Kingdom of Kongo

The Kingdom of Kongo was a kingdom located in central Africa in northern Angola, the western part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo, and the southern part of Gabon. At its greatest size it reached from the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Kwango River to the east, the Congo River to the north, and the Kwanza River to the south. The kingdom was made up of many provinces ruled by the Manikongo, the Portuguese version of the Kongo title Mwene Kongo, meaning "lord or ruler of the Kongo kingdom", but its sphere of influence reached to neighbouring kingdoms, like Ngoyo, Kakongo, Loango, Ndongo, and Matamba, the latter two located in Angola.

Kingdom of Kongo Wene wa Kongo or Kongo dya Ntotila Reino do Congo
1390[1]–1914[2]
Flag (c. 17th century) Coat of arms (c. 1528–1541)
The "Kingdom of Congo" (now usually rendered as "Kingdom of Kongo" to maintain distinction from the present-day Congo nations)
Status	Sovereign kingdom (1390–1857) Vassal of the Kingdom of Portugal (1857–1910) Subject of the First Portuguese Republic (1910–1914)
Capital	Mbanza-Kongo (São Salvador), Angola[3]
Common languages	Kikongo, Portuguese
Religion	Bukongo Roman Catholicism Antonianism (1704–1708)
Government	Monarchy
King
• c. 1390–1420 (first)	Lukeni lua Nimi
• 1911–1914 (last)	Manuel III of Kongo
Legislature	Ne Mbanda-Mbanda
History
• Conquest of Kabunga	1390[1]
• Battle of Mbumbi	1622
• Battle of Mbanda Kasi	1623
• Battle of Mbwila	29 October 1665
• Kongo Civil War	1665–1709
• Reunification	February 1709
• Vassalage	1857
• Berlin Conference	1884–1885
• Abolishment[4]	1914[5]
Area
c. 1650	129,400 km2 (50,000 sq mi)
Population
• c. 1650	appx 500,000
Currency	Nzimbu shells and Lubongo (Libongo, Mbongo), Mpusu cloth
Preceded by Succeeded by Mpemba Kasi Mbata Kingdom International Congo Association Portuguese West Africa French Congo
Today part of	Angola Democratic Republic of the Congo Republic of the Congo Gabon