Republic of Congo

The Republic of the Congo, also known as Congo-Brazzaville (locally, "Congo-Brazza") and Congo, is a former French colony of western-central Africa. Its borders are Gabon, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola and the Gulf of Guinea. Upon independence in 1960, the former French region of Middle Congo became the Republic of the Congo. A quarter century of Marxism was abandoned in 1990 and a democratically elected government installed in 1992. A brief civil war in 1997 restored former Marxist President Denis Sassou-Nguesso. Brazzaville is the capital and largest city of the Republic of the Congo and is located on the Congo River. The city was founded in 1880 on the site of a village named Nkuna by an Italian born French explorer, Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza, after whom the city was named. Country Code: 242