The Districts of the Congo Free State were the primary administrative divisions of the Congo Free State from 1885 to 1908. There were various boundary changes in the period before the Congo Free State was annexed by Belgium to become the Belgian Congo. 1886 districts A decree of 3 September 1886 by the administrator general Camille Janssen defined nine districts in the colony, each headed by a district commissioner: Banana Boma Matadi Lukungu Léopoldville Kin-Chassa (Kinshasa?) Bangala Stanley-Falls Lubuku-Kassaï 1888 districts Article 3 of the decree of 16 April 1887 provided for the Congo Free State to be divided into administrative districts headed by district commissioners, assisted by one or more deputies. The decree of 1 August 1888 divided the Congo Free State into eleven districts, of which the first five were in the lower Congo region: District (Capital) Banana (Banana) Boma (Boma) Matadi (Matadi) Cataractes (Lukunga) Stanley Pool (Léopoldville) Kasaï (Luluabourg) Équateur (Coquilhatville) Ubangi-Uélé (Nouvelle Anvers); Aruwimi-Uele (Basoko) Stanley Falls (Stanley Falls) Lualaba (Lusambo) Lualaba District had been formed from the southern part of Stanley Falls District. A 12th district was created, Kwango Central, on 10 June 1890. By 1890 there was a governor general resident in Boma and commissioners in these 12 districts. 1895 districts In 1895 the number of the districts was increased to fifteen. Aruwimi-Uele was split into two districts: Uele (Niangara) and Aruwimi (Basoko). Uele was threatened by the Arabs, and was placed under special administration. The districts were: Banana Boma Matadi Cataractes Stanley Pool Kwango Kasai Lac Léopold II Équateur Bangala Ubangui Uele Aruwimi Stanley Falls Lualaba An 1897 map of the Congo Free State showed it divided into the districts of Banana, Boma, Matadi and Cataractes along the lower Congo River, then the district of Stanley Pool along the east bank of the river to the north. The district of Kwango Orientale was to the southeast of Stanley Pool District, south of a narrow extension along the Kasai River of the Lualaba Kassai District, which covered the Kasai and Sankuru river basins. The Lac Léopold II District was north of the Kasai River and south of Équateur District to the east of the Congo River. North of Équateur the Bangalas District stretched along the northwestern section of the Congo River, and the Ubangi District defined the northeastern border of the colony with the French colonies, which lay across the Ubangi River. Further east