Pumbo

Pumbo was a name for the broad pool where the Congo River spreads out before descending through the rapids of its lower course. The waters above the rapids linked communities far into the interior, while the difficult descent made the pool an important point of exchange. Teke and Bobangi merchants carried goods along the river and dealt with intermediaries who connected the pool to the Atlantic coast. Ivory and other products passed through these networks, as did people taken captive for the slave trade.

The later city of Kinshasa lies here.