BEIJING, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao will arrive in Brazzaville on Monday for a visit to the Republic of Congo. The following is a brief introduction to the country:

    Lying in central western Africa, with the equator running across it, Congo has a total area of 342,000 sq. km. Brazzaville is the country's capital and largest city.

    The country has a total population of around 3.86 million, which are found in 56 different nationalities. The largest groups are Bacongo, Vili, Bateke, M'Bochi and Sangha.

    Over half of its population are bound to traditional beliefs and around 26 percent are Roman Catholic.

    Congo's population is concentrated in the southwest of the country, leaving the vast areas of tropical jungles in the north virtually uninhabited.

    First inhabited by Pygmies, Congo was later settled by Bantu groups that also occupied parts of present-day Angola, Gabon, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, forming the basis for ethnic affinities and rivalries among those states.

    The area came under French sovereignty in the 1880s, and Congo won its formal independence on Aug. 15, 1960.

    Congo is abundant in natural resources and oil and forestry are two pillars of the national economy.

    Recent years have witnessed a gradual recovery of the economy, with oil revenues increasing, helped by rising prices on the world markets.

    China established diplomatic relations with the Republic of the Congo on Feb. 22, 1964, and bilateral relations have developed smoothly ever since. Enditem