Democratic Republic of the Congo Gallery

Temporary dam construction on River Dangu

Local workers construct a temporary dam on the River Dangu, Belgian Congo (Zaire). The dam was being constructed in order to create a lake to allow the flying boat Corsair to take off. The Imperial Airways flying boat had made an enforced landing in March 1939, and was at first thought to be unrepairable, and the order given for it to be dismantled. A company engineer from Alexandria thought otherwise, and repairs were made and a first dam constructed. The attempt to take off in June 1939 failed and further damage resulted. Following more repaiirs and the construction of a second dam, the second attempt to take off, in January 1940, was a success and the Corsair arrived in England on January 15th 1940. Date: January 1940

© Illustrated London News Ltd/Mary Evans

Tippoo Tibs Grand Canoes on the Congo River, 1888

Engraving showing Tippoo Tib's grand canoes travelling down the Congo River during Sir Henry Morton Stanley's Emin Pasha Relief Expedition, 1888. Emin Pasha (1840-1892), the German doctor, explorer, linguist and Governor of the Egyptian Equatorial Province had retreated to Wadelai, near Lake Albert, with 10, 000 followers during the Mahdi Rising. Cut off from all communication Emin Pasha was considered lost, so the British government sent out a rescue party led by H.M. Stanley (1841-1904). Stanley enlisted the aid of the Tibboo Tib, an Arab-African warrior, adventurer and slaver, as he was one of the most powerful men in the Congo region at that time. Date: 1889

© Illustrated London News Ltd/Mary Evans

Sunset over the Virunga Mountains of the Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda with the rural settlements dotting the landscape

A dramatic sunset with big cumulus storm clouds over the Virunga Mountains of the Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda with rural settlements dotting the lush green landscape. Rwanda or R_publique du Rwanda, is a sovereign state in central and east Africa and one of the smallest countries on the African mainland. Located a few degrees south of the Equator, Rwanda is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Rwanda is in the African Great Lakes region and its geography is dominated by mountains in the west and savanna to the east, with numerous lakes throughout the country. The climate is temperate to subtropical. The economy is based mostly on subsistence agriculture with coffee and tea being the major cash crops for export

© Mitchell Krog