Belgian Congo: One of Africa's Most Notorious Colonies
Belgian Congo was a colony of Belgium from 1908 until 1960. Prior to that, the region had been the Congo Free State (created in 1885), which was effectively a private enterprise of King Leopold II. Often referred to as Belgian Congo even before 1908, Leopold never visited his colony but allowed unspeakable horrors to be carried out there to squeeze the maximum profit from plantations and mines. The 20th century saw some of the more inhumane practices abolished, but the region remained one of the most divided and exploited in Africa. In 1960, the colony gained independence and was renamed the Democratic Republic of Congo (but known as Zaire between 1965 and 1997).
The Congo Basin
The basin of the Congo River is located in Central Africa. The region is composed of humid tropical forests with amongst the highest levels of rainfall in Africa. Thunderstorms can occur on over 80 days in a calendar year. The southern part of Congo is largely 'derived' savanna where grass and low trees grow. The soil is not particularly advantageous to cultivation and requires careful management. The population of the region at the time of European colonialisation was made up of over 200 tribes with 300 different languages being spoken. These peoples lived either in small-scale political units or larger, more centralised states, like the Luba and Lunda kingdoms. The eastern part of Congo is noted for the presence of mountain gorillas, today an endangered species.
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⇒ Belgian Congo: One of Africa's Most Notorious Colonies
