Republic of the Congo

Brazzaville is the capital of the Republic of the Congo, located on the north bank of the Congo River. Directly across the river is Kinshasa—but that’s the capital of the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo. Libreville belongs to Gabon, and Bujumbura was the former capital of Burundi (now Gitega). Founded in 1880 by explorer Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza, Brazzaville and Kinshasa form the world’s closest pair of national capitals. Memory tip: Congo-Brazzaville takes Brazzaville (B goes with B), while Congo-Kinshasa (the DRC) takes Kinshasa (K goes with K).