The Congo Free State was a colonial state founded in 1885 on the river Congo, in Central South Africa, stretching by a kind of narrow neck of territory to the river's mouth, but expanding inland so as to cover an immense area, mainly lying south of the river. The obvious advantages of the Congo as a waterway in opening up the continent led to the formation at Brussels in 1878 of a Comite d'Etudes du Haut Congo, under the patronage of Leopold II, having as its aim the internationalization and development of the Congo area. Under its auspicesHenry Stanley returned in 1879 to open up the river and form a free state under European auspices. He established a first station at Vivi, the limit of maritime navigation, 110 miles above the mouth of the river, constructed roads past the Yellala and Livingstone cataracts, and hauled steamers up to the higher reaches of the Congo, where in 1882 the station of Leopoldville was formed on Stanley Pool.
Of the 223 miles between Vivi and Leopoldville only 88 are navigable water; but from the latter station to Stanley Falls the Congo itself is continuously navigable for 1000 miles, to which its great affluents already explored add no fewer than 5000 miles of serviceable water-way. Above the Stanley Falls station the river is again navigable for a distance of 385 miles to Nyangwe. The work having been initiated by Henry Stanley, King Leopold's association in 1884-85 entered into treaties with all the European powers and the United States for the recognition of its sovereign power. The boundaries of the new Congo Free State were practically settled at the same time, and it was agreed that the basin of the Congo and its tributaries should be free to all nations, that no duties should be levied on imports (this was subsequently altered), and that the slave-trade should be suppressed. The central government was at Brussels. Serious charges of Belgian cruelties and misgovernment were made and denied towards the end of the 19th century. In Africa there was a governor-general with many officials, and an armed force. A number of stations were formed on the river, the chief being Boma, the capital, 70 miles from the mouth. There were many missionaries at work. The exports were rubber, palm-oil and kernels, ivory, copal, ground-nuts, wax, etc. From Matadi, opposite Vivi, a railway was laid to Stanley Pool, and many steamers were placed on the river. By 1906 the state was practically a Belgian colony, and in 1908 it became an official Belgian colony before becoming independent as the Republic ogf the Congo in 1960, and currently the Democratic Republic of The Congo. Research Congo Free State
Abbreviations
Research Congo Free State
