Why are there two Congos?

If you look at an african map, you'll notice that there is more than one Congo. So why? Well in this short, short. You will find out!

[NoSi_]

Fun fact: there are more french speakers in the D.R. Congo than in France

[zealandia]

I don't know why the media doesn't refer these two countries as East Congo and West Congo respectively. For convenience purposes, we have used North Korea, South Korea, East Germany, West Germany, North Vietnam, South Vietnam, North Yemen, and South Yemen as country names, despite none of them is the official name of these countries. Why don't we do the same for these two Central African countries? It is so confusing as most people don't know that there are actually two Congos in the world.

[mrtshimangamulumba]

As a 🇨🇩. I believe you could add some clarity by making mention of the fact that one country was not always know by that name. For a long period of time upon independence one was known as Zaire then reverted back to Congo in 1997. This best explains their need to remain separate.

[jemmawolf]

Ahah that's why, I learnt something today. Great video

[prathamsaxena]

Don't forget King of Belgium's atrocities made people coin the term "Crimes against Humanity"

[jamie]

So king Kong has gone, and now you have two Congo 🤣

[slyking]

I find it funny how their capitals are right next to each other across the river.

[Abuyahya]

What happened in Belgian Congo was very brutal in the search for rubber indeed a genocide before the term was coined. Something thats overlooked thru history 😔

[agentperry]

Leopold II, King of the Belgians, first said that his intent in today’s DRC was to offer humanitarian services for the people of said area. He then proceeded to enslave them and amass a huge fortune off of his “humanitarian services" for the people of DRC.

[lelouchvibritannia]

The capitals of these two countries are right next to eachother, separated by a river.

This would be like splitting England into 2 different countries and both of their capitals are the halves of London on their side of the Thames

[lucapasa]

Really the two nations have nothing to do with eachother, apart from speaking french and being named after the same river

[GuzzEtPorto]

The French one wasn't brutally exploited. Most "sources" were from in Belgian congo but used as anti-french propaganda later by former french colonial empire countries.

[Pantsinabucket]

People always forget about the secret third Congo! Cabinda, Angola’s exclave bordering the ROC, was historically known as Portuguese Congo.

[octotitan]

Thanks you so much I couldn't sleep for weeks due to this question

[Lisbonese]

Technically there are three. Cabinda which is today in present-day Angola used to called Portuguese Congo.

[imdunder]

You left out the most straightforward answer to this question: one country is on one side of the congo River and the other is on the opposite

[danski.bryans]

Why is no one talking about the '😭' emojis on the graphic? Without context, it could mean that the people of both Congos were just laughing so much while they were being colonized.

[electricangel]

Also funny seeing how the kongo takes its name from a kingom mostly found in south western kongo and angola

[HowieFeltersnatchMD]

They’re doing well at least since gaining their independence! They just have had a couple speed bumps is all..very impressive people and I advise everyone to take a trip to immerse yourself in the culture!

[nicocola]

Saying they were brutally exploited is quite a simplification. At the start of colonisation they were. After WW1 an african protelariat appeared that lived in the same conditions as european or american proletariat. The biggest deal was racism : although there was no official appartheid, white people were always at the top and had their own places, forbidden to black people. After WW2 (mostly) there was brutality but not in exploitation, in the repression of independantist movements/protests.