2/ Both the Democratic Republic of the Congo 🇨🇩 and the Republic of the Congo 🇨🇬 draw their names from the powerful Kingdom of Kongo, a centralized state established around 1390.

The Kingdom historically spanned both banks of the Congo River, politically and culturally uniting the Bakongo people—an identity that was subsequently divided by colonial borders.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Kongo

#geoweirdness

3/ The political division of the Congo began during the 1880s "Scramble for Africa".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scramble_for_Africa

The Congo River became the contested border: 🇫🇷 France’s Pierre de Brazza claimed the north bank (future RC), while King Leopold II of Belgium 🇧🇪, secured the immense south bank, which was named the Congo Free State (future DRC)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Conference

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4/ The Congo Free State was owned personally by King Leopold and was not part of Belgium 🇧🇪
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congo_Free_State

and was brutally exploited for resources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atrocities_in_the_Congo_Free_State#

in 1908 it was annexed by Belgium due to public outcry.

Meanwhile to the north "Congo français" 🇫🇷 became part of French Equatorial Africa which also included modern Gabon 🇬🇦, Central African Republic 🇨🇫, Cameroon 🇨🇲, and Chad 🇹🇩

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Equatorial_Africa

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5/ Both Congos gained independence in 1960, but the paths taken highlighted their colonial differences.

The Belgian Congo (DRC 🇨🇩) was given hasty independence on June 30 with virtually no preparation for self-rule, resulting in the immediate Congo Crisis, civil war, and chaos.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congo_Crisis

The French Congo (RC 🇨🇬), achieved a comparatively smoother independence six weeks later, on August 15.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Republic_of_the_Congo#Road_to_independence

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6/ This historic split between the two modern countries is most vividly seen across the mightly Congo River, where their capitals, Kinshasa (DRC 🇨🇩) and Brazzaville (RC 🇨🇬), are the world’s closest capitals.

The commercial airline flight between them, which lasts about five minutes, is one of the shortest international flights in the world. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinshasa%E2%80%93Brazzaville

#geoweirdness