Brazzaville
| Brazzaville | |
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Brazzaville
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 Brazzaville
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| Coordinates: 4°16′4″S 15°17′31″E / 4.26778°S 15.29194°ECoordinates: 4°16′4″S 15°17′31″E / 4.26778°S 15.29194°E | |
| Country | Republic of the Congo |
| Capital district | Brazzaville |
| Founded | 1883 |
| Founded by | Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Hugues Ngouelondélé (nonpartisan) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 263.9 km2 (101.9 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 320 m (1,050 ft) |
| Population (2014 (Estimated)) | |
| • Total | 1,827,000 |
| • Density | 6,900/km2 (18,000/sq mi) |
| Area code(s) | 242 |
| Website | www |
Brazzaville is the capital and largest city of the Republic of the Congo and is located on the Congo River. As of the 2007 census, it had a population of 1.37 million. The projection of the CNSEE (national statistics centre) shows an increase to 1.7 million by 2015, but the projection was made before 2007 and based on a lower estimate of the population (1.26 million) than recorded in the census. The United Nations Population Division estimate for 2014 is 1.83 million. The populous city of Kinshasa (more than 10 million inhabitants in 2014), capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, lies across the Congo River from Brazzaville. Together with Kinshasa, the combined conurbation of Kinshasa-Brazzaville has thus about 12 million inhabitants (although significant political and infrastructure challenges prevent the two cities from functioning with any meaningful connection). Over a third of the population of the Republic of Congo lives in the capital, and it is home to 40% of non-agricultural employment. It is also a financial and administrative capital.
In order to distinguish between the two African countries with "Congo" in their names, the Republic of the Congo is sometimes called Congo-Brazzaville, as opposed to Congo-Kinshasa (the Democratic Republic of the Congo, known from 1971 to 1997 as Zaïre, the capital of which is Kinshasa). Kinshasa lies on the southern bank of the Congo, across from Brazzaville. This is the only place in the world where two national capital cities are situated on opposite banks of a river, within sight of each other. There have been proposals to connect the two capitals by a Brazzaville–Kinshasa Bridge.
While Kinshasa lies to the south, Brazzaville lies to the north of the Congo River. The city is 506 kilometres (314 miles) inland from the Atlantic Ocean and approximately 474 kilometres (295 miles) south of the equator. The city is a commune that is separated from the other regions of the republic; it is surrounded by the Pool Region. Around the city are large plains. The town is relatively flat, and situated at an altitude of 317 metres (1,040 feet).
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