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
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Landmarks and geographic terms
Malebo Pool, formerly Stanley Pool
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Notes
- 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."
- From 1937. Before that, the city was known as Makaku or Makal
- Previously known as "Équateurville"
References
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