The Republic of the Congo, also known as Middle Congo, Congo/Brazzaville, and Congo (but not to be confused with its larger neighbor to the east, the
Democratic Republic of the Congo, formerly
Zaire), is a former
French colony of west-central
Africa.
Upon independence in
1960, the former French region of Middle Congo became the Republic of the Congo.
A quarter century of experimentation with
Marxism was abandoned in
1990 and a democratically elected government installed in
1992.
A brief civil war in
1997 restored former Marxist President
Denis Sassou-Nguesso.
The capital is
Brazzaville.
- Much of the material in these articles comes from the CIA World Factbook 2000 and the 2003 U.S. Department of State website.
