Europe & colonial empiresEuropeAfrica

Belgian colonial empire

1908 – 1962 CE · about 54 years

The Belgian state took over the Congo in 1908 from King Leopold II, whose private Congo Free State was notorious for atrocities. Belgium also administered Ruanda-Urundi. The Congo became independent in 1960, and Rwanda and Burundi in 1962.

Key facts

Dates	1908 – 1962 CE
Region	Europe & colonial empires
Continent	Europe, Africa
Capital	Brussels
Religion(s)	Catholic Christianity
Peak extent	≈ 2.47 million km² (c. 1939 CE) – source

Before & after

Preceded by

Kingdom of Rwanda Luba Empire Lunda Empire

Sources

Wikipedia – Belgian colonial empire
Wikipedia – List of largest empires

Dates follow widely used reference works; many ancient dates are approximate or debated. Neutral summary for general reference.