What is the capital of Congo?
Brazzaville sits on the north bank of the Congo River at Pool Malebo, directly opposite Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Brazzaville is the capital and seat of government of Congo, a role it has held since 1904. Congo itself has an estimated population of 6,484,437 (2025).
Brazzaville is also the largest city in Congo, which is the usual arrangement, though it is far from universal: see the countries where capital and largest city differ.
Brazzaville at a glance
| City population | 2,138,236 (2023 census) |
|---|---|
| Country | 🇨🇬 Congo |
| Founded | 1880 |
| Capital since | 1904 |
| Largest city in Congo | Brazzaville |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (WAT) |
| Currency | Central African CFA franc (XAF) |
About Brazzaville
The settlement was officially founded on 10 September 1880 by the explorer Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza, after whom it is named.
Brazzaville has been the capital of Congo since 1904, Brazzaville became the capital of the French Congo in 1904, later served as the capital of French Equatorial Africa and even as the capital of Free France from 1940 to 1943, and has remained the national capital since independence.
Brazzaville and Kinshasa form the only place in the world where two national capitals developed on opposite banks of a river, within sight of each other.
The city was named a UNESCO City of Music in 2013.
City facts sourced from Wikipedia: Brazzaville.
Frequently asked questions
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Capitals of neighbouring countries
See the full profile of Congo on its country page, or browse every capital city.
Capital and country data from open datasets; city and metropolitan populations are hand-curated per city and cited where they are shown. Populations of countries come from the World Bank (SP.POP.TOTL). Full sources and vintage on the data page. Last updated . Report a correction.