[1] Between November 1874 and 12 August 1877, Henry Morton Stanley made his first trans-Africa exploration, crossing the African continent from Zanzibar to Banana.

[5] The extent of Banana District was defined on 7 January 1886 as being from the ocean up the north coast of the river to and including Ponta da Lenha.

[6] On 19 January 1886, Leopold issued a decree to protect the shore at Banana from erosion, forbidding any work that would tend to damage the banks such as removing sand, earth or stones, or digging holes.

[9] The Congo Free State founded a naval training school at Banana, and the Boma Red Cross built a sanitarium where sick colonists could recover their health beside the sea.

In 1910, the western districts of Banana, Boma, Matadi and Cataracts were consolidated into one administrative unit, Bas-Congo (Lower Congo).