International Association of the Congo

The International Association of the Congo was a corporation established in 1879 by explorer Henry Morton Stanley, aiming to promote trade, exploration, and Christian missions in Central Africa. It was backed by European investors and claimed territory in the Congo basin, operating under a private charter. The association played a key role in the foundation of the Congo Free State, which later became the personal colony of King Leopold II of Belgium. Its activities significantly impacted the region’s political and economic development, and it marked an early example of European commercial interests shaping African colonization.