It was formally in occupation in West Germany and Japan, and it was the de facto power in a variety of places from Dutch Indonesia to the Belgian Congo, from most of Latin America to much of Indochina.

ECONOMIST: America and empire

Deep in the jungle of the Congo River basin, far from the eyes of most of the world, a largely forgotten African war is being fought.

BBC: Congo Brazzaville's hidden war

Most of the refugees have gone to the north of the Democratic Republic of Congo, others to Chad and Cameroon.

BBC: Central Africa Republic crisis: Refugee numbers 'swell'

Similarly, governance has deteriorated, usually substantially, in most of the poorest-performing countries, although both the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Sudan have made some headway.

ECONOMIST: Is Africa recovering?

It spent most of its first 50 years operating in the waters of the Ruki River in the northern Democratic Republic of Congo where she was used to transport a mixture of hunters, mercenaries and cargo.

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For most Congo-based musicians, singing the praises of politicians is now the most lucrative source of cash.

ECONOMIST: Congolese music

Congo has one of Africa's most developed pop music industries.

NPR: 'Congotronics' Electrifies Traditional African Music

Similarly, most Belgians were convinced that Belgium was in Congo for the sole purpose of educating and uplifting the benighted natives.

ECONOMIST: Responding to Hamas

But now most of the attacks have shifted from the border with Tanzania to the border with Congo.

ECONOMIST: Burundi: Murder and manhunts | The

Unidentified Man: One of America's most popular emissaries gets a warm reception as he arrives in the troubled Congo on a State Department sponsored goodwill mission.

NPR: Hip Hop Takes on Diplomatic Role with State Department