Wikijunior:Ancient Civilizations/Kongo

What country did they live in?Edit

The Kongo civilization was located in the modern countries of Central Africa: Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola.


The climate is wet tropical with abundant rainfall and high temperatures (30 °).


The population is 3. 602. 269 inhabitants. Capital of Republic of Congo: Brazzaville. Capital of Democratic Republic of Congo: Kinshasa before known as Zaire.

What did their buildings look like?Edit

They are poor building made up of wood and very small.

What did they eat?Edit

The food of The Congo is principally the products of their environment. Because there is plenty of the vegetation, allows it to be varied and rich, but the basic ingredients are cassava (a tuber rich in starch where the tapioca is obtained and it should be cooked before it's ate because when is freshly collected is poisonous), banana and plantains (for frying) and peanut butter. The favorite drink in the Congo is beer. Pepper and cassava are present in most of the local dishes, like chicken piri piri with pepper. Another typical dish is the chicken mohambe cooked with palm oil. Fish and shellfish are also consumed in the coastal zone.

What do they wear?Edit

In their famous party and dance called the Devil and Congos of Portabello, women and man dress like this:

  • Man's clothing:

The clothes are old and they wear it the other way around, giving a comic effect. The strings and ribbons mean the chains of slavery and their favourite objects are stored in bags. It complements the dress with a conical hat and cane.

  • Women's clothing:

The women wear colorful skirts, has make up and puts some flowers in her hair.

In this ceremony there is also the devil, the angel and the bird.

What did their writing look like?Edit

They speak over 200 languages, French is the official language, but is also spoken by many of its residents and area businesses. They write in Mandombe.

What did they believe?Edit

About 80% of the population is Christian, mainly Catholic (48% of the population), 29% is Protestant, and there are small Jewish and Muslim communities. Most of the rest of the population follows traditional beliefs, such as Kinguismo or Kimbanguism (16.5% of the population), which combines Christianity with traditional elements.

Are some of them famous even today?Edit

People of the Congo aren't very famous but they had some musicians like Papa Wemba, Werrasson, Koffi Olomide, Fally... The singer Kaysha...and other famous people.

What is left of them today?Edit

They left us lots of culture and beautiful nature.