Congo administrative divisions: Department, commune, district, urban, village

The administrative division of Congo provides for other administrative entities within each department which are presented as follows: the commune, the district, the urban community, the neighborhood and the village.

The country subdivided into twelve (12) sections, each corresponding to a department of the country and each department and its various administrative subdivisions (commune, district, arrondissement, urban community, rural community, neighborhood and village)

  1. Kouilou
  2. Niari
  3. Lekoumou
  4. Bouenza
  5. Pool
  6. Trays
  7. Bowl
  8. West Basin
  9. Sangha
  10. Likouala
  11. Brazzaville
  12. Pointe-Noire

Department

The department is the administrative entity that ensures the relay of government action on a portion of the national territory. It is the first administrative subdivision of the country. It is made up of a group of districts and municipalities. The department is headed by a Prefect appointed by the Council of Ministers.

Commune

    The commune is an urban agglomeration of inhabitants resulting from an administrative and geographical entity with a minimum of economic, social and cultural development. It can be subdivided into districts and neighborhoods. The department and the commune are both administrative districts and local authorities.

    District

      The District is an intermediate administrative constituency which ensures the relay of government action in the department.

      Urban Community

        The Urban Community is an administrative district made up of an urban agglomeration of inhabitants, comprising a certain number of neighbouring districts belonging to the same administrative and geographical entity, experiencing a minimum of economic, social and cultural development; it is called upon to have resources capable of guaranteeing in the long term the conditions of free administration.

        The urban community is placed under the authority of an administrator-mayor appointed by decree of the President of the Republic.

        Rural community

          It is an administrative district made up of a group of villages with a level of development characterized by the presence of a minimum of basic infrastructure and public services such as schools, health establishments, secondary civil status centers, and markets.

          Neighborhood

          The district is the basic administrative entity of an urban community, a commune or a district.

          District centres that are not established as urban communities are at the same level of administrative division as the village. Thus, their districts are not considered at the same level as the administrative village.

          Village

            The village is the basic administrative entity of the rural community. It is the last level of administrative division at the level of the rural community in the same way as the district in the urban community or in the district.

            Distribution of localities by department according to their administrative status

            DepartmentCommuneDistrictBoroughUrban communityNeighborhoodVillage
            Kouilou060318141
            Niari21445112416
            Lekoumou151227111
            Bouenza21035110429
            Pool21326100531
            Trays1111654586
            Bowl2102555432
            West Basin161327200
            Sangha263350184
            Likouala171439239
            Brazzaville11909319
            Pointe-Noire11618620
            Congo169033437713,308

            Distribution of the population by department according to gender

            DepartmentResident populationRM
            MenWomenTogether
            Kouilou52 11145 25197 362115.2
            Niari160 761174 102334 86392.3
            Lekoumou50 31350 246100 559100.1
            Bouenza180 914182,936363,85098.9
            Pool197,707196,825394 532100.4
            Trays137,918145 503283 42194.8
            Bowl153,648162,951316,59994.3
            West basin58,28061,048119 32895.5
            Sangha113 35996 342209 701117.7
            Likouala174 270181,300355 57096.1
            Brazzaville1,061,7081,084,0752,145,78397.9
            Pointe-Noire708 953711 6591,420,61299.6
            Congo3,049,9423,092,2386 142 18098.6