Congo

Congo is a name shared by two neighbouring countries in Central Africa, usually distinguished either by using their full official names or adding their capitals:

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• The Republic of the Congo is often known as "Congo-Brazzaville". It is the smaller of the two and lies to the west. It was once a French colony and part of French Equatorial Africa.
• The Democratic Republic of the Congo is sometimes known as "Congo-Kinshasa" or simply DRC. It is the larger of the two and lies to the east. It was once the personal property of King Leopold II of Belgium, when it was known as the Congo Free State, and later a Belgian colony when it was renamed the Belgian Congo. It was named Zaire from 1971 to 1997 (during which time the other Congo could simply be called Congo without modifier).

Congo may also refer to:

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• Congo craton, a pre-historical continent
• Kongo Kingdom, which was once under Portuguese "protection" during part of its existence
• Congo River, which drains both the above-mentioned countries
• A spirit in voodoo
• Congo (novel), a novel by Michael Crichton
• Congo (film), a film based on Crichton's novel; see
• Congo music, a genre of Afro Latino music in Panama and Brazil; see and dance
• Soukous, a genre of music, sometimes known as Congo
• a chimpanzee who has produced works of art under the guidance of zoologist and artist Desmond Morris