What was Congos former name?

the Republic of Zaire
Democratic Republic of the Congo Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Congo gained independence from Belgium in 1960. From 1971 to 1997 the country was officially the Republic of Zaire, a change made by then ruler Gen. Mobutu Sese Seko to give the country what he thought was a more authentic African name.

What was Congo called in 1961?

From 1960 to 1966, the country was also known as Congo-Léopoldville (after its capital) to distinguish it from its northwestern neighbor, which is also called the Republic of the Congo, alternatively known as “Congo-Brazzaville”.

How was Congo called before independence?

Embarking on a campaign of cultural awareness, President Mobutu renamed the country the “Republic of Zaire” in 1971 and required citizens to adopt African names and drop their French-language ones. The name comes from Portuguese, adapted from the Kongo word nzere or nzadi (“river that swallows all rivers”).

What is Congo named after?

The Republic of the Congo is named after the Congo River, whose name is derived from Kongo, a Bantu kingdom which occupied its mouth around the time of its discovery by the Portuguese in 1483 or 1484.

When did Zaire change Congo?

A constitutional referendum the year before Mobutu’s coup of 1965 resulted in the country’s official name being changed to the “Democratic Republic of the Congo.” In 1971 Mobutu changed the name again, this time to “Republic of Zaire”.

When did the Congo change its name?

1997
In 1992, the Sovereign National Conference voted to change the name of the country to the “Democratic Republic of the Congo”, but the change was not made. The country’s name was later restored by President Laurent-Désiré Kabila when he overthrew Mobutu in 1997.

When was Zaire renamed?

1971
In 1971, Mobutu renamed the country the Republic of Zaire, its fourth name change in eleven years and its sixth overall. The Congo River was renamed the Zaire River.

When did Congo change its name?

What is the Belgian Congo now called?

the Democratic Republic of the Congo
As a possession of Belgium, the Congo Free State became known as the Belgian Congo. After independence in 1960 it was renamed Zaire and is now called the Democratic Republic of the Congo.