In 1960, the country now known as the Republic of Congo was granted full independence. Abbé Fulbert Youlou, a Catholic priest, was elected President and guided the Congo into a single-party state, in accordance with the trend throughout Africa. Since independence, the country has been been plagued by civil wars and militia conflicts.

The former French colony experienced the first of two destructive bouts of fighting when disputed Parliamentary elections in 1993 led to bloody, ethnically-based fighting between pro-Government forces and the opposition and in 1997, ethnic and political tensions exploded into a full-scale civil war, fuelled in part by the prize of the country's offshore oil wealth, which motivated many of the warlords. By the end of 1999, the rebels had lost all their key positions to the Government forces, who were backed by Angolan troops. Although a peace accord was signed with southern rebels in 2003, remnants of the civil war militias, known as Ninjas, are still active in the southern Pool region.

Such in-fighting and poverty contrast strongly with the Republic of Congo's rich landscape of falls, swamps and rapids, with the northern country distinguished by huge tracts of virgin forest and an abundance of wildlife. The forest is also home to several indigenous tribes who have maintained their traditional way of life. The narrow sandy coastal plain is broken by lagoons, behind which rise the Mayombe Mountains. The capital, Brazzaville, has a host of fascinating sights to see and places to explore, and local musicians enliven the atmosphere at night.

Geography
Congo is situated in Africa, bordered to the north by Cameroon and the Central African Republic, to the south and east by the Democratic Republic of Congo, to the southwest by the Atlantic, and to the west by Gabon. The Cabinda Enclave, belonging to Angola, lies to the southwest, on the Atlantic coast. Vast areas are swamps, grassland or thick forests with rivers being virtually the only means of internal travel. The vast River Congo and its major tributaries form most of the country’s border with the Democratic Republic of Congo, drawing much of its water from the swamplands in the north of the country. The narrow sandy coastal plain is broken by lagoons, behind which rise the Mayombe Mountains. Most of the population lives in the south of the country.