Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture Money Videos
Kuba
Table of Contents
Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Read Next
Olduvai Gorge or Olduwai Gorge, Tanzania, Africa (eastern Serengeti Plain) Where fossil remains of more than 60 hominins provides the most continuous known record of human evolution. Mary Leakey and Louis Leakey made discoveries here. Archaeology
7 Amazing Historical Sites in Africa
Namib desert, Namibia.
8 Amazing Physical Features of Africa
Discover
Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), Italian Renaissance painter from Florence. Engraving by Cosomo Colombini (d. 1812) after a Leonardo self portrait. Ca. 1500.
10 Famous Artworks by Leonardo da Vinci
Vincent Van Gogh, Self Portrait. Oil on canvas, 1887.
Rediscovered Artists: 6 Big Names That Time Almost Forgot
Statue of Nostradamus
Nostradamus and His Prophecies
Groups of depositors in front of the closed American Union Bank, New York City. April 26, 1932. Great Depression run on bank crowd
Causes of the Great Depression
Aphrodite. Greek mythology. Sculpture. Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love and beauty.
12 Greek Gods and Goddesses
Click on image for enlargements of panel sections. The Ghent Altarpiece (open view) by Jan and Hubert van Eyck, 1432, polyptych with 12 panels, oil on panel; in the Cathedral of Saint-Bavon, Ghent, Belg.
The Most Stolen Work of Art
Close up of books. Stack of books, pile of books, literature, reading. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society
12 Novels Considered the “Greatest Book Ever Written”

Kuba

historical kingdom, Africa
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Print
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/place/Kuba-historical-kingdom-Africa
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Written and fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Article History
Quick Facts
Date:
c. 1600 - c. 1910

Kuba, former African kingdom in the interior of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, bounded to the southwest by the Kasai and Lulua rivers and to the north by the Sankuru River, a tributary of the Kasai. Founded about 1600 by migrants from the lower Kasai River, it was actually a federation of smaller, nearly autonomous states such as the Bushongo and the Ngongo.

In the 19th century, rebellions in the east and Lulua invasions in the south weakened Kuba to the point of civil war. About 1910 the colonial regime of the Belgian Congo extended its control over the area and quelled the disorders, strengthening the Kuba kings by excluding lesser officials and rivals.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy McKenna.