The Republic of the Congo is located in the western part of central Africa, on the Equator. Congo has several important ports. The Republic of the Congo covers an area of 342,000 kmò, of which 341,500 kmò is land while 500 kmò is water. Congo claims of territorial sea.
The capital of the Republic of the Congo is Brazzaville, located on the Congo River immediately across from Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. With a metropolitan population of approximately 1.5 million, Brazzaville is by far the largest city in the Republic, having almost twice the population of Pointe-Noire (663,400 as of the 2005 census), the country's second largest city. About 70% of the population lives in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, or along the railroad between them.
The Republic of the Congo covers an area of approximately 342 000 kmò, of which about 341 500 kmò is land and roughly 500 kmò is water, ranking it among the worldâÂÂs 70 largest countries by area. The country lies on the Equator and extends between latitudes 4ð N and 5ð S and longitudes 11ð E and 19ð E.
The terrain transitions from a coastal plain along the Atlantic Ocean in the west to interior plateaus and river valleys further inland. About 70 % of the nation is covered by tropical rainforest. Major topographical features include the Mayombe Mountains and the Niari Valley. The highest point in the country is Mount Nabemba in the Sangha region at approximately 1 020 m above sea level.
Congo is a tropical nation, which means it has a tropical climate. The wet season lasts from March to June and the dry season for the rest of the year. Temperature and humidity are high as in all tropical nations. The rivers of the country are flooded seasonally.
The terrain is a variation of coastal plains, mountainous regions, plateaus and fertile valleys. About 70 percent of the country's area is covered by rain forest. The highest point, at 1,020 m, is Mont Nabeba in the Mayumbe mountains. The major rivers are the Congo River at the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Kouilou-Niari River.
A 2014 expedition leaving from Itanga village discovered a peat bog "as big as England" which stretches into neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo.
UNESCO has declared two world biosphere reserves in the country: Odzala in 1977 and Dimonika in 1988.
Natural resources include petroleum, timber, potash, lead, zinc, uranium, copper, phosphates, gold, magnesium, natural gas, and hydropower.
As of a 2012 estimate, 1.55% of the land is arable, while only 0.20% contains permanent crops. Approximately 20 kmò is irrigated (2003 estimation).
Environmental issues include the high level of air pollution from vehicle emissions, water pollution from the dumping of raw sewage, tap water not being potable, and deforestation.
Congo is party to the international agreements on Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands. It has signed but not ratified the Law of the Sea and so on.
Global Forest Watch publishes annual estimates of tree cover loss and 2000 tree cover extent derived from time-series analysis of Landsat satellite imagery in the Global Forest Change dataset. In this framework, tree cover refers to vegetation taller than 5 m (including natural forests and tree plantations), and tree cover loss is defined as the complete removal of tree cover canopy for a given year, regardless of cause.
For the Republic of the Congo, country statistics report cumulative tree cover loss of from 2001 to 2024 (about 4.4% of its 2000 tree cover area). For tree cover density greater than 30%, country statistics report a 2000 tree cover extent of . The charts and table below display this data. In simple terms, the annual loss number is the area where tree cover disappeared in that year, and the extent number shows what remains of the 2000 tree cover baseline after subtracting cumulative loss. Forest regrowth is not included in the dataset.
Under the UNFCCC REDD+ framework, the Republic of the Congo has submitted national forest reference emission levels (FRELs). On the UNFCCC REDD+ Web Platform, the countryâÂÂs 2016 and 2024 submission packages are both listed as having assessed reference levels; a national REDD+ strategy is listed as reported, while safeguards information and a national forest monitoring system are listed as âÂÂnot reportedâÂÂ.
The first assessed FREL, technically assessed in 2017, covered the REDD+ activities âÂÂreducing emissions from deforestationâ and âÂÂreducing emissions from forest degradationâ at national scale. It used a historical reference period of 2000âÂÂ2012 and was assessed at 35,475,652 t CO2 eq per year for 2015âÂÂ2020, including an upward adjustment for national circumstances linked to the countryâÂÂs high-forest, low-deforestation profile and projected planned deforestation and degradation. The technical assessment reported that this first FREL included biomass and deadwood for deforestation, biomass for forest degradation, and CO2 only.
An updated national FREL was submitted in 2024 and assessed in 2025. It again covered deforestation and forest degradation at national scale, but used a more recent historical reference period of 2017âÂÂ2021 and was assessed at 31,656,549 t CO2 eq per year after revision during the technical assessment. The technical assessment states that the revised benchmark used updated activity data and national forest-inventory emission factors, and expanded coverage to include biomass, deadwood, litter and, for deforestation, soil organic carbon, while also adding non-CO2 emissions (CH<sub>4</sub> and N<sub>2</sub>O) from forest fires.
This is a list of the extreme points of the Republic of Congo, i.e. the points that are farther north, south, east, or west than any other location.