This map plots the settings and references in The Poisonwood Bible
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The Congo River - Credit:
Julien Harneis
The Congo - Credit:
Julien Harneis
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is located in central Africa. It is sub-Saharan, with the highest frequency of thunderstorms in the world and the second largest rainforest in the world.
The Congo’s geography varies greatly by region. The Congo River provides transportation and commerce to large parts of otherwise inaccessible country.
Much of the Congo region was privately colonised in 1885 by Leopold II, King of Belgium. It later became a formal colony of the Belgian state. The Belgian Congo gained its independence in 1960, when Patrice Lumumba was elected Prime Minister. Power was quickly seized by Joseph Mobutu, who in 1971 renamed the country Zaire. It was only renamed the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) after his forced departure in 1997.
Kinshasa/Leopoldville - Credit:
Irene2005, Flickr
The old Belgian Congo capital of Leopoldville, founded in 1881 as a trading post by Henry Stanley, was renamed Kinshasa after independence. It lies on the Congo river, directly opposite Brazzaville, the capital of the old French Congo, now the Republic of the Congo.
Kinshasa has some 10 million inhabitants, making it the third largest city in Africa. At the time of the Prices' arrival, however, it was barely more than a large town. By 2020, it is expected to be the biggest French-speaking city in the world.
Kinshasa was made famous in 1974 when it hosted the "Rumble in the Jungle" boxing match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman.
Bethlehem is located in Barrow County; it is an incorporated town located on Georgia State Highway 11.
Historians believe that the town recieved its name from the Bethlehem Methodist Church estalished in 1796. The street names all derive from the story of the birth of Christ.
This is the home town of the Price family.
The official homepage of Bethlehem, "The Little Town Under the Star".
Bethlehem was the city where Jesus was born.
Jesus and the Price family had similar missions when they left their respective Bethlehems: to spread their "truth" to the world.