File:Congo_by_Mercator_1623_(3769167).jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
Kongo people
Sign in to saveAlso known as Bakongo, Esikongo, Mwisikngo, Mukongo, Congo, Fjort, Frote, Ikeleve
ethnic group of the Democratic Republic of Congo, also found in Angola and Republic of Congo
Key facts
- Democratic republic of the congo
- 16,957,000
- Angola
- 5,077,000
- Republic of the congo
- 1,324,000 - 2,000,000
- Gabon
- 9,000
- Belgium
- Unknown
- France
- Unknown
- Canada
- 22,000
- Portugal
- Unknown
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Population
- 10220000
Show 1 more fact
- Commons category
- Kongo people
Sources (2)
via Wikidata · CC0
~40 min read
Article
The Kongo people (also Bakongo, singular: Mukongo or M'kongo; Kongo: Bisi Kongo, EsiKongo, singular: Musi Kongo) are a Bantu ethnic group primarily defined as the speakers of Kikongo. Subgroups include the Beembe, Bwende, Vili, Sundi, Yombe, Dondo, Lari, and others.
In the early Medieval Period, the Bakongo people were subjects of the Kingdom of Vungu. After its fall, they lived along the Atlantic coast of Central Africa in multiple kingdoms: Kongo, Loango, and Kakongo. Their highest concentrations are found south of Pointe-Noire in the Republic of the Congo, southwest of Pool Malebo and west of the Kwango River in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, north of Luanda, Angola and southwest Gabon. They are the largest ethnic group in the Republic of the Congo, and one of the major ethnic groups in the other two countries they are found in. In 1975, the Kongo population was reported as 4,040,000.