Zaire

Zaire was a state in Congo Basin and Katanga (Central and Southern Africa) that lasted from 1971 to 1997 CE, about 26 years. Its people spoke Bantu languages (Kongo, Shona, Zulu, Swahili, Luba, Ganda).

Mobutu Sese Seko renamed the country Zaire and ran a personal kleptocracy backed by the West during the Cold War. Rwandan and Ugandan-backed rebels under Laurent-Désiré Kabila drove him out in 1997.

See Zaire on the interactive timeline

Facts

Dates

1971 to 1997 CE

Duration

26 years

Type

State

Region

Congo Basin and Katanga, Central and Southern Africa

Language family

Bantu

Capital

Kinshasa

Came from

• Congo (Léopoldville) 1960 to 1971 CE

Became

• Democratic Republic of the Congo 1997 CE to the present

Events in Central and Southern Africa during its time

• 1994 Rwandan genocide
• 1994 Mandela elected president

Neighbours in Central and Southern Africa

• Republic of South Africa (apartheid era) 1961 to 1994 CE
• South Africa 1994 CE to the present
• Portuguese Mozambique 1505 to 1975 CE
• Portuguese Angola 1575 to 1975 CE
• Madagascar 1960 CE to the present
• Tanzania 1961 CE to the present
• Uganda 1962 CE to the present
• Rwanda 1962 CE to the present
• Kenya 1963 CE to the present
• Angola 1975 CE to the present

Elsewhere in the world at the same time

• Ethiopian Empire (Solomonic dynasty) 1270 to 1974 CE, North and West Africa
• Portuguese Empire 1415 to 1999 CE, Europe
• United States 1776 CE to the present, North America
• United Kingdom 1801 CE to the present, Europe
• Haiti 1804 CE to the present, Mesoamerica and Caribbean
• Commonwealth of Australia 1901 CE to the present, Oceania
• Indonesia 1945 CE to the present, Southeast Asia
• Republic of India 1947 CE to the present, South Asia
• People's Republic of China 1949 CE to the present, East Asia
• Soviet Union 1922 to 1991 CE, Europe

Questions