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Introduction
The Republic of Congo (Republic of the Congo in French) is a country located in the center of Africa, which borders Gabon, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the enclave Angol of Cabinda. Known as Congo-Brazzaville or French Congo, its territory extends along the northwestern bank of the Congo River; It is next to this river that its capital is located, Brazzaville.
Understand
After the independence of the Republic of Congo on August 15, 1960, Fulbert Youlou ruled as the country's first president until rival labor elements and political parties instigated a three-day uprising that overthrew him. The Congolese military briefly took over the country and installed a provisional civilian government headed by Alphonse Massamba-Débat.
Under the 1963 constitution, Massamba-Débat was elected president for a five-year term, but it ended abruptly with a coup in August 1968. Captain Marien Ngouabi, who had participated in the coup, assumed the presidency on 31 December. December 1968. A year later, President Ngouabi proclaimed the Congo the first "people's republic" in Africa and announced the decision of the National Revolutionary Movement to change its name to the Congolese Labor Party (PCT). On March 16, 1977, President Ngouabi was assassinated. An 11-member Military Party Committee (CMP) was appointed to head an interim government with Colonel (later General) Joachim Yhombi-Opango to serve as President of the Republic.
After decades of turbulent politics reinforced by Marxist-Leninist rhetoric, and with the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Congo completed a transition to multiparty democracy with elections in August 1992. Denis Sassou Nguesso admitted defeat and the new president of the Congo, Professor Pascal Lissouba, was inaugurated on August 31, 1992.
However, the Congo's democratic progress was derailed in 1997. As the presidential elections scheduled for July 1997 approached, tensions increased between the Lissouba and Sassou camps. On June 5, President Lissouba's government forces surrounded the Sassou compound in Brazzaville and Sassou ordered members of his private militia, known as "Cobras", to resist. Thus began a 4-month conflict that destroyed or damaged much of Brazzaville and caused tens of thousands of civilian deaths. In early October, Angolan troops invaded the Congo from Sassou's side, and in mid-October the Lissouba government fell. Soon after, Sassou declared himself president. The Congolese Civil War continued for another year and a half until a peace agreement was reached between the various factions in December 1999.
In the 2002 mock elections, Sassou won with almost 90% of the votes cast. His two main rivals, Lissouba and Bernard Kolelas, were prevented from competing and the only credible rival left, Andre Milongo, advised his supporters to boycott the elections and then withdrew from the race. A new constitution, agreed by referendum in January 2002, gave the president new powers and also extended his term to seven years, as well as introducing a new bicameral assembly. International observers opposed the organization of the presidential elections, as well as the constitutional referendum, which recalled in their organization the era of the one-party state in the Congo.
The July 2009 elections were boycotted by the opposition parties. Inevitably, Sassou was re-elected, but with questionably high turnout. Riot police firmly suppressed the demonstrations in Brazzaville.
The sparse population of the Republic of the Congo is concentrated in the southwestern part of the country, leaving the vast areas of rainforest in the north practically uninhabited. Thus, the Republic of the Congo is one of the most urbanized countries in Africa, with 85% of its total population living in a few urban areas, namely in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire or one of the small towns or villages. They line the 332-mile (534 km) railroad connecting the two cities. In rural areas, industrial and commercial activity has declined rapidly, leaving rural economies dependent on the government for their livelihoods and subsistence. Before the 1997 war, some 15,000 Europeans and other non-Africans lived in the Congo, most of whom were French. There are only about 9,500 left.
Regions
While the regions of the Congo are diverse, there is one constant you can rely on: roughly 80% of the entire country is covered by the dense Congo rainforest.
Coast and Mayombe
Congolese plateau
Decorative mug
Niari Valley
Pool
Sangha and Likouala
Cities
- Brazzaville - the capital of the Republic of the Congo. It is separated from Kinshasa, the capital of the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo, by the Congo River.
- Abala-Ndolo
- Djambala
- Dolisie
- Mossendjo
- Bear- A transit center in the most remote northern end of the country, in a territory with many nearby Pygmy villages.
- Owando: considered one of the best places to visit in the north of the Republic of the Congo.
- Pointe Noire: a port city on the coast.
Other destinations
- Conkouati Reserve
- Island Ile Mbamou: a government-owned island located about an hour from Brazzaville.
- Lefini Reserve: the best known reserve in the country, which borders Lesio-Louna to the north.
- The Lesio Louna gorilla reserve: a park located north of Brazzaville and dedicated to the protection of gorillas in the Congo.
- Mount Fouari National Reserve
- Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park - the largest and most remote of the Congo's national parks and reserves, located in the far north bordering the Central African Republic's Dzanga Sangha National Reserve.
- Odzala National Park: the most famous national park in the country.
- Tiger Fish Congo Camp. You can visit the Tiger Fish Camp to catch the largest tiger fish in the world - the largest fish ever caught weighed 56 kg!
