Congo, officially the Republic of the Congo (French: République du Congo), sometimes known as Congo-Brazzaville, is a country located in Central Africa. It is bordered by Gabon, Cameroun, the Central African Republic, Zaire and the Angolan exclave of Cabinda.
The region was dominated by Bantu-speaking tribes, who built trade links leading into the Congo River basin. Congo-Brazzaville was formerly part of the French colony of Equatorial Africa. Upon independence in 1960, the former colony of French Congo became the Republic of the Congo. Multi-party elections have been held since 1992, although a democratically elected government was ousted in the 1997 Congo Civil War.