Ilebo, formerly known as Port-Francqui, is a town in

Kasai province Kasai or Kasaï may refer to: Places Congo * Congo-Kasaï, one of the four large provinces of Belgian Congo * Kasaï District, in the Kasai-Occidental province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo * Kasai Province, one of the provinc ...

in the

Democratic Republic of Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...

, lying at the highest

navigable A body of water, such as a river, canal or lake, is navigable if it is deep, wide and calm enough for a water vessel (e.g. boats) to pass safely. Navigability is also referred to in the broader context of a body of water having sufficient under ...

point of the Kasaï River. It is an important

transport hub A transport hub is a place where passengers and cargo are exchanged between vehicles and/or between mode of transport, transport modes. Public transport hubs include train station, railway stations, metro station, rapid transit stations, bus ...

for

ferries A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus. ...

Kinshasa Kinshasa (; ; ), formerly named Léopoldville from 1881–1966 (), is the Capital city, capital and Cities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kinshasa is one of the world's fastest-grow ...

and

train A train (from Old French , from Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles th ...

s to

Lubumbashi Lubumbashi ( , ; former ; former ) is the second-largest Cities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, located in the country's southeasternmost part, along the border with Zambia. The capital ...

Overview

Ilebo was founded in the 17th century as a trading center and residence of the local rulers. It flourished in the 19th century and was, prior to the arrival of the Belgians, the largest settlement in the Central Congo with an estimated population of 5000 people. Ilebo was connected to other settlements via the river and several sand roads that were passable by porters. In 1901 the Belgian colonial administration renamed Ilebo Port-Francqui. The city rapidly grew under the Belgian colonial administration, especially after the railway line to Lubumbashi was opened. There were plans to extend the railway line to Kinshasa, and the construction of a bridge over the Kasai river began in 1935, but was stopped after the unfinished bridge collapsed on 12 September 1937. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

the city grew massively in size, due to the influx of workers to the local industry manufacturing arms for the war effort. After independence the original name of the city was restored.

Railways

In September 2007 an agreement was signed for

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

to fund the construction of a railway from Ilebo to

.Chinese to plug Ilebo – Kinshasa gap in DR Congo
''

Railway Gazette International ''Railway Gazette International'' is a British monthly business magazine and news website covering the railway, metro, light rail and tram industries worldwide. Available by annual subscription, the magazine is read in over 140 countries by tran ...

'' October 2007
archived
19 Dec 2019 about 700 km.

Namesakes

There are a number of other towns in Congo sharing this name.

References

Populated places in Kasaï Province Kasai River Populated places established in the 17th century {{DRCongo-geo-stub

Overview

Railways

Namesakes

See also

References