- Remy Baudouin: "An expedition across the Congo?"
- Indiana Jones: "Just think of it as a little hike."
- ―Remy Baudouin and Indiana Jones[src]
The Congo is a large region of western central Africa that is part of the Congo River watershed, known for its rain forests. The Congo rain forest is the second-largest rain forest, after the Amazon, and the river's watershed is also the second-largest in the world.
In the late eighteenth century, the land was divided up by the European colonial powers. The French established the colony of French Congo, claiming the land north and west of the Congo River. French Congo later became one of the territories of French Equatorial Africa. Further north, along the Ubangi tributary, they established the colony of Oubangi-Chari, which was also made part of French Equatorial Africa. The Belgian king, Leopold II claimed the land south and east of the Congo River, and owned it as the sole stakeholder as the Congo Free State, until 1908, when international pressure over atrocities in the land forced Leopold II to make it a Belgian colony, the Belgian Congo. These colonial lands did not become independent nations until the 1960s.
Joseph Conrad journeyed to the Congo in 1889, and became a captain of a steamboat. Many of his experiences in the Congo were reflected in his story Heart of Darkness.
Behind the scenes[]
While the episode "Congo, January 1917" contains Congo in the title, nearly all of the story takes place within the Ogooué River basin of Gabon, which, though similar to the terrain of the Congo, is not actually in the Congo.
Appearances[]
- The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles – "German East Africa, December 1916" → Oganga, The Giver and Taker of Life
- The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Special Delivery
- Vienna, November 1908 / March 1917 (Mentioned only)
- Vienna, March 1917 (Mentioned only)
- Revolution! (Mentioned only)
- Indiana Jones and the Mask of the Elephant
- Indiana Jones and the Army of the Dead (Mentioned only)
Sources[]
- Crystal Death (TSR)
- Indiana Jones Magic & Mysticism: The Dark Continent
Chapter 11: Oganga, The Giver and Taker of Life on IndianaJones.com (backup link on Archive.org)- Congo - A Curse of Riches (Non-fiction source)
- Indiana Jones: The Ultimate Guide
The Real Indiana Jones: Fear & Humility on Lucasfilm.com (backup link on Archive.org)
External links[]
Congo on Wikipedia
Congo River on Wikipedia