Bolomba Territory
territory
Bolomba Territory is located in Democratic Republic of the Congo
Bolomba Territory
Bolomba Territory
Location in Democratic Republic of the Congo
Coordinates: 00°21′02″N 19°13′49″E / 0.35056°N 19.23028°E / 0.35056; 19.23028
Country Democratic Republic of the Congo
ProvinceÉquateur Province
Area
 • Total24,598 km2 (9,497 sq mi)
Population
 • Languages
Lomongo Lingombe French
Time zoneUTC+1 (West Africa Time)

Bolomba Territory is an administrative area in Équateur Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[1] The headquarters is the town of Bolomba.[2] It is located northeast of the provincial capital of Mbandaka. Its main waterway is the Ikelemba River[3] which is navigable down to the Congo River.[4]

History

The territory of Bolomba was included in the Équateur District when the Congo Free State was established, annexed by Belgium in 1908,[5] and passed into Équateur Province in 1917.[6][7] In the reorganizations of 1962, 1966 and 2015 it remained in the core Équateur area.[8]

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.[9] The area is low-lying with respect to the Ikelemba River and is subject to either regular annual inundation or flooding in wet years.[10]

Ethnology

Bolomba is primarily inhabited by Bantu tribes of the Mongo and the western branch of the Ngombe (water-people),[11][12] with some dependent pygmy communities known as "Balumbe".[11][13] The Mongo there are divided into the Eleku and the Baenga.[11] The predominant languages are Lomongo and Lingombe.[11] The primary occupation is fishing.

Notes and references

  1. ^ Kyalangilwa, Joseph M. (22 January 2007). "Nouvelles entités provinciales" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  2. ^ "Administrative Zones of the Democratic Republic of Congo (Congo Kinshasa)". Statoids.
  3. ^ Mbandaka, Zaire (PDF) (Map) (Second ed.). 1:250,000. JOG 1501-A NA34-13. St. Louis, Missouri: Aeronautical Chart and Information Center, U.S. Air Force.
  4. ^ Kisangani, Emizet Francois (2016). "Ikelemba River". Historical Dictionary of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 293. ISBN 978-1-4422-7316-0. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  5. ^ Britannica:"Congo Free State". Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  6. ^ Lufungula, Lewono (1986). "Les gouverneurs de l'Équateur, 1885 - 1960". Annales Aequatoria (in French). 7. Honoré Vinck: 149–166. JSTOR 25836402.
  7. ^ Note: Équateur Province was called Coquilhatville between 1933 and 1947. Lufungula 1986
  8. ^ Lufungula, Lewono (1989). "Les gouverneurs de l'Équateur (Zaïre) de 1960 à 1988". Annales Aequatoria (in French). 10: 65–90. JSTOR 25836509.
  9. ^ Inogwabini, Bila-Isia (2020). "Chapter 5: Qualitatively Describing Forests of the Landscape". Reconciling Human Needs and Conserving Biodiversity: Large Landscapes as a New Conservation Paradigm. Cham, Switzerland: Springer Verlag. pp. 59–78, Table 5.1, page 63. ISBN 978-3-030-38728-0.
  10. ^ Inogwabini 2020, p. 63
  11. ^ a b c d Inogwabini 2020, p. 68
  12. ^ Note: The Ngombe are sometimes classified among the pygmys. Chabiron, Clothilde; Gally, Silvia; Demolin, Didier (2013). "Les parlers pygmées du bassin équatorial du Congo" [Pygmy Talks of the Congo Equatorial Basin]. Géolinguistique (in French). 14: 125–144. doi:10.4000/geolinguistique.873.
  13. ^ Heijboer, B. M.; Heyboer, B. M. (1946). "De Ngombe-stammen van het Lulonga-stroomgebied". Aequatoria (in Dutch). 9 (4): 128–134. JSTOR 25837799.
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