Congo or The Congo may refer to either of two countries that border the

Congo River The Congo River ( kg, Nzâdi Kôngo, french: Fleuve Congo, pt, Rio Congo), formerly also known as the Zaire River, is the second longest river in Africa, shorter only than the Nile, as well as the second largest river in the world by discharge ...

in central Africa: *

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

, the larger country to the southeast, capital Kinshasa, formerly known as Zaire, sometimes referred to as "Congo-Kinshasa" *

Republic of the Congo The Republic of the Congo (french: République du Congo, ln, Republíki ya Kongó), also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply either Congo or the Congo, is a country located in the western coast of Central Africa to the w ...

, the smaller country to the northwest, capital Brazzaville, sometimes referred to as "Congo-Brazzaville" Congo or Kongo may also refer to:

Places

Africa

Congo Basin The Congo Basin (french: Bassin du Congo) is the sedimentary basin of the Congo River. The Congo Basin is located in Central Africa, in a region known as west equatorial Africa. The Congo Basin region is sometimes known simply as the Congo. It con ...

, or the Congo, the sedimentary basin of the Congo River * Congo Canyon, a submarine canyon *

Kingdom of Kongo The Kingdom of Kongo ( kg, Kongo dya Ntotila or ''Wene wa Kongo;'' pt, Reino do Congo) was a kingdom located in central Africa in present-day northern Angola, the western portion of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Republic of the ...

(1390–1914) *

Kingdom of Kakongo Kakongo was a small kingdom located on the Atlantic coast of Central Africa, in the modern-day Republic of the Congo and Cabinda Province, Angola. Along with its neighboring kingdoms of Ngoyo and Loango, Kakongo became an important political co ...

(15th century–1885) *

Congo Free State ''(Work and Progress) , national_anthem = Vers l'avenir , capital = Vivi Boma , currency = Congo Free State franc , religion = Catholicism (''de facto'') , leader1 = Leopo ...

(1885–1908) *

Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville) The Republic of the Congo (french: République du Congo) was a sovereign state in Central Africa, created with the independence of the Belgian Congo in 1960. From 1960 to 1966, the country was also known as Congo-Léopoldville (after its cap ...

or Congo-Léopoldville (1960–1971) *

People's Republic of the Congo The People's Republic of the Congo (french: République populaire du Congo) was a Marxist–Leninist socialist state that existed in the Republic of the Congo from 1969 to 1992. The People's Republic of the Congo was founded in December 1969 ...

(1969–1992) *

Kongo, Ghana Kongo is a town in the Upper East Region of Ghana. The town is known for the Kongo Secondary School. The school is a second cycle The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as ...

, town in Ghana *

Kongo, Liberia Kongo is a small town in western Liberia on the border with Sierra Leone. It serves an iron ore mine, with a narrow gauge railway, which are currently out of use. There are similar iron ore deposits across the Mana River (West Africa) which for ...

, small town in Liberia

Former colonies

Belgian Congo The Belgian Congo (french: Congo belge, ; nl, Belgisch-Congo) was a Belgian colony in Central Africa from 1908 until independence in 1960. The former colony adopted its present name, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in 1964. Colo ...

French Congo The French Congo (french: Congo français) or Middle Congo (french: Moyen-Congo) was a French colony which at one time comprised the present-day area of the Republic of the Congo and parts of Gabon, and the Central African Republic. In 1910, i ...

Portuguese Congo Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

United States

Congo, Alabama Congo is an unincorporated community in Cherokee County, Alabama, United States. History A post office called Congo was established in 1892, and remained in operation until it was discontinued in 1909. The name commemorates the expeditions made by ...

Congo, Missouri Congo is an extinct town in southwestern Shannon County, Missouri, Shannon County, in the U.S. state of Missouri. Congo and the Congo School were located approximately three miles southwest of Montier, Missouri, Montier and US Route 60. Spring Creek ...

Congo, Pennsylvania Congo is a village in Douglass Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. Congo is located at the intersection of Hoffmansville Road and Congo Road, northeast of Boyertown. It is drained by the Swamp Creek into the Perkiomen Creek ...

* Congo, West Virginia

Elsewhere

Congo, New South Wales Congo is a village in Eurobodalla Shire on the South Coast of New South Wales. Congo is located 315 km south of Sydney, and 10 km south of Moruya. The population of Congo and the surrounding area was 245 at the . Congo Creek flows to ...

, Australia *

Congo, Paraíba Congo, Paraíba is a municipality in the state of Paraíba in the Northeast Region of Brazil. See also *List of municipalities in Paraíba This is a list of the municipalities in the state of Paraíba (PB), located in the Northeast Region of ...

, Brazil *

Congo River (disambiguation) The Congo River is a river in Africa. Congo River or Río Congo may also refer to: * Congo River (Panama), a river in Panama * Congo River (Ecuador), a river in Ecuador * '' Congo River, Beyond Darkness'', a 2005 Belgian documentary by Thierry M ...

, a list of rivers with the name *

Congo Town Congo Town is a small village located in South Andros district, part of Andros Island in the Bahamas. It is served by the South Andros Airport. In 2010, the population was 90.Congo Volcano The Congo Volcano, in Spanish the and also known as Congo Mountain, , is an inactive volcano in Costa Rica, situated in the Cordillera Central range near the Poás Volcano and within the Poás Volcano National Park. It is often confused with Pla ...

or Congo Mountain, in Costa Rica

Languages and ethnic groups

Niger–Congo languages Niger–Congo is a hypothetical language family spoken over the majority of sub-Saharan Africa. It unites the Mande languages, the Atlantic-Congo languages (which share a characteristic noun class system), and possibly several smaller groups of ...

