Government of the Congo

The Belgian Congo is a colony, which means it does not have its own government, but is ruled by the country to whom it belongs. The Belgian Congo is ruled by the king of Belgium, who appoints a governor general to represent him in the colony.

The governor general and a group of his advisors carry out the laws. Until almost a hundred years ago, this region was a wild, unknown part of Africa, where no white men lived. When the famous explorer, Henry Stanley, returned from the Congo and King Leopold II of Belgium learned about the great wealth that was there, with his own money he sent Stanley back to start trading stations along the Congo River. In 1885, the territory was made into the Congo Free State, which allowed all nations to trade there. In 1908, it became a colony of Belgium, and was renamed the Belgian Congo. The discovery of uranium, during World War II, started a great rush to this part of Africa. Miners arrived from all over the world. Most of the uranium mined in the Congo is shipped to the United States. Uranium is important in the making of atomic bombs.