Why Are There Two Congos—and Why Is One So Much More Populated?

Central Africa is an incredibly beautiful region of the world and home to the world's second largest rainforest. And within this region is the Republic of the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Two countries that share a rainforest, river, and almost the exact same name, but are otherwise very different from each other. Here's why the Republic of the Congo only has around 5 million people compared to the over 100 million in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Hello and welcome to Geography by Geoff. Today we're off to explore the two Congolese countries. And while the two countries share a name, they're actually quite distinct in many ways. Not least in the sheer amount of people the Democratic Republic of Congo has over the Republic of Congo. Now, from this point on, I'm largely going to be referring to the Democratic Republic of the Congo as the DRC and the Republic of the Congo as Congo-Brazzaville. Otherwise, it's going to be very hard for you to follow along with the episode. So make that mental note here. And of course, I need to plug my Substack just a little bit. If you like my videos and want to continue to support me and my geography, then head on over to Substack. Free subscribers get additional geography every week, and premium subscribers get access to all of these amazing perks. So sign up today. There's literally nothing to lose. Before we dive into the colonial history of Central Africa, it's worth taking a minute to explain that the modern-day borders that exist within this region are not based on historic, ethnic, lingual, or tribal boundaries. The entire region we're talking about today was home to both the Bantu and Pygmy peoples, and each of those groups have dozens of different ethnicities and tribes within them. All that's to say, Africa as a whole is a complicated continent that has been unfairly simplified by European colonial organizers. But Central Africa, a region encompassing nine countries as determined by the African Union, has a particularly long and brutal history shaped significantly by the forces of these same European countries. From the late 1800s to the mid-1900s, almost the entire continent was under the rule of several European powers, the impacts of which continue to reverberate across the region. Only Ethiopia can claim that it was never fully colonized. The colonization of this region commenced during the Scramble for Africa in the late 1800s, a period of rapid European colonial invasion, occupation, division, and annexation of African territory. This scramble was driven by Europe's increasing industrialization needs and the quest for new markets and resources. Central Africa, with its abundant natural resources, offered an ideal ground for such economic exploitation. As such, Central Africa was largely divided amongst France, Germany, Belgium, and Portugal. France dominated the largest portion, with colonies that now form the countries of Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of Congo, and Gabon. Meanwhile, Belgium controlled the vast Congo Free State, now the DRC, Germany held what is now Burundi and Rwanda, and Portugal took hold of Angola. This period of time in Africa was marked by unimaginable exploitation and human rights abuses. But Belgium's rule in the Congo Free State under King Leopold II was especially brutal. Originally established as a European pet project to quote-unquote civilize the indigenous people, it quickly evolved into a brutal regime of forced labor to extract rubber and ivory, leading to millions of Congolese deaths. International outcry eventually forced Belgium to annex the region as a proper colony, though Belgium's violent exploitative conditions persisted. Similarly, French Equatorial Africa, a federation of French colonies that include the country that would become Congo-Brazzaville, would also devolve into an exploitative regime. The indigenous people of the area were coerced to work on public projects and in the extraction of resources such as rubber, timber, and palm oil. Like with Belgium's Congo Free State, France's colonial rule would lead to a significant decline in the Congolese population and would incite several revolts. Eventually, both countries would gain their independence from Belgium and France respectively. The DRC would officially be free from Belgium on June 30, 1960 and would quickly change its name to Zaire from 1965 to 1997 when it would then change back to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Meanwhile, Congo-Brazzaville would officially gain its freedom just two months later in August of 1960. But despite sharing the French language, a similar name, and even an exceptionally large river, the two countries would remain completely independent from each other. The two Congolese countries had a similar exploitative experience but at the hands of two distinct European powers, and this left an impact that stretches well into today. Belgium left their Congo colony in a hurry without any preparations for independence. France, however, left Congo-Brazzaville with a constitution and having overseen early elections. This difference in managing the colonial exit has resulted in differences between the relative stability of the two countries ever since. The DRC and Congo-Brazzaville are two neighboring countries that share a very similar official name. But as we're about to find out, that's really where the similarities end. But before we get to the differences between these two countries, if you're enjoying this video, hit that subscribe button. More fun geography videos are just a single click away. While both of these countries are nestled within Central Africa, Congo-Brazzaville and the DRC share more than just a name. Both exhibit remarkable geographic diversity with an array of ecosystems, mineral resources, and climates. But despite being neighboring countries, the scale, topography, and natural features vary significantly between them. In the west, Congo-Brazzaville is the smaller of the two countries, covering an area of approximately 132,000 square miles. The country is located on the equator and has a diverse range of geographic features. The coastal plain, with its lagoons, sandy beaches, and tidal flats, gives way to a fertile central plateau known as Niari. The terrain then gradually ascends to the Mayombe Mountains in the southwest. The north of the country is covered by the vast Congo rainforest, the second largest tropical rainforest in the world, rich in biodiversity, and a significant carbon sink. Meanwhile, the DRC is the second largest country on the continent, spanning approximately 906,000 square miles. The geographic diversity of the DRC is profound, and the country is renowned for its natural resources. The central