Isiro (pronounced ) is the capital of
Haut-Uele Province in the northeastern part of 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 ...
. It lies between the
equatorial forest and the
savannah
A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to ...
and its main resource is coffee. Isiro's population is estimated at approximately 182,000. Most people speak, Pa-Zande (
Zande language),
Lingala
Lingala (Ngala) (Lingala: ''Lingála'') is a Bantu language spoken in the northwest of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the northern half of the Republic of the Congo, in their capitals, Kinshasa and Brazzaville, and to a lesser degree ...
,
Swahili
Swahili may refer to:
* Swahili language, a Bantu language official in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda and widely spoken in the African Great Lakes
* Swahili people, an ethnic group in East Africa
* Swahili culture
Swahili culture is the culture of ...
and which is somehow uncommon.
History
Isiro was named ''Paulis'' after colonel, later diplomat,
Albert Paulis when it was part of the
Belgian Congo
The Belgian Congo (french: Congo belge, ; nl, Belgisch-Congo) was a Belgian colony in Central Africa from 1908 until independence in 1960. The former colony adopted its present name, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in 1964.
Colo ...
. The city was developed in 1934 and reached its peak in 1957.
Université d'Uélé (in French). Accessed November 4, 2006.
In the troubled days of Congo's independence and its aftermath, operation ''Black Dragoon'' brought fighting between Belgian paratroopers and local Simba Rebellion, Simba militias.
In 1998, Isiro became the home of a newly created Dominican-operated university called '' Université d'Uélé''. It is the third city in Orientale province (after Kisangani and Bunia) to welcome a university.
Government and politics
It is the district seat of Haut-Uele, having replaced Bambiri, and includes six territories: Dungu, Faradje, Niangara, Rangu
Rangu is a village in Märjamaa Parish, Rapla County in western Estonia. (retrieved 28 July 2021)
References
Villages in Rapla County
{{Rapla-geo-stub ...
, Wamba, and Watsa. Isiro is also the birthplace of Marie Daulne
Marie Daulne (born 20 October 1964) is a Belgian singer.
Daulne was born in Isiro, Haut-Uele District, Democratic Republic of the Congo to a Belgian who was killed that same year by Simba rebels, and to a local Congolese woman. Daulne and her ...
, Leader of the group Zap Mama.
Transport
Isiro is served by Matari Airport, a national airport with flights to Kinshasa, the capital. The isolated narrow gauge
A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and .
Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller struc ...
Vicicongo line to the river port of Bumba on the Congo River is not currently operational. The dirt roads to and from Isiro allow commercial trade with Uganda
}), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The south ...
and South Sudan
South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the ...
, in principle, but may be impassable in the wet season.
See also
* Roman Catholic Diocese of Isiro–Niangara
References
{{Authority control
Populated places in Haut-Uélé