Covering an area of 342,000 km2 , the Republic of Congo (also known as Congo) is located in the heart of the world's second-largest rainforest, after the Amazon basin. The country is also home to part of the world's largest tropical peatland, an ecosystem that absorbs and stores large amounts of carbon. With a population of 5.7 million in 2022, the country has one of the lowest population densities in Africa. In terms of land tenure, the underpopulation of rural areas helps preserve forests but poses challenges to agricultural production and food security.
