British explorer Henry Morton Stanley arrived here on 9 August 1877, after crossing Africa from east to west.

[4] In 1884 the people of Boma were forced to grant a protectorate of their country to the International Association of the Congo, made up of European powers.

[5] In 1886 King Leopold of Belgium established the Congo Free State, designating Boma as its capital.

He ran the state as his personal fiefdom for several years, nearly enslaving many Congolese with a private military, and abusing them to force rubber production.

The great width and depth of the river allow seagoing ships to reach Boma, which is the second-largest port of DR Congo, after Matadi.