The Democratic Republic of Congo is the fourth most populous country in Africa. Located in the center of the continent, it is rich in history, and above all in interesting facts! It should be noted that the oldest traces of settlement in the Congo were discovered on archaeological sites in Katanga and Kivu. The first stones and other cut flints would be more than 200,000 years old according to scientists! Moreover, the territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo was formerly populated by hunter-collectors, who may be ancestors of the Pygmy peoples. Between the first human traces and the formation of the first villages, the Congo is occupied by nomadic groups, stonemasons, and from different cultures. In fact, the earliest traces of true civilization date back to 2600 BC, and belonged to the “Imbonga tradition”. Other traditions have emerged as a result, both in the center of the country and in the south. These populations became sedentary, so that they ensured their own food production, which is an important criterion as a micro society.
Towards the end of the Middle Ages, different populations, then organized into chiefdoms, were built into kingdoms. Some of these kingdoms were at their peak when they first came into contact with Europeans in the 15th century. From then on, royalties have been an important part of the history of the Congo! This period was marked by different trading kingdoms, in communication with other kingdoms, but also with other continents. Of a truth, kingdoms could span thousands of miles, not to mention trade networks beyond their borders! Most of the time, trading was carried on by foot, or by water. At the time, private property did not exist, so kingdoms did not even have exact boundaries. But that was not really detrimental, because mutual aid was very present, even between different leaders. Village chiefs had some, if not complete authority, but did not exercise their power elsewhere, such as in the West. Kingdoms were therefore not necessarily the result of conquest as one might think, but rather were unions and groupings of villages speaking the same language, in order to better defend themselves
Unfortunately, and like many African countries, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has experienced periods of colonization, this is an integral part of its history. To understand where the Congo's colonial past came from, it is important to see how it came to be. One of the key moments was 1482. At this time, the Portuguese Diogo Cão, in search of the mythical “kingdom of the priest John”, reached the mouth of the Congo river. It was not until 1579, nearly 100 years later, that the Portuguese Duarte Lopes ascended this river! The latter was so risky and perilous, that it was really explored only in 1874. And from there, the occupation plan was already, in a way, in place. We noticed it in 1876, when a foundation was born: the African International Association. The latter was created by Leopold II, King of Belgium, and included the whole of the Congo. This colonization therefore took place as a result of a conference, and lasted until 1960 before the Congo obtained its independence.
We were talking about it just before, the Congo River can be very dangerous. But what are the specific risks? Well, on the one hand, the route itself crosses several countries. The river flows 4700 kilometers west from Kisangani, just below the falls. It then takes more and more turns to the southwest. Plus, it's the deepest river in the world! It can reach up to 250 meters deep. So this is one of the most dangerous and frightening waterways in the world! But something else complicates the crossings along this river: wildlife. In this part of the world, it is not uncommon to find menacing and awe-inspiring animals. For example, you might come across lions, elephants, hippos, giraffes ... And the list doesn't end there! There are also rhinos, gorillas, bonobo monkeys, and even okapis that only live in this region of the world! We understand better why Westerners waited 100 years before exploring this river!
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This video provides a comprehensive overview of the Democratic Republic of Congo, exploring its ancient history, colonial past, and diverse natural wealth. It highlights the country's unique geography, economic reliance on mineral exports, rich culinary traditions, influential musical heritage, and significant achievements in professional football.
Discover the Democratic Republic of Congo 10 interesting facts you should know about
this country.
The Democratic Republic of Congo is the fourth most populous country in Africa.
Located in the center of the continent, it is rich in history and above all in interesting
facts.
Hello everyone and welcome to Africa Revealed.
Stick with us for a few minutes and by the end of this video you will have learned 10
interesting facts about the Democratic Republic of Congo.
If you like this theme, please like the video and subscribe to our channel, tell us video
suggestions in the comments and activate the notification bell so you don't miss any of
our content.
If that's done, let's get into it.
