| Central African Independence | |
[Gazetteer Index page]
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Democraatic Republic of the Congo, DRC Official name: Democratic Republic of the Congo Independence form Belgium: 1960 Once the home of the powerful Kongo kingdom, Belgium's King Leopold II claimed most of the Congo basin from 1876. Rather than a Belgium colony, this became King Leopold's private resource under the name Congo Free State. (This is considered to be the most brutal and shocking of all European colonial experiments.) After international outcry, Belgium officially took over the country in 1908 and renamed it the Belgian Congo. Independence was achieved in 1960 and the country was renamed Congo-Kinshasa. Belgian troops were still in use until 1964, helping to put down revolts. In 1965 General Joseph-Desire Mobuto seized power, he formed a one party state (Popular Revolutionary Movement, MPR) and was elected President. In 1971 the country was renamed Zaire. In 1997, after an attempt to introduce multiparty rule, the country was renamed the Democratic Republic of the Congo (or DRC). |
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Equatorial Guinea Official name: Republic of Equatorial Guinea Independence from Spain: 1968 A colony of Spain for 190 years, mostly as a forgotten backwater, the country achieved independence in 1968. |
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Gabon Official name: The Gabonese Republic Independence from France: 1960 Annexed as part of French Equatorial Africa in 1886, Gabon finally achieved independence in 1960. |
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Sao Tome & Principe Official name: Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe Independence form Portugal: 1975 The islands were claimed to be uninhabited when Portuguese colonists arrived. The very fertile soil was used for cocoa plantations. In 1972 a liberation movement was recognized by the UN, and independence was reached in 1975. |
Central Africa: [Cameroon - Congo], [D.R.C. - Sao Tome & Principe]
[Gazetteer Index page]