- Odzala-Kokoua National Park
To get
Visa requirements
The following countries can enter the Republic of the Congo for 90 days without a visa: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. Citizens of Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Senegal and Togo can also obtain a visa upon arrival. Citizens of other countries require a visa in advance, and showing up without one can cause many things that you will want to avoid at all costs (fines, passport confiscation, etc.). However, visa-free transit is possible if you take the next connecting plane and do not leave the airport.
By plane
Maya-Maya airport (BZVIATA) in Brazzaville is connected by Air France flights, Douala in Cameroon, Addis Ababa and Kinshasa by Ethiopian Airlines. Nairobi, Casablanca and the national airline ECAir.
By car
It is safe to drive in the Republic of the Congo. A good sealed highway goes north from Brazzaville, but only as far north as President Sassou's hometown of Oyo. Beyond Oyo, the roads get bumpy and totally impassable in the rain. It is also very difficult to get a rental car that you can drive yourself.
Boat
Passenger and VIP ferries operate daily between Brazzaville and Kinshasa approximately every 2 hours between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. The prices of the ferries are: US $ 15 for the passenger and US $ 30 for the VIP ferry. The VIP ferry is recommended as these are new boats and they are not that narrow. A valid visa is required for both countries in either direction. The bureaucracy at each end takes some time. The entry and exit procedures in Brazzaville are "easy" and straightforward and the people are very helpful in helping you get through smoothly. In contrast, these procedures are a bit difficult in Kinshasa and highly dependent on whether you are an individual traveler or are assisted by an organization or an official government representative. There are also speedboats to rent, either in a group or alone (price!), However,
The barges follow the Congo rivers, then Oubangui, to Bangui.
Travel
By taxi or shared minibus
Ridiculously cheap shared taxis and minibuses operate ad hoc between cities and towns, crammed with Congolese villagers bringing all manner of cattle for sale in Brazzaville. .
In taxi
In Brazzaville, taxis are green. FCFA 700 usually takes you on a neighborhood tour. This goes up to FCFA 1000 at night. Drivers are generally fair with prices and there is no need to haggle before entering.
By train
The Congo-Ocean Railway (COR, or CFCO) links the Atlantic port of Pointe-Noire (now in the Republic of Congo) with Brazzaville, a distance of 502 km.
Since the start of the civil war in 1997, the line was closed for six years. In 2007, the BBC reported that it was in "a decrepit state with most of the trains now broken down." UNICEF organized a train in August 2007 to distribute malaria nets vital to preventing the disease.
To buy
Money
| CFA Franc Exchange Rates As of January 2020:
Exchange rates fluctuate. Current rates for these and other currencies are available on XE.com |
The country's currency is Frank CFA of Central Africa, called FCFA (ISO currency code: XAF). It is also used by five other Central African countries. It is interchangeable on a par with the West African CFA franc (XOF), which is used in six countries. Both currencies are fixed at an exchange rate of 1 euro = 655,957 CFA francs.
The US dollar is not widely accepted.
ATMs
All Ecobank ATMs in the Republic of Congo accept Mastercard and Visa to withdraw cash.
Shopping
There's a craft market and boutiques in the market near the BDEAC (Banque Developpement pour les Etats de l'Afrique Centrale). Jewels, masks, paintings and other really beautiful works of art.
All business is done in cash. Small change is very rare and hard to come by. Do not accept torn or stuck banknotes.
Eat and drink
To eat
There is good and healthy Chinese food at Osaka Restaurant in Pointe Noire. The average price of a meal is US $ 12-18. All meals are served on nice clean plates, the restaurant is indoors and air-conditioned, with a backup generator, just in case. Some of the workers speak English and French.
There are several excellent restaurants in Brazzaville. Any taxi driver can take you to one of these more pleasant places (FCFA 5000-15000). Most places are closed on Sundays. Expect the beers to be overpriced here (FCFA 1000-2000).
To drink
Palm wine It is a local favorite in the village. Beer is the favorite in town alongside Fanta, Coca-Cola, etc. There is also a local red wine (SOVINCO) imported from Gabon and the "brique", a liter of imported wine, mostly Spanish, from the box.
There is a wide range of prices for beer (500-5,000 FCFA) depending on the neighborhood and the type of bar or restaurant you are in.
Produced in the Congo under the supervision of Heineken: N'Gok (which means "crocodile", blond, Congolese), Primus (blond, Belgium, central Africa), Mütsig (blond, French Alsace region), Guinness (dark, Ireland) and Turbo king (dark, central Africa)
Imported: Heineken Y Bavaria
If the above is too much, there is also water from various local and imported brands that are sold in 1.5-liter plastic bottles.
external links
Wikipedia has an article on Republic of Congo.w: Republic of the Congo
Wikimedia Commons houses multimedia content about Republic of Congo. Commons
