Manyanga was a staging post on the route from the coast to

Léopoldville Kinshasa (; ; ), formerly named Léopoldville from 1881–1966 (), is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kinshasa is one of the world's fastest-growing megacities, with an estimated population of 17 million ...

during the days of the

Congo Free State The Congo Free State, also known as the Independent State of the Congo (), was a large Sovereign state, state and absolute monarchy in Central Africa from 1885 to 1908. It was privately owned by Leopold II of Belgium, King Leopold II, the const ...

. It was at the upper end of a navigable reach 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 ...

from

Isangila Isangila, formerly called Isanghila or Isanguila is the headquarters of a sector of the Seke-Banza territory in Kongo Central province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Location The lower part of the Congo River below Stanley Pool first de ...

, further downstream to the west. Above Manyanga goods had to be carried by land round the falls and rapids to

Stanley Pool The Pool Malebo, formerly Stanley Pool, also known as Mpumbu, Lake Nkunda or Lake Nkuna by local indigenous people in pre-colonial times, is a lake-like widening in the lower reaches of the Congo River.

Location

The lower part of the Congo River below

first descends through the

Livingstone Falls Livingstone Falls ( French: ''Chutes Livingstone''; Dutch: ''Livingstonewatervallen''), named for British explorer David Livingstone, are a succession of enormous rapids on the lower course of the Congo River in west equatorial Africa, dow ...

and rapids, then has a navigable section from Manyanga to Isangila, and then has further rapids and cataracts down to

Matadi Matadi is the chief sea port of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the capital of the Kongo Central province, adjacent to the border with Angola. It had a population of 245,862 (2004). Matadi is situated on the left bank of the Congo River, ...

, from where it is navigable to the Atlantic Ocean.

History

In February 1881

Henry Morton Stanley Sir Henry Morton Stanley (born John Rowlands; 28 January 1841 – 10 May 1904) was a Welsh-American explorer, journalist, soldier, colonial administrator, author, and politician famous for his exploration of Central Africa and search for missi ...

heard rumours that English missionaries were planning to build a post in the region, and asked

Louis Valcke Louis Pierre Alphonse Valcke (22 December 1857 – 16 March 1940) was a Belgian viceroy and soldier. Early years (1857–1880) Louis Pierre Alphonse Valcke was born in Bruges on 22 December 1857. His parents were Liévin-Pierre Valcke and Clém ...

to establish an

International African Association The International African Association (in full, "International Association for the Exploration and Civilization of Central Africa"; in French ''Association Internationale Africaine,'' and in full ''Association Internationale pour l'Exploration et ...

(AIA) post at Isanghila before they did so. While Valcke continued to develop the Isanghila post, Stanley took the steamers '' En Avant'' and ''Royal'' up the navigable stretch of the river to Manyanga, where Stanley started to build a post, which he entrusted to Victor Harou. He charged Charles-Marie de Braconnier with building a road from Manyanga to the mouth of the Lufu River, bypassing the Ntombo-Mataka falls. In May 1881 Stanley fell ill with a serious fever at Manyanga. He was not able to consider moving on to

until mid-June. The Baptist missionary

George Grenfell George Grenfell (21 August 1849, in Sancreed, Cornwall – 1 July 1906, in Basoko, Congo Free State (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) was a Cornish missionary and explorer. Early years Grenfell was born at Sancreed, near Penza ...

established a chain of missions at Musuko, Isangila and Manyanga. An American visitor in May 1885 referred to the station as North Manyanga, opposite South Manyanga Station, or N’Gombe, on the south shore. The decision to build a road along the south shore, avoiding territory claimed by the French, followed by construction of the Matadi-Léopoldville Railway made the laborious route via Manyanga to Léopoldville obsolete. Today named Pioka, the former station is a minor village.

Notes

Sources

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT: Populated places in Kongo Central International Association of the Congo