Former place names in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Map of the Belgian Congo, 1914

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 languages of Belgium. Many of these place names were chosen after their local geography or named after eponymous colonial figures.

Many were changed under the Authenticité programme launched under the dictatorship of Mobutu Sese Seko in the 1970s. 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

Landmarks and geographic terms

Malebo Pool, formerly Stanley Pool

See also

• Authenticité (Zaire)
• Belgian colonial empire

References

References