James Baquet

One would be forgiven for confounding the Republic of the Congo for something else. A sovereign state since independence from France in 1960, it was previously called “French Congo” to distinguish it from Belgian Congo and Portuguese Congo. French Congo itself had at various times been called Middle Congo and French Equatorial Africa — but not by itself, because Chad, the Central African Republic, Cameroon, and Gabon were also part of that entity. To confuse matters even more, the Republic of the Congo was also called the People’s Republic of the Congo post-independence, from 1970 to 1991.

So let’s just concentrate on today, remembering that while it may be called the Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic, or just “the Congo,” there is another country nearby named the Democratic Republic of the Congo, different from “our” Congo.

In fact, that Congo forms the eastern border of our Congo; the Central African Republic and Cameroon are to the north; and Gabon and the Atlantic Ocean are to the west. There is also a tiny exclave of Angola — Cabinda — on the south, where the Republic of Congo collides with the ocean.

One more thing: All of these “Congo” place names derive from the Congo River, which forms most of the border between the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The capital of the latter, Kinshasa, is just across the Congo River from our Congo’s capital, Brazzaville. (The name of the river itself derives from a historical “Kingdom of Kongo.”)

As you might expect from such a history, French is the Congo’s official language, though the country’s diversity is reflected in the 62 spoken languages (by one count) used there. Though there are many ethnic subgroups, most of the nation’s people are descended from Bantu peoples.

The government is headed by an elected president and prime minister, and the parliament is made up of two houses, the senate and the national assembly. The Congo’s population density is relatively low, ranking the 222nd out of 255, but over 70 percent of its people are urbanized, one of the highest percentages in Africa.

Vocabulary:

Which word above means:

1. living in cities

2. the one we’re talking about now

3. runs into, meets

4. mistaking; confusing

5. number of people living in an area

6. after (prefix)

7. tell apart

8. groups within a group

9. independent nation

10. came from