Animal Info - Republic of the Congo

(Also known as Congo Republic or Congo-Brazzaville)

Threatened Species, Environmental and Social Data (Mammals, Biodiversity/Ecosystems, Population, Area/Land Use, Protected Lands, Economy, Education), References and Links

Threatened Species

Threatened Species: The following list includes all mammals which occur in the Congo and are rated as Critically Endangered (CR), Endangered (EN) or Vulnerable (VU) in the 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals.

Endangered:
- Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes).
- Giant African Water Shrew (Potamogale velox).
- Western Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla).
Vulnerable:
- African Elephant (Loxodonta africana).
- African Golden Cat (Profelis aurata).
- Black Colobus (Colobus satanas).
- Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae).
- Hun Shrew (Crocidura attila).
- Ja Slit-faced Bat (Nycteris major).
- Lion (Panthera leo).
- Mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx).
- Spotted-necked Otter (Lutra maculicollis).
- West African Manatee (Trichechus senegalensis).
Other:
- Gabon Dwarf Shrew (Suncus remyi). Rated Least Concern in 2004 (IUCN 2004). Previously rated Critically Endangered.

Environmental and Social Data

Mammals

Total number of species: 200 (Groombridge & Jenkins 1994)
Number of endemic species: 2 (Groombridge & Jenkins 1994)
Number of threatened species: 1996: 10 (5.0 % of total species) (IUCN 1996); 2000: 13 (6.5 % of total species) (IUCN 2000)

Biodiversity/Ecosystems

Congo Republic contains portions of the Congolian Coastal Forests, Western Congo Basin Forests, Southern Congo Basin Forests, Gulf of Guinea Rivers & Crater Lakes, Congo Basin Piedmont Rivers & Streams, Congo River, Guinean-Congolian Coast Mangroves, and Gulf of Guinea Marine Ecosystems Global 200 Ecoregions (Olson & Dinerstein 1998, Olson & Dinerstein 1999)

Population

Population in 1995: 2,505,000 (Natl. Geog. Soc. 1995)
Population density in 1995: 7.3 people/sq km (19.0 people/sq mi) (Natl. Geog. Soc. 1995)
Population in 1998: 2,658,123 (World Almanac 1999)
Average population growth rate, 1980 - 1990: 3.4 % (World Bank 1992)

Area/Land Use

Area: 342,000 sq km (132,047 sq mi) (Natl. Geog. Soc. 1995)
Percentages of primary world ecosystem types:

Major Wetland: 7 %
Grass and Shrub: 15 %
Crop and Settlements: 6 %
Interrupted Woods: 17 %
Major Forests: 54 %

(Groombridge 1992)

Percent of land area classified as the following degree of human disturbance: Low: 57 %; Medium: 36 %; High: 8 % (WRI 1994)

Protected Lands

Area: 13,330 sq km (5,145 sq mi) (Groombridge 1992)
Percent of land protected: 0.37 % totally protected; 3.53 % partially protected; 3.9 % totally or partially protected (Groombridge 1992)

Economy

Per capita GNP ($ U.S.) (1991): $1,060 (WRI 1994)
Per capita GDP ($ U.S.) (1996): $1,960 (World Almanac 1999)

Education

Percent adult literacy: Female: 44 % (1990), 19 % (1970); Male: 70 % (1990), 50 % (1970) (WRI 1994)

References and Links

References: Groombridge 1992, Groombridge & Jenkins 1994, IUCN 1994, IUCN 1996, IUCN 2000, IUCN 2004, Natl. Geog. Soc. 1995, Olson & Dinerstein 1998, Olson & Dinerstein 1999, World Almanac 1999, World Bank 1992, WRI 1994

General Links (After you get to one of these sites, click on the link for Republic of the Congo): CIA World Factbook, Foreign Embassies of Washington, D.C., Library of Congress - Country Studies, University of Texas - Country Maps, Washington Post - Countries, World Resources Institute - Country Profiles; Links for Republic of the Congo: CARPE (Central African Regional Program for the Environment), Congo Trek (National Geographic), CongoWeb (English, French and other languages)

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Last modified: February 19, 2006;