Dolisie, known as Loubomo (or Lubomo) between 1975 and 1991, is a city and a commune. It is the capital of

Niari Niari are a caste in Odisha. They are similar to the Dewar caste, and belong to the Sebc category. History The Niari have a history of being unemployed and poor, and alongside a few other castes, mostly adopted the profession of preparing fla ...

in the south western of the

Republic of the Congo The Republic of the Congo, also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo), is a country located on the western coast of Central ...

, the country's third largest city and an important commercial centre. The city lies on the eastern edge of the coastal

rainforest Rainforests are forests characterized by a closed and continuous tree Canopy (biology), canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforests can be generally classified as tropi ...

and has a population of 178,172 (2023 census). Dolisie is divided into 2 urban boroughs (''arrondissements''): Foundou-Foundou and Youlou-Poungui.

History

The city was founded as a station on the Congo-Ocean Railway, and it was named after

Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza Pierre Paul François Camille Savorgnan de Brazza (born Pietro Paolo Savorgnan di Brazzà; 26 January 1852 – 14 September 1905) was an Italian-French explorer. With his family's financial help, he explored the Ogooué region of Central Africa, ...

's lieutenant Albert Dolisie. It became a thriving city thanks to the wealth of the railway, and had 20,000 inhabitants in 1972. The city's name changed to Loubomo in 1975, and it became the third largest city in Congo-Brazzaville. The civil war of the late 1990s caused an exodus of rural people toward cities, and Loubomo's population has significantly increased since then.

Economy

Dolisie is a major rail center. Its location marks the link between the east-west Congo-Ocean Railway and the Mbinda line which runs north to the border with

Gabon Gabon ( ; ), officially the Gabonese Republic (), is a country on the Atlantic coast of Central Africa, on the equator, bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, the Republic of the Congo to the east and south, and ...

Mbinda Mbinda is a village in the Republic of Congo, lying on the border with Gabon. It is the administrative seat of the Mbinda District. The village is a transport hub and lies at the end of a railway line to Brazzaville. Overview The town prospered ...

. Dolisie is also home to numerous small industries (wood, lumber).

Transport

Dolisie is home to Dolisie Airport. Dolisie-Loubomo railway station on the

Congo–Ocean Railway The Congo–Ocean Railway (COR; , ) links the Atlantic port of Pointe-Noire (now in the Republic of Congo) with Brazzaville, a distance of . It bypasses the rapids on the lower Congo River; from Brazzaville, river boats are able to ascend the Con ...

provides daily rail service to

Pointe-Noire Pointe-Noire (; , with the letter d following French spelling standards) is the second largest city in the Republic of the Congo, following the capital of Brazzaville, and an autonomous department and a commune since the 2002 Constitution. B ...

Brazzaville Brazzaville () is the capital (political), capital and largest city of the Republic of the Congo. Administratively, it is a Departments of the Republic of the Congo, department and a Communes of the Republic of the Congo, commune. Constituting t ...

and intermediate points.

International relations

Twin towns – Sister cities

Dolisie is twinned with: *

Riom Riom (; Auvergnat ''Riam'') is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne in central France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. History Until the French Revolution, Riom was the capital of the province of Auvergne, and the ...

, France

Climate

Notable people

Denis Sassou Nguesso Denis Sassou Nguesso (born 23 November 1943) is a Congolese politician and former military officer who has served as president of the Republic of the Congo since 1997. He also previously served as president from 1979 to 1992. Sassou Nguesso he ...

, politician, attended Dolisie Normal College

References

External links

* {{Authority control Niari Department Populated places in the Republic of the Congo Populated places established in 1934