palm oil and rubber. During the months of January, February and March 1890, 25 ocean-going vessels arrived at Banana and 30 departed, compared to 8 arrivals and 10 departures for Boma. Later, the government marked the channels with buoys up to Boma and Matadi, and built lighthouses. The Congo Free State founded a naval training school at Banana, and the Boma Red Cross built a sanitarium where sick colonists could recover their health beside the sea. By 1898, the district of Banana had a total of 95 Europeans in 25 houses. The Congo Free State was annexed by Belgium in 1908 as the Belgian Congo. In 1910 the western districts of Banana, Boma, Matadi and Cataracts were consolidated into one administrative unit, Bas-Congo (Lower Congo). Gallery See also Districts of the Congo Free State Districts of the Belgian Congo References Sources / http://www.kaowarsom.be/en/online_maps Districts of the Congo Free State Districts of the Belgian Congo