The region was dominated by Bantu-speaking tribes at least 3,000 years ago, who built trade links leading into the Congo River basin.

From the 13th century the present day territory was dominated by a confederation led by Vungu which included Kakongo and Ngoyo.

[18] Brazzaville's name derives from the colony's founder, Pierre Savorgnan de Brazzà, an Italian nobleman whose title referred to the town of Brazzacco, in the Italian comune of Moruzzo in Friuli Venezia Giulia, whose name derived from the Latin Brattius or Braccius, both meaning literally "arm".

In the east were the Seven Kingdoms of Kongo dia Nlaza, considered to be the oldest and most powerful, which likely included Nsundi, Mbata, Mpangu, and possibly Kundi and Okanga.

[22] Commercial relationships grew between the inland Bantu kingdoms and European merchants who traded in commodities, manufactured goods, and people captured and enslaved in the hinterlands.

[23] The area north of the Congo River came under French sovereignty in 1880 as a result of Pierre de Brazza's treaty with King Makoko[24] of the Bateke.

In 1908, France organized French Equatorial Africa (AEF), comprising the Middle Congo, Gabon, Chad, and Oubangui-Chari (which later became the Central African Republic).

Congo "benefited" from the postwar expansion of colonial administrative and infrastructure spending as a result of its central geographic location within AEF and the federal capital at Brazzaville.

Youlou ruled as the country's first president until labor elements and rival political parties instigated a 3-day uprising that ousted him.

[33][34] Massamba-Débat's regime invited some hundred Cuban army troops into the country to train his party's militia units.

These troops helped his government survive a coup d'état in 1966 led by paratroopers loyal to future President Marien Ngouabi.

[35] An 11-member Military Committee of the Party (CMP) was then named to head an interim government, with Joachim Yhombi-Opango serving as president.

Pascal Lissouba who became Congo's first elected president (1992–1997) during the period of multi-party democracy attempted to implement economic reforms with IMF backing to liberalize the economy.

In June 1996, IMF approved a 3-year SDR69.5m (US$100m) enhanced structural adjustment facility (ESAF) and was on the verge of announcing a renewed annual agreement when civil war broke out in Congo in 1997.

[38] A constitution, agreed upon by referendum in January 2002, granted the president new powers, extended his term to seven years and introduced a new bicameral assembly.

[39] Following the presidential elections, fighting restarted in the Pool region between government forces and rebels led by Pastor Ntumi; a peace treaty to end the conflict was signed in April 2003.

[41] According to the Congolese Observatory of Human Rights, a non-governmental organization, the election was marked by "very low" turnout and "fraud and irregularities".

After violent protests in the capital, Sassou attacked the Pool region where the Ninja rebels of the civil war used to be based, in what was believed to be a distraction.

This led to a revival of the Ninja rebels who launched attacks against the army in April 2016, leading 80,000 people to flee their homes.

The southwest is a coastal plain for which the primary drainage is the Kouilou-Niari River; the interior of the country consists of a central plateau between 2 basins to the south and north.

[47] Since the country is located on the Equator, the climate is more consistent year-round, with the average day temperature a humid 24 °C (75 °F) and nights generally between 16 °C (61 °F) and 21 °C (70 °F).

[54] On 27 March 2015, Sassou Nguesso announced that his government would hold a referendum on changing the country's 2002 constitution to allow him to run for a third consecutive term in office.

[56] The election raised questions and was accompanied by civil unrest and police shootings of protesters;[57] at least 18 people were killed by security forces during opposition rallies leading up to the referendum held in October.

[61][needs update] The economy is a mixture of village agriculture and handicrafts, an industrial sector based mainly on petroleum,[13][62] support services, and a government characterized by budget problems and "overstaffing".

The Congo took a number of measures to liberalize its economy, including reforming the tax, investment, labor, timber, and hydrocarbon codes.

In 2002–03, Congo privatized parastatals, primarily banks, telecommunications, and transportation monopolies, to help improve and unreliable infrastructure.

When Sassou Nguesso returned to power in October 1997, he publicly expressed interest in moving forward on economic reforms and privatization and in renewing cooperation with international financial institutions.

Economic progress was "badly hurt" by slumping oil prices and the resumption of armed conflict in December 1998, which "worsened" the republic's budget deficit.

[citation needed] The administration presides over an "uneasy internal peace" and faces "difficult" economic problems of stimulating recovery and reducing poverty, with record-high oil prices since 2003.

[69] The Congolese government signed an agreement in 2009 to lease 200,000 hectares of land to South African farmers to reduce its dependence on imports.