganda 765 km, Zambia 1,930 km
Coastline:
37 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: boundaries with neighbors
Climate:
tropical; hot and humid in equatorial river basin; cooler and drier
in southern highlands; cooler and wetter in eastern highlands; north
of Equator - wet season April to October, dry season December to
February; south of Equator - wet season November to March, dry
season April to October
Terrain:
vast central basin is a low-lying plateau; mountains in east
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Pic Marguerite on Mont Ngaliema (Mount Stanley) 5,110
m
Natural resources:
cobalt, copper, niobium, tantalum, petroleum, industrial and gem
diamonds, gold, silver, zinc, manganese, tin, uranium, coal,
hydropower, timber
Land use:
arable land: 2.96%
permanent crops: 0.52%
other: 96.52% (2001)
Irrigated land:
110 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural