ublic of the:Transportation

Railways:
total: 795 km (includes 285 km private track)
narrow gauge: 795 km 1.067-m gauge (1995 est.)

Highways:
total: 12,800 km
paved: 1,242 km
unpaved: 11,558 km (1996 est.)

Waterways: the Congo and Ubangi (Oubangui) Rivers provide 1,120 km of
commercially navigable water transport; other rivers are used for
local traffic only

Pipelines: crude oil 25 km

Ports and harbors: Brazzaville, Impfondo, Ouesso, Oyo, Pointe-Noire

Merchant marine:
total: 1 cargo ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,918 GRT/4,100 DWT
(1997 est.)

Airports: 37 (1997 est.)

Airports-with paved runways:
total: 4
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 (1997 est.)

Airports-with unpaved runways:
total: 33
1,524 to 2,437 m: 8
914 to 1,523 m: 15
under 914 m: 10 (1997 est.)

@Congo, Republic of the:Military

Military branches: Army, Navy (includes Marines), Air Force, National
Police

Military manpower-military age: 20 years of age

Military manpower-availability:
males age 15-49: 623,924 (1998 est.)

Military manpower-fit for military service:
males: 317,997 (1998 est.)

Military manpower-reaching military age annually:
males: 27,354 (1998 est.)

Military expenditures-dollar figure: $110 million (1993)

Military expenditures-percent of GDP: 3.8% (1993)

@Congo, Republic of the:Transnational Issues

Disputes-international: long segment of the boundary with Democratic
Republic of the Congo along the Congo River is indefinite (no division
of the river or its islands has been made)

______________________________________________________________________

COOK ISLANDS

(self-governing in free association with New Zealand)

@Cook Islands:Geography

Location: Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about
one-half of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand

Geographic coordinates: 21 14 S, 159 46 W

Map references: Oceania

Area:
total: 240 sq km
land: 240 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area-comparative: 1.3 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 120 km

Maritime claims:
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: tropical; moderated by trade winds

Terrain: low coral atolls in north; volcanic, hilly islands in south

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Te Manga 652 m

Natural resources: NEGL

Land use:
arable land: 9%