Democratic Republic of the Congo Through History: Who Ruled Its Lands
The land of today's Democratic Republic of the Congo appears on 39 historical border maps from 500 BC to today. Over that time it was held, in whole or in part, by 14 different states, among them Zaire, Belgian Congo, Zaire (Belgium), Lunda, Congo.
Democratic Republic of the CongoExplore the history of Democratic Republic of the Congo in the interactive map
Compare 1000 with today · Democratic Republic of the Congo as a state on the map
Who ruled the land of Democratic Republic of the Congo, map by map
Share of sample points inside today's borders held by each state on each map. Areas with no organised state on the map are left out.
| Map | Main states on this land |
|---|---|
| 1492 | Congo 2% |
| 1500 | Congo 2% |
| 1600 | Lunda 13% · Congo 2% · Luba 2% |
| 1650 | Lunda 13% · Congo 2% · Luba 2% |
| 1700 | Lunda 13% · Congo 2% · Luba 2% |
| 1783 | Lunda 13% · Lozi 10% · Congo 2% |
| 1800 | Lunda 13% · Lozi 10% · Congo 2% |
| 1815 | Lunda 6% · Congo 2% |
| 1880 | Teke 6% · Yaka 6% · Kuba 6% |
| 1900 | Teke 6% · Yaka 6% · Kuba 6% |
| 1914 | Belgian Congo 98% · French West Africa 2% |
| 1920 | Zaire (Belgium) 98% · French Equatorial Africa 2% |
| 1930 | Zaire (Belgium) 98% · French Equatorial Africa 2% |
| 1938 | Belgian Congo 100% |
| 1945 | Zaire 100% |
| 1960 | Zaire 100% |
| 1994 | Zaire 100% |
| 2010 | Zaire 100% |
Historic cities in Democratic Republic of the Congo
Questions
Which empires and states ruled the territory of Democratic Republic of the Congo?
On the border maps from 500 BC to today, the largest shares of the territory of modern Democratic Republic of the Congo belonged to Zaire, Belgian Congo, Zaire (Belgium), Lunda, Congo, Lozi, along with 8 other states.
What was Democratic Republic of the Congo part of in 1500?
On the border map for 1500, most of the territory of today's Democratic Republic of the Congo lay within Congo.
What was Democratic Republic of the Congo part of in 1900?
On the border map for 1900, most of the territory of today's Democratic Republic of the Congo lay within Teke.
Further reading
- History of Democratic Republic of the Congo in Encyclopaedia Britannica
- History of Democratic Republic of the Congo on Wikipedia
Last updated 9 November 2026. Sources: border data from historical-basemaps, land and rivers from Natural Earth; texts written for Chronica Maps from standard reference works. How we make the maps.