part of the DRC is dominated by the Central Congo Basin, a massive flat region filled with swamps and rainforests, the same rainforest that exists in Congo-Brazzaville. In fact, most of this rainforest is within the DRC. The eastern and southern borders of the DRC are marked by high plateaus and mountains, including the Matumba Mountains and the legendary Ruinzori Range. The Albertine Rift, along the DRC's eastern borders, hosts some of Africa's highest peaks and the deepest lake, Lake Tanganyika. Meanwhile, the Congo River, with its numerous tributaries, plays an equally vital role for both the DRC and Congo-Brazzaville, providing a major transportation route and diverse ecosystems. The river also features the impressive Inga Falls, which has the potential to generate vast amounts of hydroelectric power. It's this river where each country gets its name and provides the everlasting dividing line between the two countries. Both Congo-Brazzaville and the DRC boast diverse geographic landscapes, featuring everything from coastal plains to high mountains, vast rainforests, and significant river systems. But despite being neighbors, the difference between each country's geography has played into the huge population difference between the two. While both countries share a border and exist largely within the same region, there maintains a significant population difference between the two of them. As of 2023, according to the CIA's World Factbook, Congo-Brazzaville is home to just about 5.7 million people, and the DRC is home to over 111 million people, though it should be noted that some DRC population estimates go as low as about 95 million people. Regardless, this extreme difference between the two Congolese countries rests on a variety of factors. First and foremost, the DRC is an absolutely massive country, and the second largest country in Africa, and with its vast landmass lies areas that are conducive to farming, particularly in its southern areas. In contrast, Congo-Brazzaville is considerably smaller and much of its territory is dominated by the tropical rainforests, particularly in the north, restricting the amount of land available for human habitation and agriculture. This provides a natural limiting factor for Congo-Brazzaville, which would struggle to feed a population as large as the DRC's. That said, the DRC gets approximately 80% of its food from imports as well, but that still means it supports upwards of 20 to 25 million people on its own agricultural industry, something Congo-Brazzaville would not be able to do. Additionally, historic fertility rates and population growth patterns are critical to understanding the current population disparity. According to the United Nations, as of 2023, the DRC had the third highest fertility rate of every country in the world, with about 6.1 births per woman. This is far higher than Congo-Brazzaville with about 4 births per woman. And with improving health and medicines over the last 50 years, this has seen a DRC population that was a little over 15 million people in 1960 balloon to over 100 million. By contrast, Congo-Brazzaville had a population of about 1.1 million in 1960, growing much more slowly to its 5.7 million today. But natural birth rate is only part of the equation. Migration has also played into the story of why the DRC has grown so much over the last few decades. The DRC has experienced significant internal and cross-border migration throughout its history, much of this on the back of the DRC's incredibly valuable natural resources that it has had historically and continues to have today. When the country became independent in 1960, it was already fairly industrialized due to the extensive mining operations, and this industrialization continued well into the modern day as laborers traveled to the DRC in order to capitalize on the country's vast reserve of minerals such as cobalt. Unfortunately, despite so many moving to the DRC for this reason, it rarely works out for anyone. The DRC is extraordinarily rich in natural resources including diamonds, cobalt, copper, gold, and other minerals. It also holds significant reserves of coltan and ore used in electronic devices. But despite its natural wealth, the country remains one of the poorest in the world with many of its citizens living in abject poverty, a paradox often referred to as the resource curse. And this is because of the way the country has continually allowed the natural resource industry to manage itself. Right now, as you watch this video, people are being exploited on the backs of the extraction industry, which is rife with corruption and mismanagement. Widespread corruption permeates all levels, from local officials to national government entities, undermining the potential benefits of this wealth for the broader population. Reports of funds being siphoned off by corrupt officials instead of being invested in public services like healthcare, education, and infrastructure are very common. But even more than that, the resource extraction industry has been linked to severe human rights violations. Miners, many of whom are children, work in perilous conditions with insufficient safety measures. They often toil for long hours, earning meager wages, while being exposed to hazardous substances without adequate protective equipment. And it's this vast mineral wealth that has fueled conflicts within the region at large, earning some minerals coming out of the country to be labeled conflict minerals. Various armed groups exploit the minerals to fund their activities, contributing to a cycle of violence and instability. The competition for control of these valuable resources has led to brutal conflicts, leading to loss of life, displacement of people, and a severe humanitarian crisis. Similar conflicts across Africa have brought the infamous Russian mercenary group Wagner and, as of recent reports, there's reason to believe Wagner's troops are within the DRC now as well. And this is all so sad because the DRC's vast natural resources should have served as a springboard for economic development and prosperity for the people in the country. But the reality is one of exploitation, corruption, human rights violations, conflict, and environmental degradation. And unfortunately, that doesn't appear likely to change anytime soon. Congo-Brazzaville and the DRC share a name, a river, and a rainforest, and that's about it. Congo-Brazzaville, while not without its own problems, is still markedly better off in almost every metric than its neighbor. And that's something that's likely to continue well into the future. I hope you enjoyed learning about the two Congolese countries in Central Africa. If you did, please subscribe to my channel. And if you want to watch more of my videos, you can do so here. Thanks for watching. See you next time.