Kongo languages The Kongo languages are a clade of Bantu languages, coded Zone H.10 in Guthrie's classification, that are spoken by the Bakongo: : Beembe (Pangwa, Doondo, Kamba, Hangala), Ndingi, Kunyi, Mboka, Kongo, Western Kongo, Laari (Laadi), Vili, Yom ...

***

Kongo language Kongo or Kikongo is one of the Bantu languages spoken by the Kongo people living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo, Gabon and Angola. It is a tonal language. It was spoken by many of those who were taken from th ...

, a Bantu language *

Kongo people The Kongo people ( kg, Bisi Kongo, , singular: ; also , singular: ) are a Bantu ethnic group primarily defined as the speakers of Kikongo. Subgroups include the Beembe, Bwende, Vili, Sundi, Yombe, Dondo, Lari, and others. They have lived ...

, a Bantu ethnic group

Arts and entertainment

Music

The Congos The Congos are a reggae vocal group from Jamaica which formed as the duo "Ashanti" Roy Johnson (tenor) (b. Roydel Johnson, 1947, Hanover, Jamaica) and Cedric Myton (falsetto) (b. 1947, Saint Catherine Parish, Jamaica), later becoming a trio ...

, a reggae vocal group from Jamaica ** ''Congo'' (album), 1979 * "Congo" (song), by Genesis, 1997 *

Kongos (band) Kongos (often styled as KONGOS) is a South African American band, now based in Austin, Texas. The alternative rock group consists of four brothers: Dylan (vocals, bass guitar, guitar), Johnny (accordion, keyboards, vocals), Jesse (drums, percu ...

, a South African American band

Other uses in arts, entertainment, and media

* ''Congo'' (novel), a 1980 novel by Michael Crichton ** ''Congo'' (film), a 1995 film based on the novel *

Congo (chess variant) Congo is a chess variant invented by Demian Freeling in 1982 when he was nearly 8 years old. His father (Dutch abstract games designer Christian Freeling) encouraged him to design a variant using a 7×7 gameboard. Demian was already familiar wit ...

, using a 7×7 gameboard * ''Congo'' (pinball), a 1995 pinball machine * ''Congo'' (TV series), a 2001 nature documentary * ''

Congo – A Political Tragedy ''Congo – A Political Tragedy'' is a 2018 independent documentary story of the Democratic Republic of Congo's political history, written by Patrick Kabeya and Mina Malu. It chronicles the Congo Free State, The Belgian Congo as well as the key fi ...

'', a 2018 documentary film * '' Congo: The Epic History of a People'', a 2010 book by David van Reybrouck * ''Kongo'' (1932 film), an American film

People

Edwin Congo Edwin Arturo Congo Murillo (born 7 October 1976) is a Colombian retired professional association football, footballer who played as a forward (association football), forward. Basing his game in physical display, he played most of his professio ...

(born 1976), Colombian footballer *

Louis Congo Louis Congo was an African slave who was freed in 1725 from the Company of the Indies by Louisiana officials and who was appointed public executioner.Dawdy, Shannon Lee"The Burden of Louis Congo and the Evolution of Savagery in Colonial Louisiana. ...

(fl. 1725), emancipated slave appointed public executioner of French Louisiana * Richard Congo (born 1961), American basketball player *

Cheick Kongo Cheick Kongo is a French heavyweight Mixed Martial artist and former Kickboxer who fights in Bellator MMA. A professional MMA competitor since 2001, he has also competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As of May 10, 2022, he is #4 in the ...

(born 1975), French mixed martial arts fighter and kickboxer *

John Kongos John Theodore Kongos (born 6 August 1945) is a South African-born singer and songwriter of Greek ancestry, best known for his 1971 Top 10 hit single "He's Gonna Step on You Again", on which Happy Mondays based their hit "Step On". His other big ...

(born 1945), South African singer and songwriter *

Kongo Kong Steven Wilson (born August 10, 1979) is an American professional wrestler best known under the ring name Kongo Kong. He is best known for his time with Global Force Wrestling and Impact Wrestling. Early career Wilson went to Saginaw Valley Stat ...

, wrestling ring name of Steven Wilson (born 1979)

Other uses

Congo (chimpanzee) Congo (1954–1964) was an English artist and painter who was also a chimpanzee. Zoologist, author and surrealist painter Desmond Morris first observed his abilities when the chimpanzee was offered a pencil and paper at two years of age. By the ag ...

, a chimpanzee who learned how to draw and paint *

Congo (loa) Congo is a handsome but apathetic loa in Haitian Vodou, Vodou. In the Congo Savanne aspect, he is a fierce petro loa. He is a powerful man-eating loa whose patron color is white. References

Voodoo gods {{Deity-stub ...

, a voodoo spirit *

Congo Airways Congo Airways S.A. is the State ownership, state-owned flag carrier airline of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). With a paid-up capital of United States dollar, US$90 million, it started operations on 20 October 2015. History C ...

, the flag carrier of the Democratic Republic of the Congo *

Congo Airlines Congo Airlines was an airline based in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In 1998, it merged with Zaire Airlines and Zaire Express to form Hewa Bora Airways. Code data *IATA code: EO *ICAO code: ALX *Callsign: ALLCONGO See also * Transp ...

, a former airline * , a Royal Navy ship *

Conference of NGOs The Conference of NGOs (CoNGO; full "Conference of Non-Governmental Organizations in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations") "is an independent, international, non-profit membership association of non-governmental organizations (NGOs). ...

(CoNGO), a membership association of non-governmental organizations *

Kongo University Kongo University (french: l’Université Kongo) is a university in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Its name is abbreviated to UK, after its French name. The main offices of the university are located in Mbanza-Ngungu. UK currently operat ...

, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo