Impfondo is a town and a commune in the northeastern

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 ...

lying on the Oubangui River. It is home to an

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...

and is linked by river barge to

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 to

Bangui Bangui (; or Bangî in Sango language, Sango, formerly written Bangi in English) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities in the Central African Republic, largest city of the Central African Republic. It was established as a Fren ...

. It is the administrative centre of the Likouala Department and the Impfondo District.

History

Historically called Desbordesville, Impfondo is usually a stopping point on the way to

by barge. It is a frontier kind of place, the last vestige of what could be called civilisation in an area overwhelmed by dense forest swamps and small villages. Rumours abound of a police force and sets of soldiers more corrupt than in other parts of the Congo, probably due to its remoteness, in addition to being so close to 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 ...

over the river. Soldiers from DR Congo have been known to cross and harass the population on occasion, making people here more on edge than usual. The western side of the

Congo River The Congo River, formerly also known as the Zaire River, is the second-longest river in Africa, shorter only than the Nile, as well as the third-largest river in the world list of rivers by discharge, by discharge volume, following the Amazon Ri ...

in the Likouala is home to refugee camps, though as the conflict in DR Congo subsides, they should be making their way back across the river. Due to persistent flooding and proximity to the border with the DRC, Impfondo is considered a high-risk zone for

Ebola Ebola, also known as Ebola virus disease (EVD) and Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF), is a viral hemorrhagic fever in humans and other primates, caused by ebolaviruses. Symptoms typically start anywhere between two days and three weeks after in ...

. To the west of Impfondo lies the Lac Tele area of the tropical jungle. This area is one of the least developed regions of Africa, with stretches of barely touched equatorial rain forest and wetlands stretching for hundreds of kilometres. Wilderness and animal concerns take precedence over the daily lives of people, and by some accounts, the Congo's north is the 'last great wilderness of Africa'. Large animals are still found across the area, including lowland gorillas,

hippopotamus The hippopotamus (''Hippopotamus amphibius;'' ; : hippopotamuses), often shortened to hippo (: hippos), further qualified as the common hippopotamus, Nile hippopotamus and river hippopotamus, is a large semiaquatic mammal native to sub-Sahar ...

, forest elephants, crocodiles and numerous monkeys. The wetlands are also home to several hundred bird species, numerous snake species, and many as yet discovered aspects of the region. There is a highly undeveloped dirt trail road heading north from Impfondo along the river into the

Central African Republic The Central African Republic (CAR) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to Central African Republic–Chad border, the north, Sudan to Central African Republic–Sudan border, the northeast, South Sudan to Central ...

Climate

References

{{Reflist Likouala Department Populated places in the Republic of the Congo Ubangi River