What does congo mean?
The Congo most prominently denotes the great river of central Africa, which flows some 4,700 kilometres through dense rainforest before reaching the Atlantic Ocean. It is the world's deepest recorded river and carries the second-largest volume of water of any river on Earth, after only the Amazon. The name also identifies two sovereign states carved from the river's basin: the vast Democratic Republic of the Congo, whose capital Kinshasa lies on its southern bank, and the smaller Republic of the Congo across the river, whose capital is Brazzaville — famously, the world's closest pair of capital cities. Both nations take their name ultimately from the historic Kingdom of Kongo and its people, encountered by Portuguese navigators at the mouth of the river in the late fifteenth century. In everyday English, 'the Congo' often serves as shorthand for the wider region, its rainforest, and its turbulent colonial and post-colonial history.
nounThe Congo is a major river of central Africa and the region surrounding it; it also refers to either of two countries named after that river — the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo.
- The Congo River, a major river in central Africa and the world's deepest recorded river.
- The Democratic Republic of the Congo, a large country in central Africa.
- The Republic of the Congo (Congo-Brazzaville), a smaller country northwest of the river.
"The Congo drains an enormous tropical basin second only to the Amazon's."
"Explorers first navigated the full length of the Congo in the nineteenth century."
"Kinshasa, on the banks of the Congo, is one of the largest cities in Africa."
The Congo is the world's deepest river, plunging to depths of over 220 metres — deep enough to submerge the entire height of a 70-storey skyscraper.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of congo
The name derives from the Kingdom of Kongo, a powerful pre-colonial state whose people, the Bakongo, speak Kikongo. Portuguese explorers reached the river's mouth in the late fifteenth century and adopted the local name, which entered European geography and later political usage. The modern countries were named after the river when they achieved independence from Belgian and French colonial rule in 1960.
How congo is actually used
Because two separate countries share the name, writers usually distinguish them explicitly — 'Democratic Republic of the Congo' (DRC) versus 'Republic of the Congo' — or by capital city (Kinshasa versus Brazzaville). As a proper noun it takes a capital letter except in established compounds like 'congo red'.
Easily confused with congo
A 'conga' is a Latin American dance performed in a single file line, whereas 'Congo' refers to the African river and the countries named after it.