Bolomba Territory is an administrative area in

Équateur Province Équateur, French for equator, may refer to: Places * Province of Équateur, a province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo since 2015 * Équateur (former province), a former province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 1966–2015 * Équa ...

in the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

. The headquarters is the town of

Bolomba Bolomba is a city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is the capital of the Bolomba Territory. References See also * List of cities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo This is a list of cities and towns in the Democratic R ...

. It is located northeast of the provincial capital of

Mbandaka Mbandaka (, formerly known as Coquilhatville in French language, French, or Coquilhatstad in Dutch language, Dutch) is a city on the Congo River in the Democratic Republic of Congo located near the confluence of the Congo River, Congo and Ruki Riv ...

. Its main waterway is the

Ikelemba River The Ikelemba River is a river in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is a left tributary of the Congo River. Location The Ikelemba River flows in an arc from east to west. It is navigable for from Bombimba to where it enters the Congo River ...

which is navigable down to the

Congo River The Congo River ( kg, Nzâdi Kôngo, french: Fleuve Congo, pt, Rio Congo), formerly also known as the Zaire River, is the second longest river in Africa, shorter only than the Nile, as well as the second largest river in the world by discharge ...

History

The territory of Bolomba was included in the

Équateur District Équateur District was a former district of the Congo Free State, Belgian Congo and Democratic Republic of the Congo. In 1914 it became part of former Équateur Province. The district went through various changes of extent and name over the yea ...

when the

Congo Free State ''(Work and Progress) , national_anthem = Vers l'avenir , capital = Vivi Boma , currency = Congo Free State franc , religion = Catholicism (''de facto'') , leader1 = Leop ...

was established, annexed by Belgium in 1908,Britannica: and passed into

in 1917. In the reorganizations of 1962, 1966 and 2015 it remained in the core Équateur area.

Administrative subdivisions

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

The Bolomba Territory is mainly evergreen deciduous forest, except where it has been clear-cut. The area is low-lying with respect to the Ikelemba River and is subject to either regular annual inundation or flooding in wet years.

Ethnology

Bolomba is primarily inhabited by Bantu tribes of the

Mongo Mongo may refer to: Geography Africa * Mongo, Chad, a Sahel city * Apostolic Vicariate of Mongo (Roman Catholic missionary jurisdiction) * Mongo, Sierra Leone, a chiefdom * Mongo River (Little Scarces River), Guinea and Sierra Leone, a tribut ...

and the western branch of the Ngombe (''water-people''), with some dependent

pygmy In anthropology, pygmy peoples are ethnic groups whose average height is unusually short. The term pygmyism is used to describe the phenotype of endemic short stature (as opposed to disproportionate dwarfism occurring in isolated cases in a pop ...

communities known as "Balumbe". The Mongo there are divided into the Eleku and the Baenga. The predominant languages are

Lomongo Mongo, also called Nkundo or Mongo-Nkundu (''Lomongo, Lonkundu''), is a Bantu language spoken by several of the Mongo peoples in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Mongo speakers reside in central DR Congo over a large area inside the curve o ...

and

Lingombe Ngombe, or ''Lingombe'', is a Bantu language spoken by about 150,000 people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In general, native speakers live on either side of the Congo river, and its many tributaries; more specifically, Équateur Provi ...

. The primary occupation is fishing.

Notes and references

{{Clear Populated places in the province of Équateur Territories of the Democratic Republic of the Congo