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 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 c ...

, 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 th ...

(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 c ...

(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 = Leop ...

(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 196 ...

(1969–1992) * Kongo, Ghana, town in Ghana * Kongo, Liberia, 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 Third Republic, French list of French possessions and colonies, colony which at one time comprised the present-day area of the Republic of the Congo a ...

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 ** Port ...

United States

* Congo, Alabama *

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

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 Cree ...

Congo, West Virginia Congo is an unincorporated community on the Ohio River in Hancock County, West Virginia, United States. It lies off West Virginia Route 2. According to the Geographic Names Information System The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is ...

Elsewhere

* Congo, New South Wales, 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), 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 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, Atlantic-Congo languages (which share a characteristic noun class system), and possibly ...

** Kongo languages ***

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 liv ...

, 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, percus ...

, 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), using a 7×7 gameboard * ''Congo'' (pinball), a 1995 pinball machine * ''Congo'' (TV series), a 2001 nature documentary * '' Congo – A Political Tragedy'', 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 footballer who played as a forward. Basing his game in physical display, he played most of his professional career in Spain, appearing for a host of clubs in ...

(born 1976), Colombian footballer * Louis Congo (fl. 1725), emancipated slave appointed public executioner of French Louisiana *

Richard Congo Richard S. Congo (born May 17, 1961) is an American former basketball player for Lafayette College and Drexel University. He was a two-time all-conference performer and the 1984 East Coast Conference Player of the Year as a senior. Early life ...

(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 bi ...

(born 1945), South African singer and songwriter * Kongo Kong, wrestling ring name of Steven Wilson (born 1979)

Other uses

* Congo (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee who learned how to draw and paint * Congo (loa), a voodoo spirit *

Congo Airways Congo Airways S.A. is the state-owned flag carrier airline of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). With a paid-up capital of US$90 million, it started operations on 20 October 2015. History Congo Airways was created on 15 August ...

, the flag carrier of the Democratic Republic of the Congo * Congo Airlines, a former airline * , a Royal Navy ship * Conference of 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