Congo - Definition and Overview

Congo is a name shared by two countries in both West and Central Africa:

• Republic of the Congo is often known as "Congo-Brazzaville". It is the smaller of the two and lies to the west in West Africa. It was once a French colony known as French Equatorial Africa.

• Democratic Republic of the Congo is sometimes known as "Congo-Kinshasa". It is the larger of the two and lies to the east in Central Africa. It was once a Belgian colony known as both Congo Free State and Belgian Congo, depending on the period. It was also named Zaire when under the rule of Mobutu Sese Seko from 1971 to 1997 .

Congo is also the name of:

• Congo craton, a pre-historical continent.
• The Congo or Kongo Kingdom, which was once under Portuguese protection during part of its existence.
• The Congo River, which drains both the above-mentioned countries.
• The basin of the Congo River. The Congo and its subsidiaries run through the second largest rain forest area in the world, with only the Amazon Rainforest being (much) larger. (see: Congo River basin).
• In Vodun, a rather dull and lazy spirit was named Congo.
• A novel by Michael Crichton; see Congo (novel).
• A movie based on Crichton's novel; see Congo (movie).
• A genre of Afro-American music in Panama and Brazil; see congo music and dance
• An alternate term for the genre of music more commonly known as soukous.