Congo: Did you mean...?

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...

A photograph of a Belgian steamship on the Congo River near Boma in the Belgian Congo. Congolese are shown carrying goods or ballast to the ship. Taken from a 1912 postcard.

A selection of postage stamps issued by the Belgian Congo (1908-60) and its predecessor, the Congo Free State (1885-1908). Private Collection

An 1889 photograph of a trading station or river 'factory' in the Belgian Congo. Such stations bought and sold commodities like ivory and rubber.

An illustration by François Maréchal showing King Leopold II of Belgium (reign 1865-1909) carving up the Congo Basin, a reference to the Berlin Conference 1884-5 which set some of the ground rules for...

A late-19th-century photograph of an ivory trading station (factory) in French Congo. Private Collection.

A c. 1902 photograph showing Africans transporting ivory in French Congo.

The Berlin Conference, also known as the Berlin West Africa Conference, was held between November 1884 and February 1885. Imperial powers, notably Great Britain, France, Belgium...

The Kingdom of Luba, located in central Africa, thrived from the 15th to 19th century CE and was the first such state in the Congo basin. Skills in ironworking and trade along the Lualaba river in such metals as copper permitted...

The Kingdom of Kongo (14-19th century CE) was located on the western coast of central Africa in modern-day DR of Congo and Angola. Prospering on the regional trade of copper, ivory, and slaves along the Congo River, the kingdom's...