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ArchivesZaire is the old name of DR of Congo...
in reply to a message by Diva
...and it comes from the word "zaire" which is the Portugese variant of the Bantu "nzari" = river. Zaire is how the European explorers named the African river Congo when they first saw it.
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Correction
The European explorers thought the river Congo was named Zaire, they did not name it. It was only later that they learned that "nzari" was the actual word for "river" and the name of that particular "nzari" was Congo.
Also DR = democratic republic (although my limited experience shows that when a country puts Democratic in its name, one has to be suspicious)
For more African Geographic Names:
http://kalamumagazine.com/african_country_name_origin.htm
The European explorers thought the river Congo was named Zaire, they did not name it. It was only later that they learned that "nzari" was the actual word for "river" and the name of that particular "nzari" was Congo.
Also DR = democratic republic (although my limited experience shows that when a country puts Democratic in its name, one has to be suspicious)
For more African Geographic Names:
http://kalamumagazine.com/african_country_name_origin.htm
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