The History of the Congo
Let's start immediately with something very old, the history of the Congo.
It should be noted that the oldest traces of settlement in the Congo were discovered
on archaeological sites in Katanga and Kivu.
The first stones and other cut flints would be more than 200,000 years old, according
to scientists.
Moreover, the territory of the Democratic Republic of Congo was formerly populated by
hunter-collectors who may be ancestors of the Pygmy peoples.
Between the first human traces and the formation of the first villages, the Congo was occupied
by nomadic groups, stonemasons, and from different cultures.
In fact, the earliest traces of true civilization date back to 2600 BC and belonged to the Mbonga
tradition.
Other traditions have emerged as a result, both in the center of the country and in the
south.
These populations became sedentary so that they ensured their own food production, which
is an important criteria as a micro-society.
Royalty
Towards the end of the Middle Ages, different populations then organized into chieftains
were built into kingdoms.
Some of these kingdoms were at their peak when they first came into contact with Europeans
in the 15th century.
From then on, royalties have been an important part of the history of the Congo.
This period was marked by different trading kingdoms in communication with other kingdoms
but also with other continents.
Of a truth, kingdoms could span thousands of miles, not to mention trade networks beyond
their borders.
Most of the time, trading was carried on by foot or by water.
At the time, private property did not exist so kingdoms did not even have exact boundaries.
But that was not really detrimental because mutual aid was very present, even between
different leaders.
Village chiefs had some, if not complete authority, but did not exercise their power elsewhere
such as in the west.
Kingdoms were therefore not necessarily the result of a conquest, as one might think,
but rather were unions and groupings of villages speaking the same language in order to better
defend themselves.
Pre-colonization in Congo
Unfortunately, and like many African countries, the Democratic Republic of Congo has experienced
periods of colonization.
This is an integral part of its history.
To understand where the Congo's colonial past came from, it is important to see how it came
to be.
One of the key moments was 1482.
At this time, the Portuguese Diogo Cão, in search of the mythical kingdom of the priest
John, reached the mouth of the Congo River.
It was not until 1579, nearly a hundred years later, that the Portuguese Duarte Lopes ascended
this river.
The latter was so risky and perilous that it was really explored only in 1874, and from
there, the occupation plan was already in a way in place.
It can be noticed in 1876, when a foundation was born, the African International Association.
The latter was created by Leopold II, King of Belgium, and included the whole of the
Congo.
This colonization therefore took place as a result of a conference, and lasted until
1960, before the Congo obtained its independence.
To know more about this, I invite you to watch two videos that we have already made on these
topics.
You can find the links in the description below.
The Congo River
We were talking about it just before.
The Congo River can be very dangerous, but what are the specific risks?
Well, on one hand, the route itself crosses several countries.
The river flows 4,700 kilometers west from Kisangani, just below the falls.
It then takes more and more turns to the southwest.
Plus, it's the deepest river in the world.
It can reach up to 250 meters deep.
So this is one of the most dangerous and frightening waterways in the world.
But something else complicates the crossings along this river.
Wildlife
In this part of the world, it is not uncommon to find wildlife animals.
For example, you might come across lions, elephants, hippos, giraffes, and the list
doesn't end there.
There are also rhinos, gorillas, bonobo monkeys, and even okapis that only live in this region
of the world.
We can now understand better why Westerners waited 100 years before exploring this river.
The Independent State of Congo
We're halfway through these 10 facts about the Democratic Republic of Congo, and we invite
you to explore one part of the history of the Congo, the independent state.
It should be noted that the borders of present-day Congo were defined by the Berlin Conference
in 1885, as described in more detail in our videos that we made on the Berlin Conference.
The problem is that at the time, the Congo was still under colonial rule.
It was therefore considered as a private possession of the King of Belgium, Leopold II.
The country had to be divided into parts, one designating the domain of the crown and
the other privately in the form of concessions.
