Bolomba Territory is an administrative area in Équateur Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[1] The headquarters is the town of Bolomba.[2] It is located northeast of the provincial capital of Mbandaka. Its main waterway is the Ikelemba River[3] which is navigable down to the Congo River.[4]
Bolomba Territory | |
|---|---|
territory | |
  Bolomba Territory Location in Democratic Republic of the Congo | |
| Coordinates: 00°21′02″N 19°13′49″E / 0.35056°N 19.23028°E | |
| Country |  Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Province | Équateur Province |
| Area | |
| • Total | 24,598 km2 (9,497 sq mi) |
| Population | |
| • Languages | Lomongo Lingombe French |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (West Africa Time) |
History edit
The territory of Bolomba was included in the Équateur District when the Congo Free State was established, annexed by Belgium in 1908,[5] and passed into Équateur Province in 1917.[6][7] In the reorganizations of 1962, 1966 and 2015 it remained in the core Équateur area.[8]
Administrative subdivisions edit
Bolomba Territory is divided into five administrative divisions or "sectors":
- Dianga, with 4 sub-groupings (groupements) and 46 villages ;
- Mampoko, with 3 sub-groupings (groupements) and 43 villages ;
- Bolomba, with 7 sub-groupings (groupements) and 112 villages ;
- Busira, with 6 sub-groupings (groupements) and 78 villages ; and
- Losanganya, with 4 sub-groupings (groupements) and 113 villages.
Geography and climate edit
The Bolomba Territory is mainly evergreen deciduous forest, except where it has been clear-cut.[9] The area is low-lying with respect to the Ikelemba River and is subject to either regular annual inundation or flooding in wet years.[10]
Ethnology edit
Bolomba is primarily inhabited by Bantu tribes of the Mongo and the western branch of the Ngombe (water-people),[11][12] with some dependent pygmy communities known as "Balumbe".[11][13] The Mongo there are divided into the Eleku and the Baenga.[11] The predominant languages are Lomongo and Lingombe.[11] The primary occupation is fishing.
Notes and references edit
- ^ Kyalangilwa, Joseph M. (22 January 2007). "Nouvelles entités provinciales" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
- ^ "Administrative Zones of the Democratic Republic of Congo (Congo Kinshasa)". Statoids.
- ^ Mbandaka, Zaire (PDF) (Map) (Second ed.). 1:250,000. JOG 1501-A NA34-13. St. Louis, Missouri: Aeronautical Chart and Information Center, U.S. Air Force.
- ^ Kisangani, Emizet Francois (2016). "Ikelemba River". Historical Dictionary of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 293. ISBN 978-1-4422-7316-0. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
- ^ Britannica:"Congo Free State". Retrieved 22 April 2021.
- ^ Lufungula, Lewono (1986). "Les gouverneurs de l'Équateur, 1885 - 1960". Annales Aequatoria (in French). 7. Honoré Vinck: 149–166. JSTOR 25836402.
- ^ Note: Équateur Province was called Coquilhatville between 1933 and 1947. Lufungula 1986
- ^ Lufungula, Lewono (1989). "Les gouverneurs de l'Équateur (Zaïre) de 1960 à 1988". Annales Aequatoria (in French). 10: 65–90. JSTOR 25836509.
- ^ Inogwabini, Bila-Isia (2020). "Chapter 5: Qualitatively Describing Forests of the Landscape". Reconciling Human Needs and Conserving Biodiversity: Large Landscapes as a New Conservation Paradigm. Cham, Switzerland: Springer Verlag. pp. 59–78, Table 5.1, page 63. ISBN 978-3-030-38728-0.
- ^ Inogwabini 2020, p. 63
- ^ a b c d Inogwabini 2020, p. 68
- ^ Note: The Ngombe are sometimes classified among the pygmys. Chabiron, Clothilde; Gally, Silvia; Demolin, Didier (2013). "Les parlers pygmées du bassin équatorial du Congo" [Pygmy Talks of the Congo Equatorial Basin]. Géolinguistique (in French). 14: 125–144. doi:10.4000/geolinguistique.873.
- ^ Heijboer, B. M.; Heyboer, B. M. (1946). "De Ngombe-stammen van het Lulonga-stroomgebied". Aequatoria (in Dutch). 9 (4): 128–134. JSTOR 25837799.