The African Colony that Inspired 'Heart of Darkness'

Belgian Congo was a colony of Belgium from 1908 until 1960. Prior to that, the region had been the Congo Free State (created in 1885), which was effectively a private enterprise of King Leopold II. Often referred to as Belgian Congo even before 1908, Leopold never visited his colony but allowed unspeakable horrors to be carried out there to squeeze the maximum profit from plantations and mines. The 20th century saw some of the more inhumane practices abolished, but the region remained one of the most divided and exploited in Africa. In 1960, the colony gained independence and was renamed the Democratic Republic of Congo (but known as Zaire between 1965 and 1997).