The abundant riches such as rubber and ivory from the Congo prompted the crown and various
companies to exploit the population in order to improve their trade and their yields.
This led to many problems with the same country, which have been the subject of many revolts.
These concerns were not recognized and corrected until later, in 1908, when the Congo and the
independent state were united as one and the same state.
This history linked to colonization has marked the history of this country.
The current economy of the country
Let's learn a little more about the economic situation of Congo.
Its overall activity is agricultural, but not only.
Exports represent 70% of the economic total, and these are not only exports of food, but
also of materials such as minerals, which we will talk about later.
Unfortunately, the war that hit the country from 1995 to 2005 had some impact on the economy,
but China has established itself as the country's trading partner since 2010.
This has helped boost imports and exports, one thing holding back the country to improve
its economy in a significant way is the lack of infrastructure.
For example, copper is mined in the country, but it must be exported to be processed before
returning in finished forms, such as cables, electric wires, etc.
Rich resources
The territory of the Congo is home to a lot of mineral resources, and this is a major
asset for the economy as we said earlier.
Each province has different minerals, which makes the country one of the most diverse.
We find in first position the diamond, which is in particular in the region of Kasai.
The diamond is also produced in the region of Equateur or in Oriental province.
The other highly coveted mineral in the Congo is gold.
It is found in many provinces and is the subject of significant trade.
Cobalt produced in Katanga is also an important mineral for the Congo.
With an annual production of around 90,000 tons, the Democratic Republic of the Congo
represents more than half of the world's cobalt production.
Some materials are specific to certain regions, such as copper, bauxite, or shales.
Another commodity is produced in the Congo, which is oil and gas.
These come from coastal basins and are exported abroad.
Typical recipes of the Congo
Here we are at the 8th fact of this video, and we don't intend to forget the subject
of food.
Indeed, this is something we talk about for almost every country, and Congo will not be
an exception.
The main ingredients of Congolese cuisine are fish, sweet potatoes, rice, fufu, sorghum,
plantains, and even cassava, which grows in abundance in the country.
These foods are almost always accompanied by typical sauces, which are the specialties
of the Congo.
One thing is important in the Congo, apart from the peeled fruit, they do not eat raw.
This is because the climate is conducive to parasites, and cooking food kills bacteria.
Cassava isn't the only thing you eat from the plant.
Its leaves are also eaten.
We can mention one particular food that is very, very famous in this country, it's called
pondu.
The most common dish is called muamba.
Congolese musical culture
The Democratic Republic of Congo has a very rich musical culture.
In fact, it can easily be said that its music, known as rumba, makes all of Africa dance
and more.
Since 1960, the success of Congolese music has been considered to extend even to Western
countries.
The people of the Democratic Republic of Congo have made countless musical instruments.
We therefore find creations like ngombi, which is a stringed instrument.
This is not the only one in its category.
You can find stringed instruments of all sizes, ranging from mvet to seto, a Congolese harp.
Finally, for those interested in percussion, the lokole is a drum created in the Democratic
Republic of Congo.
These instruments have an important place in the tradition, for example, they intervene
during the great events of life, whether it is birth or death.
The country's successful sport
Let's end this video with a single subject, sport.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, football is the most popular sport.
The national football team has won the African Cup of Nations twice, with one victory in
1968 and another in 1974.
It also came third in 1998 and 2015.
But this is not the only achievement of their record.
It won the African Championship twice, in 2009 and in 2016.
Two Congolese clubs won the African Champions League, TP Mazembe, five times, and AS Vita
Club in 1973.
Moreover, TP Mazembe is the first African club to reach the final of the FIFA Club World
Cup in 2010.
If we turn to the players, we must not forget that football was marked by Congolese legends
So this is where our video of the day on the Democratic Republic of Congo ends.
Which fact struck you the most?
Do you have any other interesting facts about this country?
Tell us everything in the comments.
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With that folks, we'll see you in another video.
Bless.
