congo
... The Babuti were the first known inhabitants of what is now Congo. ... 700s, well-developed civilizations grew up in southeastern Congo. ... In 1482, Portuguese sailors began stopping at the mouth of the Congo River. ... From the early 1500s to the early 1800s, hundreds of thousands of people were enslaved in the Congo area. ... In 1878, King Leopold II of Belgium hired Stanley to set up Belgian outposts along the Congo River. Through skillful diplomacy, Leopold persuaded other European leaders to recognize him as the ruler of what is now Congo.