Congo, Republic of

The Republic of Congo, also known as Congo-Brazzaville, located on the equator in West-Central Africa, is a narrow, 800-mile-long strip of heavily forested territory extending inland from the Atlantic along the Congo and Ubangi rivers. It is bordered on the west by Gabon, on the north by Cameroon and the Central African Republic, and on the east and south by the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The members of the country’s multitribal society belong mainly to the Bakongo, Matéké, Mbochi, and Vili tribal groups and include Bambenga peoples, who are thought to be among the first inhabitants of the area.