Congo Free State

E102002
colonial state former sovereign state historical polity

The Congo Free State was a vast Central African territory privately controlled by Belgium’s King Leopold II in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, notorious for extreme exploitation and atrocities during European colonial expansion.

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All labels observed (7)

Label Occurrences
Congo Free State canonical 14
Belgian Congo 5
Congo Free State (fictionalized setting) 1

Statements (52)

Predicate Object
instanceOf colonial state ⓘ
former sovereign state ⓘ
historical polity ⓘ
administrativeSystem concessionary companies ⓘ
borderedBy Angola ⓘ
French Equatorial Africa ⓘ
surface form: French Congo

German East Africa ⓘ
Cabinda ⓘ
surface form: Portuguese Congo
capital Boma ⓘ
colonialPower Belgium ⓘ
continent Africa ⓘ
critic E. D. Morel ⓘ
Joseph Conrad ⓘ
Mark Twain ⓘ
Roger Casement ⓘ
currency Congolese franc ⓘ
deFactoController Leopold II of Belgium ⓘ
economicSystem extractive colonial economy ⓘ
endDate 1908-11-15 ⓘ
exploitedResource ivory ⓘ
minerals ⓘ
rubber ⓘ
flag blue flag with a single gold star ⓘ
followedBy Congo Free State self-linksurface differs ⓘ
surface form: Belgian Congo
founder Leopold II of Belgium ⓘ
governmentType absolute monarchy ⓘ
headOfState Leopold II of Belgium ⓘ
humanRightsClassification case of colonial genocide in some scholarly interpretations ⓘ
inspiredWork Heart of Darkness ⓘ
knownFor amputation punishments ⓘ
mass atrocities ⓘ
population decline due to exploitation, disease, and violence ⓘ
severe human rights abuses ⓘ
systematic forced labor ⓘ
largestCity Kinshasa ⓘ
surface form: Léopoldville
legalBasis Berlin Conference ⓘ
surface form: General Act of the Berlin Conference
locatedIn Central Africa ⓘ
modernTerritoryIncludes Democratic Republic of the Congo ⓘ
monarch Leopold II of Belgium ⓘ
notableEvent Congo Arab War ⓘ
international humanitarian campaign against atrocities ⓘ
officialLanguage Dutch ⓘ
French ⓘ
officialName Congo Free State self-linksurface differs ⓘ
surface form: État indépendant du Congo
policingForce Force Publique ⓘ
populationEstimateLoss millions of people ⓘ
precededBy Congo Free State self-linksurface differs ⓘ
surface form: International Association of the Congo
reasonForEnd annexation by Belgium after international scandal over abuses ⓘ
recognizedBy Berlin Conference ⓘ
religionPolicy supported Christian missionary activity ⓘ
sovereigntyType personal union under Leopold II ⓘ
startDate 1885-07-01 ⓘ

Referenced by (24)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Scramble for Africa → involves → Congo Free State ⓘ
Order of Leopold II → originalAssociation → Congo Free State ⓘ
Order of Leopold II → historicalLink → Congo Free State ⓘ
this entity surface form: Congo Free State administration
Leopold II of Belgium → founded → Congo Free State ⓘ
Leopold II of Belgium → startOfAuthorityOver → Congo Free State ⓘ
Leopold II of Belgium → endOfAuthorityOver → Congo Free State ⓘ
Allied forces → includedCountry → Congo Free State ⓘ
this entity surface form: Belgian Congo
Walloon diaspora → hasDestinationCountry → Congo Free State ⓘ
Ubangi-Shari territory → borderedBy → Congo Free State ⓘ
subject surface form: Ubangi-Shari
this entity surface form: Belgian Congo
French Ubangi-Shari → borderedBy → Congo Free State ⓘ
this entity surface form: Belgian Congo
AEF → borderedBy → Congo Free State ⓘ
this entity surface form: Belgian Congo
Congo Free State → officialName → Congo Free State self-linksurface differs ⓘ
this entity surface form: État indépendant du Congo
Congo Free State → precededBy → Congo Free State self-linksurface differs ⓘ
this entity surface form: International Association of the Congo
Congo Free State → followedBy → Congo Free State self-linksurface differs ⓘ
this entity surface form: Belgian Congo
Heart of Darkness → setting → Congo Free State ⓘ
The Legend of Tarzan → setting → Congo Free State ⓘ
Sovereign of the Congo Free State → country → Congo Free State ⓘ
Sovereign of the Congo Free State → appliesToJurisdiction → Congo Free State ⓘ
Leopold Louis Philippe Marie Victor → founded → Congo Free State ⓘ
Leopold Louis Philippe Marie Victor → associatedWith → Congo Free State ⓘ
Leopold Philippe Charles Albert Meinrad Hubertus Marie Miguel → visited → Congo Free State ⓘ
this entity surface form: Congo Free State territories (later Belgian Congo)
Bobangi → historicalRegion → Congo Free State ⓘ
Northern Rhodesia → borderedBy → Congo Free State ⓘ
Chief Mbonga in The Legend of Tarzan → countryOfResidence → Congo Free State ⓘ
subject surface form: Chief Mbonga
this entity surface form: Congo Free State (fictionalized setting)