Former place names in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

This is a list of place names of towns and cities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo which were subsequently changed after the end of Belgian colonial rule. Place names of the colonial era tended to have two versions, one in French and one in Dutch, reflecting the two main languages of Belgium. Many of these place names were chosen after local geography or eponymous colonial figures.

Map of the Belgian Congo, 1914

Many of the place name changes occurred under the authenticité programme in the 1960s and 1970s during the dictatorship of Mobutu Sese Seko. In some cases, the names had genuine pre-colonial usage or had already been used unofficially during the colonial period. Mobutu also changed the country's name from Congo to Zaire. Today, European speakers of both French and Dutch use the modern Congolese place names.

Towns and cities

Kinshasa, formerly known as Léopoldville or Leopoldstad
Lubumbashi, formerly known as Élisabethville or Elisabethstad
Kisangani, formerly known as Stanleyville or Stanleystad
Mbandaka, formerly Coquilhatville or Cocquilhatstad
Current NameFormer name in FrenchFormer name in DutchFormer Namesake
AketiAketi Port-ChaltinAketi-ChaltinhavenNamed in honour of Louis-Napoléon Chaltin, a colonial military officer of the Congo Free State.
BandunduBanningvilleBanningstadNamed in honour of Émile Banning, influential Belgian civil servant and confident of Leopold II
BotekaFlandriaFlanders, a region in Belgium
BukavuCostermansvilleCostermansstadNamed in honour of Paul Costermans, colonial administrator in the Free State, in 1927
DjokupundaCharlesvilleCharlesstad
Gombe (Kinshasa)KalinaNamed in honour of E. Kalina, soldier[lower-alpha 1]
IleboPort-FrancquiFrancquihavenNamed in honour of Émile Francqui, businessman and philanthropist
IsiroPaulisNamed in honour of Albert Paulis
KalemieAlbertvilleAlbertstadNamed in honour of King Albert I
KanangaLuluabourgLuluaburgNamed after the nearby Lulua river
Kasa-Vubu (Kinshasa)Dendale
KikwitPoto-Poto[lower-alpha 2]
KinduKindu Port-ÉmpainKindu Empain-HavenNamed in honour of Edouard Empain, Belgian industrialist
KinshasaLéopoldvilleLeopoldstadNamed in honour of King Leopold II, King-Sovereign of the Congo Free State
KisanganiStanleyvilleStanleystadNamed in honour of Henry Morton Stanley, explorer
Kwilu NgongoMoerbekeNamed after the Belgian hometown of Maurice Lippens, a major investor in the local sugar industry
LikasiJadotvilleJadotstadNamed in honour of Jean Jadot, businessman and industrialist
Lingwala (Kinshasa)Saint-JeanNamed after St John the Apostle
LubaoSentery
LubumbashiÉlisabethvilleElisabethstadNamed in honour of Queen Elisabeth
Lufu-TotoCattierNamed in honour of Félicien Cattier, businessman
LuilaWolter
LokutuElisabethaNamed in honour of Queen Elisabeth
LusangaLevervilleLeverstadNamed after William Lever, British businessman and co-founder of Lever Brothers which owned a local subsidiary, Huileries du Congo Belge (HCB), which produced palm kernels.
MakanzaNouvelle-AnversNieuw AntwerpenNamed after the Belgian port city of Antwerp
MakisoStanleyNamed in honour of Henry Morton Stanley, explorer and namesake of Stanleyville
MapanguBrabantaNamed after Brabant in Belgium
Matonge (Kinshasa)RenkinNamed in honour of Jules Renkin, Belgian politician, Colonial Minister (1908–18) and later Prime Minister (1931–32)
MbandakaCoquilhatville[lower-alpha 3]CocquilhatstadNamed in honour of Camille Coquilhat, colonial administrator and town's founder.
Mbanza-NgunguThysvilleThysstadNamed in honour of Albert Thys, Belgian colonist and businessman
MobaBaudoinvilleBoudewijnstadNamed in honour of Prince Baudouin, nephew (and intended successor) of Leopold II
Mobayi-MbongoBanzyvilleBanzystad
Mbuji-MayiBakwanga
Ngaliema (Kinshasa)StanleyNamed in honour of Henry Morton Stanley, explorer
NsiamfumuVista
TshilunduMérodeNamed after the House of Mérode
UbunduPonthiervillePonthierstadNamed in honour of the Pierre Ponthier, colonial soldier

Landmarks and geographic terms

Malebo Pool, formerly Stanley Pool
Current NameFormer name in FrenchFormer name in DutchFormer Namesake
Boyoma FallsStanley FallsStanleywatervallenNamed in honour of Henry Morton Stanley, explorer
Lake Mai-NdombeLac Léopold IILeopold II MeerNamed in honour of King Leopold II, King-Sovereign of the Congo Free State
Malebo PoolStanley PoolNamed in honour of Henry Morton Stanley, explorer
MayumbeCrystal
Virunga National ParkParc AlbertAlbert ParkNamed in honour of King Albert I

See also

Notes

  1. E. Kalina was an Austrian volunteer who is mentioned by Stanley and who drowned in Stanley Pool in 1883. Little is known of his life and his first name is unknown apart from the letter "E."
  2. From 1937. Before that, the city was known as Makaku or Makal
  3. Previously known as "Équateurville"

References

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