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CONGO. 277 CONGO FREE STATE. drains an area of more than 1,400,000 square miles. CONGO FREE STATE. An independent blate under the sovereignty of King Leopold II. of Belgium, situated approximately Ijetween longitudes 12° and 30° E. and between latitudes 14° S. and G° i. (Map: Africa, G 5). It is bounded on the north by French Congo and the Egyptian Sudan, on the east by British East Africa, German East Africa, and Northern Rlio- desia, on the south by Northern Rhodesia and Portuguese West Africa, and on the west by Por- tuguese West Africa, the Atlantic, and French Congo. The boundaries of the State, ith the Congo and Ubangi rivers on the west, and Lakes Tanganyika, Moero, Albert Edward Nyauza, and Albert Nyanza on the east, are all well defined, and the area is estimated at from 850,000 to 900,- 000 square miles. The surface of Congo is a depressed plateau- basin, tilted seaward, which was seemingly oc- cupied at a recent date by the sea. It is unbroken by mountains except in the western part near the Atlantic, but rises on its borilers to elevations of 6000 feet and more. More than half of the area is covered with forests, while the remainder is composed of savannas and arable land. The chief river is the Congo (q.v. ), which, together with its tiibutaries, drains the larger part of the country. The climate is ex- ceedingly hot and moist, and very unhealthful for Europeans. The normal temperature ranges from G0° to 90°, and not infrequently an exceed- ingly hot day is followed by a chilly night. The climate in the interior is not so injurious to Europeans as that of the coast region. . The flora of Congo is very rich and varied, the forests being full of rubber-trees, and other trees yielding gvuns and resins. Among the cultivated plants are the coffee, cotton, yam, papaw, pine- apple, cassava, corn, rice, peanut, sweet potato, banana, bean, tobacco, sorghum, and Kafir corn. The fauna includes the elephant, hippoiiotamus, butl'alo, antelope, chimpanzee, and crocodile. Elephants and hippopotami are especially numer- ous, and furnish large quantities of ivory. The mineral resources of Congo are said to be very rich. Iron occurs at many localities, while cop- per is confined to a smaller area, but is found in very rich deposits, especially between the Kas- sai and the Atlantic, and also in the southern regions. Much of the surface is composed of a loose, porous, weathered rock, known as 'laterite,' which has been derived from the underlying gneisses and sandstones. The natural agricultural possibilities of the State are very great, but the unhealthful cli- mate, which jiractically forbids white immigra- tion, largely prevents systematic agricultural development. The agricultural land is divided among the natives, the Europeans, and the State, the last partly renting its land and partly cultivating it through agents. So far the chief products are rubber, palm-nuts, and palm-oil, but coffee, cacao, tobacco, com. bana- nas, and beans are also grown to a considerable extent, and recent experiments have proved that many of the European grains and vegetables can be raised successfully. There are no statistics concerning the live stock. Coffee and tobacco grow wild. The transportation facilities of the State are mainly provided by the Congo and its several navigable tributaries. The Congo is interrupted in its lower part, from Matadi to Leopoldville, a distance of about 200 miles, by a scries of rapids — a great obstacle to direct communication be- tween the interior of the country aiui the At- lantic. To obviate this difficulty, a railway line about 260 miles in length was constructed be- tween Matadi and Leopoldville (Stanley Pool), and opened for traffic in 1898. Above the rajjids the river is navigable for 1000 miles to Stanley Falls. A Belgian company has obtained a con- cession for the construction of about 900 miles of railway to connect the Congo at Stanleyville and Nyaiigwe with the lakes of Albert Nyanza and Tanganyika. The Government nins thirty-live steamers on the upper and lower Congo. The total number of miles of waterway by river and lake in the Free State is estimated at 9500. There is steam communication regularly each fortnight with Antwerji, and also frequent eoni- niunieation with other Eurojiean ports. The construction of telegraph lines was begun in 1892, and by the end of 1900 there were about 800 miles. There are as yet no European manufacturing plants in the Free State. In some districts the natives work in wood, ivory, and metals with no small skill. The commerce has grown with remarkable rapidity. The general export trade, which amounted to only .$3,000,000 in 1806, rose to nearly $10,000,000 in 1900, wliile the imports in- creased during the same period from about $3,- 100,000 to over $6,100,000. Of these exports for 1900, about 90 per cent, were special, as were also 80 per cent, of the imports for the same year. Of the total special commerce, about 83 per cent, is w'ith Belgium; the remainder is with Great Britain, Germany, Holland, and Angola. Nearly 90 per cent, of the special exports con- sist of rubber, the remainder being made up of ivory, palm-nuts, palm-oil, timber, coffee, and tobacco. The chief special imports are tissues and clothing, food substances, beverages, ma- chinery, and other metal manufactures. There is an import duty of 10 per cent, ad valorem on arms, ammunition, and salt, and of 6 per cent, on all other articles, with the exception of machinery and agricultural implements which were admitted duty free from 1892 to 189C, and since then have been liable to a duty of 3 per cent. There is an export duty on rubber and several other articles. The trade is chiefly with Belgium, Great Britain, Ciermany, and Holland. The principal ports are Boma and Banana, which have an annual shipping of over 900,000 tons, over one-half being Belgian. The coasting trade is small. The central Government of the State is located at Bms.sels, and is constituted by the King of Belgium and a Secretary of State, the latter being at the head of the departments of Foreign Affairs, Finance, and the Interior. The King's power is not limited by a constitution, but is somewhat circumscribed by the General Act of Berlin of 1885 relative to the organization of tne Congo Free State. The direct administration is -in the hands of a Governor-General at Boma, assisted by a Vice-Govcmor-General. According to the agreement of 1800, between Belgium and the Congo Free State, the former obtained the right of annexing the latter after a period of ten years. In 1901 the question of annexation