Downriver the Congo has numerous rapids, known as Livingston Falls, preventing navigation upriver to this point from its mouth at the Atlantic.

[10] In March 2018, the "Brazzaville Declaration" was signed to promote better management and conservation of the Cuvette Centrale, a region in Congo Basin and primarily in DRC.

[11] Brazzaville was founded by the French colonial empire upon an existing indigenous Bateke settlement called Ncuna, during the Scramble for Africa when European nations established spheres of influence on the continent.

[12] The Italian-born explorer Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza,[13] who was granted French citizenship in 1874, officially founded the settlement on 10 September 1880; it commemorates his name.

[3][12] The local King, Makoko of the Téké, signed a treaty of protection with Brazza, which subjugated his lands to the French Empire.

[12] From October 1880 until May 1882, a small squad of troops led by Senegalese Sergeant Malamine Camara occupied the site, in order to prevent the land from falling into Belgian hands.

Their forces were active on the south side of the river, where King Leopold II ruled the Belgian Congo for a period as a private holding.

The first large-scale building work of the city began four years later, as the French competed with Léopoldville (now Kinshasa) which Belgian colonists were developing on the south side of the river.

[14] From 1910 to 1915 the major municipal buildings were constructed, including a courthouse and headquarters for the Banque de l'AEF and Institut Pasteur.

[16] During World War II, Brazzaville and the rest of French Equatorial Africa remained beyond the control of Vichy France, which served the Nazi occupation.

Since the late 20th century, the city has frequently been a staging ground for wars, including internal conflicts between rebel and government forces.

It was connected through trade by ships and boats traveling upriver to inland areas, which produced raw materials from the beginning of the colonial period.

As a key port on the Congo River, Brazzaville still takes deliveries of raw materials, such as rubber, wood, and agricultural products.

[29] Roger Erell, a highly regarded architect, designed a house in the city for Charles de Gaulle when he was the leader of Free France here.

Other buildings include the Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza Mausoleum, the Nabemba Tower, and the Congressional Palace (Brazzaville).

The Marien Ngouabi Mausoleum, Brazzaville Zoo, and the Poto-Poto School of Painting are also destinations for visitors and city residents.

[10] The Congo-Ocean Railway has a station in the city and in 2014 was operating the La Gazelle train service every other day to Pointe-Noire and intermediate destinations.

[34] Taxis are available on every street and are easily recognized, being painted with a green body and white top, and the fare for a short trip is CF700.