Congo River and "Congo" is the preferred English name in 19th-century literature, although references to "Zahir" or "Zaire" as the name used by the inhabitants remained common. The Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo are named after it, as was the previous Republic of the Congo which had gained independence in 1960 from the Belgian Congo. The Republic of Zaire during 1971–1997 was also named after the river, after its name in French and Portuguese. The Congo's drainage basin covers , an area larger than India. The Congo's discharge at its mouth ranges from , with an
Zaire Franklin September 9, 2018 against the Cincinnati Bengals, recording one tackle on special teams. He made his first career start at linebacker on September 23 against the Philadelphia Eagles, notching one tackle on defense and another on special teams. Zaire Franklin Zaire Franklin (born July 2, 1996) is an American football linebacker for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Syracuse. While at Syracause, Fanklin recorded 311 career tackles over the course of 48 total games, starting the final 39 of his career. Franklin was a two-time All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection. Additionally, he was