Abstract A wide variety of proxies has been applied to study the terrestrial input in the Congo deep-sea fan area, the composition of its overlying waters, and the land–ocean interactions of the past 1 to 2 million years. These proxies include stable isotopes of foraminifers, total organic carbon (TOC), alkenone-derived sea-surface temperatures (SST), biomarker content and compound-specific stable isotopes, element composition, clay minerals, pollen and spores, dinoflagellate cysts, diatom valves, and opal. Not only the sedimentation in the deep-sea fan but also the productivity of the overlying waters is strongly influenced by the Congo River discharge and its fluctuations depending on the strength of the monsoon. SST and marine productivity are further affected by wind- and river-induced upwelling. A direct relation between SST, precipitation in the Congo Basin, vegetation cover, chemical weathering, and runoff could be established for the past 200 thousand years. Increase of mean global ice volume between 1000 and 500 ka suppressed the precession forcing of trade-wind zonality and monsoonal river runoff, leading to a higher production of nonsilica marine organisms compared to diatoms, and increased eolian transport of terrigenous material.