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List of renamed places in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Places renamed after independence From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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
More information Current name, Former name in French ...
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
Andoma Liénartville Lienartstad Named in honour of Charles-Victor Liénart, explorer and colonial military officer
Banalia Sainte Élisabeth Sint Elisabeth Named after Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist
BandunduBanningvilleBanningstadNamed in honour of Émile Banning, influential Belgian civil servant and confidant of Leopold II
Bariki Joseph
BotekaFlandriaFlanders, a region in Belgium
BukavuCostermansvilleCostermansstadNamed in honour of Paul Costermans, colonial administrator in the Free State, in 1927
Bunkonde Hemptinne-Saint-Benoît Named in honour of Jean-Félix Hemptinne, a Belgian monk and the Order of Saint Benedict
DjokupundaCharlesvilleCharlesstad
Ebabaka Tursz
Ebonda Alberta Named in honour of King Albert I
Epulu Camp Putnam[a] Named after Patrick Tracy Lowell Putnam, American anthropologist
Gombe (Kinshasa)KalinaNamed in honour of E. Kalina, an Austrian soldier who died in 1883
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
Kanzenze Liège Sacré-Cœur Named after the Belgian city Liège and the Sacred Heart
Kasa-Vubu (Kinshasa)Dendale
Kasese Ferme Cobelkat
Kasongo Saint-Charles
Katana Liège Saint-Lambert Named after the Belgian city Liège and St Lambert of Maastricht
Katofio Auberge
Katubu Salèssiene Named after the Salesian Order
KikwitPoto-Poto[b]
Kindamba Bailleux Named in honour of Hector Bailleux, Belgian businessman
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
KirunguBaudouinvilleBoudewijnstadNamed in honour of Prince Baudouin, nephew (and intended successor) of Leopold II
Kisala-Mbati Salamadie
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 [fr], 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
Lukutola Kivumo Ferme Servranckx
Lusaka Lusaka Saint-Jacques Named after St. James the Great
LokanduRiba-Riba
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
Manzonzi Cipelo
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[c]CocquilhatstadNamed in honour of Camille Coquilhat, colonial administrator and town's founder
Mbanza-NgunguThysvilleThysstadNamed in honour of Albert Thys, Belgian colonist and businessman
Mobayi-MbongoBanzyvilleBanzystad
Mbuji-MayiBakwanga
Mombelaya Saint-Trudon Named after St. Trudo
Muluila Greinerville Greinerstad
Mweke Dethieu
Ngaliema (Kinshasa)StanleyNamed in honour of Henry Morton Stanley, explorer
Nkaw Saint-Camille Named after St. Camillus de Lellis
NsiamfumuVista
NzoroVankerckhovenvilleVankerckhovenstadNamed in honour of Belgian explorer Willem Frans Van Kerckhoven
Sola Bruges Saint-Donat Named after the Belgian city Bruges and St. Donatus of Muenstereifel
Tongelo Tongerlo-Saint-Norbert Named after the Belgian town Tongerlo and St Norbert of Xanten
TshilunduMérode-SalvadorNamed after the House of Mérode
UbunduPonthiervillePonthierstadNamed in honour of Pierre Ponthier [fr], colonial soldier
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Landmarks and geographic terms

Pool Malebo, formerly Stanley Pool
More information Current name, Former name in French ...
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
Pool MaleboStanley PoolNamed in honour of Henry Morton Stanley, explorer
MayombeCrystal
Virunga National ParkParc AlbertAlbert ParkNamed in honour of King Albert I
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See also

Notes

  1. Renamed before the independence
  2. From 1937. Before that, the city was known as Makaku or Makal.
  3. Previously known as "Équateurville"

References

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