Democratic Republic of the Congo Genealogy

Africa Democratic Republic of the Congo

Guide to Democratic Republic of the Congo ancestry, family history, and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, parish registers, and military records.

Getting Started with Democratic Republic of the Congo Research
Formerly the Belgian colony of the Belgian Congo, the country's post-independence name was the Republic of the Congo until August 1, 1964, when its name was changed to Democratic Republic of the Congo (to distinguish it from the neighboring Republic of the Congo). On October 27, 1971, then-President Mobutu renamed the country Zaire, from a Portuguese mispronunciation of the Kikongo word nzere or nzadi, which translates to "the river that swallows all rivers." Following the First Congo War which led to the overthrow of Mobutu in 1997, the country was renamed Democratic Republic of the Congo. See https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/cg.html

Jurisdictions
(Your text or images here)

Research Tools

 * AfricaGenWeb for the Democratic Republic of the Congo
 * African and Middle Eastern Reading Room
 * Congo Genealogy


 * (helpful tools and resources, gazetteers)
 * (language dictionary, handwriting guide or tutorial, etc.)

Popular Discussions

 * AFR-CONGO. A mailing list for anyone with a genealogical interest in the Republic of the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. To subscribe send "subscribe" to afr-congo-l-request@rootsweb.com (mail mode) or afr-congo-d-request@rootsweb.com (digest mode).

Did You Know?

 * Congo means hunter.