CONGO

15 August 1960 – The Republic of Congo gains independence from France

The Republic of Congo, also known as Middle Congo, Congo-Brazzaville, and Congo (but not to be confused with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, formerly Zaire, which was also at one time known as the Republic of the Congo), is a former French colony of west-central Africa. It shares common borders with Gabon, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Gulf of Guinea. Upon independence in 1960, the former French region of Middle Congo became the Republic of the Congo. A quarter century of experimentation with Marxism was abandoned in 1990 and a democratically elected government installed in 1992. A brief civil war in 1997 restored former Marxist President Denis Sassou-Nguesso. The capital is Brazzaville. The Republic of Congo is one of Africa’s oil rich states, however its economic potential is hampered by the current ongoing civil war.

Click here for more information on the history of the Republic of the Congo

Links to explore further

For a broad overview of African independence go to our site’s coverage of African Independence (chronology and history)

http://www.sas.upenn.edu/African_Studies/Country_Specific/
Congo.html and

http://www.sas.upenn.edu/African_Studies/Country_Specific/
Zaire.html are large guides to resource sites with maps, and historical and geographic info

For news with a ‘history from below’ view, go to
http://congo.indymedia.org/

Click here to see our feature on Congo