Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville)
The Republic of the Congo () was a sovereign state in Central Africa that was created with the independence of the Belgian Congo in 1960. From 1960 to 1966, the country was often known as "Congo-Léopoldville" (after its capital) in order to distinguish it from its north-western neighbour, also called the Republic of the Congo or Congo-Brazzaville. With the renaming of Léopoldville as Kinshasa on 1 June 1966, it was known as "Congo-Kinshasa" until 1971.
History of Kinshasa
While the modern city of Kinshasa has its roots in the 1881 establishment of Léopoldville by Belgian settlers, human settlement in the Kinshasa area has stretched back to at least the 1st millennium BC. In the Pool Malebo area, the Tio (or Bateke) populated the right side (north) of the river and others assimilated with the Téké culture (Humbu and Mfinu peoples) resided on the left side (south) of the river. The region was an area where the slave trade and ivory trade played a significant role in the economy, and enriched the Tio Kingdom.