Description

European exploration of sub-Saharan Africa began during the 15th century's Age of Discovery, led by Portugal under Henry the Navigator. Bartolomeu Dias reached the Cape of Good Hope on 12 March 1488, opening the sea route to India, but European exploration of Africa itself remained limited in the 16th and 17th centuries. By the early 19th century, European knowledge of Africa's interior was still scarce, with much of the continent unexplored. Expeditions in the 1830s and 1840s gradually mapped Southern Africa, but the Congo Basin and African Great Lakes remained "blank spots" until the later 19th century. Explorers like John Hanning Speke, Richard Francis Burton, David Livingstone, and Henry Morton Stanley ventured into Africa’s heart, completing its geographical mapping by the 1870s. Subsequent expeditions in the 1880s, such as those by Oskar Lenz, further detailed the continent's geological features.

Obverse

Depicts the official emblem of the Laurent Kabila regime: a gilded snarling lion's head, representing strength and authority, set within a circle. The country’s name is inscribed in French. Above, the bank's legend is displayed, and below it is the date, flanked by three stars on each side.

Kabila’s regime, which began in 1997 after he overthrew Mobutu Sese Seko, was characterized by efforts to rebuild the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire) after decades of dictatorship. His government sought to restore national sovereignty, but faced internal conflict and external pressures, particularly during the Second Congo War.

★ BANQUE CENTRALE ★
REPUBLIQUE DEMOCRATIQUE
★ DU CONGO ★
★ 1999 ★

Reverse

Depicts a portrait of David Livingstone in front of a sailing steamboat at the river with mountains and trees in the background surrounded by the title of the series above and his name below.

David Livingstone (1813–1873) was a Scottish explorer, missionary, and physician renowned for his extensive explorations of Africa during the 19th century. Driven by a passion for spreading Christianity, advancing scientific knowledge, and ending the East African slave trade, he embarked on numerous expeditions across uncharted regions of the continent. Livingstone is best known for being the first European to discover the Victoria Falls, which he named in honor of Queen Victoria. His tireless efforts to map the African interior and advocate against slavery left a lasting legacy, though his expeditions often came with great personal hardship. His famous encounter with journalist Henry Morton Stanley in 1871, marked by Stanley's greeting, "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?" remains one of history’s most iconic moments.

EXPLORERS OF
AFRICA
10
FRANCS
DR DAVID LIVINGSTONE

Edge
Characteristics
Type Commemorative Issue (Non-circulating)
Material Silver
Fineness 0.925
Weight 25.3 g
Diameter 38 mm
Thickness -
Shape round
Alignment Medal

Related coins

Henry Morton Stanley

Explorers of Africa

Silver, 25.3 g, ⌀ 38 mm