Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of Congo, on the north bank of the Congo River (formerly Zaire) below Stanley Pool, just above Kinshasa. Brazzaville has 1 611 000 residents (UNdata 2011) and is the country’s administrative and cultural center. The city has several universities and colleges, regional headquarters of the World Health Organization (WHO). Catholic Archdiocese. End point of rail to Pointe-Noire on the coast. River port with significant transit trade to and from the other Central African countries. Textile and metal industry. International Airport (Maya Maya).
Brazzaville, founded by Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza in 1883, became the capital of the French Congo, from 1934 throughout French Equatorial Africa. In 1936, Brazzaville had only 24,400 residents, but the city progressed greatly in importance and population during the Second World War, when Brazzaville was the headquarters of the Free French forces.
