A republic in central Africa, south of the CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC and north of ANGOLA and ZAMBIA. Its name changes bespeak its history: 1885-1908 Congo Free State, 1908-60 Belgian Congo, 1960-71 Democratic Republic of the Congo, 1971-97 Zaire. It changed its name back to Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1997. The name Zaire is an alternate name for the Congo River from nzai, a Kikongo dialect form of nazdi, river. (From Room, Brewer's Dictionary of Names, 1992, p608).
