Chongo lives in Chicago, but he is not a New World Monkey. He's an Old World Ape, as are all chimpanzees, regardless of where they were born or where they presently live. New World and Old World refer to the specific species of monkey and where that species had its scientifically known (or theorized) origin, not to their current place of residency.

The science community refers to all apes as "Old World". It refers to monkeys whose species evolved in the New World as "New World monkeys". Chongo's species evolved in the Old World, namely Africa.

It is well known, of course, that Chongo was born under the American flag on a small American missionary and trading post on the coast of West Africa. His saintly Momma taught him to salute the American flag every morning, and instructed him in the basics of being a loyal American subject until she was tragically killed by a marauding leopard. Chongo fled into the jungle on her death, but re-emerged a few years later and enlisted as a crew member on a banana boat that landed him in New York Harbor in 1929. He later moved to Chicago. Thus, he is an American citizen, as well as sharing dual citizenship with one of the West African states. He is an African-American Chimpanzee.