Brazzaville

Founded by Italo-French explorer Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza in 1880 on the Stanley Pool area of the Congo River, Brazza has always been the junior economic partner to Kinshasa (the DRC's capital) which faces it across the immense river. Brazzaville is by far the more laid-back – and safer – town, though it can also feel like a bit of a backwater by comparison.