Tshikapa
Tshikapa is the capital city of Kasai Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The city is located 60 km north of the Angolan border and 189 km west of Kananga at the confluence of the Tshikapa and Kasai rivers. According to records published by the Utrecht University library, the population of the city has grown from 38,900 in 1970 to 180,900 in 1994. However, the two recent Congo wars have caused great flux in population rendering current figures unreliable. Tshikapa has been a site of diamond mining since its founding in the early 20th century. The city was founded by Forminière, an American/Belgian mining consortium which discovered diamonds near this location in the early 1900s.
The city is served by the Tshikapa Airport. The diamond industry is the main form of income for the city. Despite this, it is poor and few of the roads are paved.
Tshikapa was founded in the early 1900s by the American-Belgian mining consortium Forminière. The city grew rapidly as result of the First Congo War and now has a large population of internally displaced people. In April 2020, the 78-year old N1 Highway Bridge collapsed into the Kasai River causing significant interruptions to the regional transportation network and economy.
The city is served by the Tshikapa Airport. The diamond industry is the main form of income for the city. Despite this, it is poor and few of the roads are paved.
Tshikapa was founded in the early 1900s by the American-Belgian mining consortium Forminière. The city grew rapidly as result of the First Congo War and now has a large population of internally displaced people. In April 2020, the 78-year old N1 Highway Bridge collapsed into the Kasai River causing significant interruptions to the regional transportation network and economy.
Map - Tshikapa
Map
Country - Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo
Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo |
Centered on the Congo Basin, the territory of the DRC was first inhabited by Central African foragers around 90,000 years ago and was reached by the Bantu expansion about 3,000 years ago. In the west, the Kingdom of Kongo ruled around the mouth of the Congo River from the 14th to 19th centuries. In the northeast, center and east, the kingdoms of Azande, Luba, and Lunda ruled from the 16th and 17th centuries to the 19th century. King Leopold II of Belgium formally acquired rights to the Congo territory in 1885 and declared the land his private property, naming it the Congo Free State. From 1885 to 1908, his colonial military forced the local population to produce rubber and committed widespread atrocities. In 1908, Leopold ceded the territory, which thus became a Belgian colony.
Currency / Language
ISO | Currency | Symbol | Significant figures |
---|---|---|---|
CDF | Congolese franc | Fr | 2 |
ISO | Language |
---|---|
FR | French language |
KG | Kongo language |
LN | Lingala language |