The Democratic Republic of the Congo was formerly known as , in chronological order , Congo Free State , Belgian Congo , Republic of the Congo ( Léopoldville ) , Republic of Zaire and Democratic Republic of the Congo .
The Democratic Republic of the Congo was formerly , in chronological order , the Congo Free State , Belgian Congo , Congo-Léopoldville , Congo-Kinshasa , and Zaire ( `` Zaïre '' in French ) .