Congo lies between Gabon and Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire) and forms part of the West Central African Region. The capital city is Brazzaville. Other major towns are Loubomo and the port of Pointe-Noire. Congo gained its independence from the French in 1960. Then followed years of political turmoil. Second longest river in Africa (4 374 m long) and one of the longest in the world, the Congo River can be divided into three main regions: the upper Congo, the middle Congo, and the lower Congo. The upper Congo has many tributaries, lakes, waterfalls, and rapids. The middle Congo has seven cataracts known collectively as Boyoma (Stanley) Falls, below which the river becomes navigable. The lower Congo begins where the river divides in two and forms the vast Malebo (Stanley) Pool. The capitals of the Republic of the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Brazzaville and Kinshasa, respectively, face each other on opposite sides of Malebo (Stanley) pool.