History of Brazzaville
Brazzaville is the capital and largest city of the Republic of the Congo and is located on the Congo River 4°16′S 15°17′E. According to the 2005 census, it has a population of 1,174,000. With over a third of the population of the Republic of Congo living in the capital, the city is 506 km inland from the Atlantic Ocean and south of the equator. It is a commune that is separated from the other regions of the republic and is surrounded by the Pool Region.
Founded on September 10, 1880 on the site of a village, the city was named Nkuna by an Italian explorer, Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza. The city was later named after him. The local leader, Makoko of the Téké signed a treaty of protection with de Brazza which subjugated his lands to the French Empire. After four years, the city was built in order to become a competitor with Léopoldville (now Kinshasa).
The French took control of the area during the Berlin Congress of 1884. The city was the capital of French Equatorial Africa - a federation of Gabon, the Central African Republic and Chad- from 1910 to 1958 and the center of Free French forces in Africa during World War II.
The city was divided into European (the center of the city) and African sections - Poto-Poto, Bacongo, and Makélékélé - until 1960s. In 1980, it became a "commune" separated from the Pool Region and divided into seven "arrondissements", that is, Makélékélé, Bacongo, Poto-Poto, Moungali, Ouenzé, Talangaï and Mfilou.
It has been a stage for regional conflicts, including conflicts between rebel and government forces and between forces of the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Angola.
Brazzaville has several industries which include beverage processing, tanning, and the manufacture of construction material, matches, and textiles. The city has a port on the Congo River where it receives wood, rubber, agricultural products, and other items and sends them by railroad to Pointe-Noire.
The city hosts Maya-Maya Airport and a railway station on the Congo-Ocean Railway. Notable buildings in the city are St Anne's Basilica, built in 1949 by Roger Erell, and known for its green tiled roof. Other buildings are the ELF Tower and the Congressional Palace. The city has several other features such as the Marien Nguouabi Museum, Brazzaville Zoo and the Poto-Poto Art School. It also has a national university.
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