Brazzaville

The name Brazzaville honors Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza, the Italian-French explorer who established French colonial control in Central Africa. In 1880, de Brazza signed a treaty with Makoko, the leader of the Téké people, placing the region under French protection. The city was founded shortly after at the site of the Téké village of Mfoa, serving as a strategic French counterpoint to King Leopold II's claims across the river.

Brazzaville eventually became the capital of French Equatorial Africa (AEF), a vast federation covering Gabon, Chad, and the Central African Republic. During World War II, the city gained global significance when General Charles de Gaulle established it as the headquarters for Free France. The 1944 Brazzaville Conference held here marked a pivotal, if conservative, shift in French colonial policy toward post-war reform.

Since independence on August 15, 1960, the city has been the heart of the Republic of the Congo (Congo-Brazzaville). It is defined geographically and culturally by its relationship with the Congo River and its neighbor, Kinshasa, which sits just 4 kilometers away. This proximity makes the two cities the closest capital pair in the world, though they remain distinct in their colonial legacies and political histories.

Today, Brazzaville is known for its relatively calm atmosphere, its vibrant Sapeur fashion culture, and its French-influenced architecture. Despite the controversies surrounding its colonial namesake—whose remains were moved to a grand mausoleum in the city in 2006—Brazzaville remains a symbol of Central African diplomacy and a major urban hub on the banks of the world's deepest river.