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
Keelay and Zaire such as Supastition, Khizman and Tiffany Paige, and will release their debut LP 'Ridin' High' on February 24, 2009. In recent years Keelay and Zaire have been pursuing their music careers separately. In 2012 Zaire released his first solo album, titled “Warrior King”. The album was followed by albums "New World" and "May Flower". Zaire's latest album, "Royal Blue Dream" was released on May 1, 2015. Zaire is also CEO of his own Philadelphia-based record label called Foreva Young. Keelay and Zaire Kyle "Keelay" Pierce (born December 5, 1980) and Tim "Zaire" Lewis (born March 1, 1980), better known as