🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo

The Republic of Congo (Congo-Brazzaville) is a Central African nation of 6 million with a GDP of about $14 billion, not to be confused with its much larger neighbor the DRC. Oil dominates everything — it accounts for about 80% of government revenue. Brazzaville and Kinshasa face each other across the Congo River, making them the closest pair of capital cities in the world. The country has some of the most pristine rainforest in the Congo Basin, and the Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park is one of the last truly wild places on earth. Denis Sassou Nguesso has been president for a combined 39 years.

Oil production runs about 260,000 barrels per day, with Total and Eni as the major operators. China is the largest creditor and a major oil buyer. The non-oil economy is tiny — timber and agriculture make up most of the rest. The country has been in debt distress, owing about 80% of GDP, much of it to China. Pointe-Noire is the oil capital and the country's economic hub.

Congo-Brazzaville is home to the "Sapeurs" — a subculture of men who dress in extravagant designer suits despite often living in poverty, turning fashion into a philosophy of dignity and resistance. The country's Odzala-Kokoua National Park has one of the highest densities of western lowland gorillas anywhere.

Congo-Brazzaville is a petro-state with all the classic symptoms — oil wealth, debt, inequality, and political stagnation. Without diversification, the post-oil future looks bleak.