Mbandaka
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mbandaka, formerly known as Coquilhatville or Coquilhatstad (named after Camille-Aimé Coquilhat), is a city on the Congo River in the Democratic Republic of Congo, lying near the confluence of the Congo and Ruki Rivers. The capital of the Equateur Province, it is home to an airport and is linked by ferry to Kinshasa and Boende. The city's population is approximately 729,257 (2004).
It was founded in 1883 by Henry Morton Stanley with the name of "Equateur". In fact the Town Hall is just about 6.6 kilometers North of the Geographic Equator Line. Stanley placed a large "Equator Stone" near the river bank just south of the city to mark the point where he believed the Equator to cross the river... it remains there today.
In 1886 at the beginning of their colonial rule, the Belgians changed the city's name to "Coquilhatville" and in 1966 the town name was changed by the new independent government to "Mbandaka" to honor a prominent local leader.
Years of war and neglect have taken a heavy toll on the city infrastructure, with no electric energy and running water in large sectors of the city. Most of the streets and avenues of the city are dirt roads.
Hundreds of people (mainly Hutu refugees, women and children) in the city were massacred on May 13, 1997 near the end of the First Congo Civil War.
Mbandaka is largely populated by people of the Mongo ethnic group, although people from many different regions live in the city. The main languages spoken in Mbandaka are Lingala, French and Mongo. A large research center on the Central Africa history is at the Catholic Mission station.
Mbandaka is the home of the world's first project of Habitat for Humanity International. Habitat for Humanity's founder Millard Fuller served as missionary with the Disciples of Christ Church in Mbandaka from 1973-76. The housing project Fuller started in Mbandaka in 1973 became the original project of Habitat for Humanity when Fuller founded Habitat upon his return to the United States.
Also, one of the finest botanical gardens representing central Africa is at nearby Eala. The Botanic Garden of Eala (founded in 1900) contains the Flora richness of Central Africa with between 4000 to 5000 species. Itf approximately 370 hectares with special collections (125 ha), forest (190 ha), marsh(50 ha) and savanna "Euobe" (7 ha). The garden is neglected, the garden is unfenced and there is illegal logging. The last catalogue was published in 1924.
[edit] External links
- Tim Butcher: Blood River - A Journey To Africa's Broken Heart, 2007. ISBN 0-701-17981-3
- A fictional account of a traveler's visit to Mbandaka
- The Botanical Gardens of Zaire and the Present State of Biodiversity in Zaire
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