Boma is a port town on the
Congo River
The Congo River ( kg, Nzâdi Kôngo, french: Fleuve Congo, pt, Rio Congo), formerly also known as the Zaire River, is the second longest river in Africa, shorter only than the Nile, as well as the second largest river in the world by discharge ...
, some upstream from the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Afr ...
, in the
Kongo Central
Kongo Central ( kg, Kongo dia Kati ), formerly Bas-Congo is one of the 26 provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Its capital is Matadi.
History
At the time of independence, the area now encompassing Kongo Central was part of the ...
province of the
Democratic Republic of the Congo, adjacent to the
border
Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders ca ...
with
Angola
, national_anthem = " Angola Avante"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capital = Luanda
, religion =
, religion_year = 2020
, religion_ref =
, coordina ...
. It had an estimated population of 162,521 in 2012.
Boma was the capital city of the
Congo Free State
''(Work and Progress)
, national_anthem = Vers l'avenir
, capital = Vivi Boma
, currency = Congo Free State franc
, religion = Catholicism (''de facto'')
, leader1 = Leopo ...
and
Belgian Congo (the modern Democratic Republic of the Congo) from 1 May 1886 to 1923, when the capital was moved to Léopoldville (since renamed
Kinshasa). The port handles exports of tropical
timber,
banana
A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus ''Musa''. In some countries, bananas used for cooking may be called "plantains", distinguis ...
s,
cacao, and
palm products.
History
Boma was founded by European merchants in the 16th century as an
entrepôt, including for the
slave trade. Trade was chiefly in the hands of Dutch merchants, but British, French and Portuguese firms also had factories there. No European power exercised
sovereignty, though claims were from time to time put forward by Portugal.
British explorer
Henry Morton Stanley arrived here on 9 August 1877, after crossing Africa from east to west.
[Stanley, H.M., 1899, ''Through the Dark Continent,'' London: G. Newnes, Vol. One , Vol. Two, p. 359 ]
In 1884 the people of Boma were forced to grant a protectorate of their country to the
International Association of the Congo, made up of European powers.
[ This references H. M. Stanley, ''The Congo and the Founding of its Free State'' (London, 1885).] In 1886 King Leopold of Belgium established the
Congo Free State
''(Work and Progress)
, national_anthem = Vers l'avenir
, capital = Vivi Boma
, currency = Congo Free State franc
, religion = Catholicism (''de facto'')
, leader1 = Leopo ...
, designating Boma as its capital. He ran the state as his personal fiefdom for several years, nearly enslaving many Congolese with a private military, and abusing them to force rubber production. International outrage and action by the Belgian legislature resulted in the government taking over supervision of what was established as the colony of the
Belgian Congo in 1908.
Boma continued as the capital of the Belgian Congo until 1923.
Léopoldville, since renamed as
Kinshasa, was designated as the new capital.
Transport
Boma lies on the north bank of the
Congo River
The Congo River ( kg, Nzâdi Kôngo, french: Fleuve Congo, pt, Rio Congo), formerly also known as the Zaire River, is the second longest river in Africa, shorter only than the Nile, as well as the second largest river in the world by discharge ...
, some 100 km upstream from
Muanda
Moanda or Muanda is a town and territory lying on the Atlantic Ocean coast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo at the mouth of the Congo River., United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency It is situated in Kongo Central Province, ...
, where the river flows into the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Afr ...
.
The great width and depth of the river allow seagoing ships to reach Boma, which is the second-largest port of DR Congo, after
Matadi. Between 1889 and 1984, the port was served by a 610 mm gauge railway line from
Tshela
Tshela (or Tsela) is the main town of Bas-fleuve district in Kongo Central Province in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The town was linked to the port of Boma by an isolated narrow gauge railway
A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroa ...
.
Notable people
*
Antoine-Roger Bolamba, politician and poet, was born here in 1913.
[ Albert S. Gerard]
European-language writing in sub-Saharan Africa, Volume 1
p. 164, accessed March 2010
Climate
Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as
tropical wet and dry (''Aw'').
The highest record temperature was on February 25, 1976, while the lowest record temperature was on October 21, 1976.
Gallery
File:102 Le pier de Boma.jpg, Boma pier, 1899
File:103 Les autorités au bout du pier à Boma.jpg, Authorities at the end of the pier, Boma, 1899
File:Hezekiah Andrew Shanu-Anciens rois de Boma.jpg, ''The nine old kings of Boma'' (phot. H. A. Shanu, 1898), Royal Museum for Central Africa
Image:Shinkakasa01.jpg, Fort de Shinkakasa
The Fort de Shinkakasa, also called Fort Boma, was a fortification built in the Congo Free State to defend access to the Congo river in 1891. It is located about west of Boma which was the capital of the Free State and later the Belgian Congo fr ...
– fortification on the Congo River near Boma
Image:Boma church.jpg, Church of Boma, which still exists; oldest in the country
Image:Residentie van de gouverneur-generaal.jpg, Residence of the Governor-General in Boma
File:Congo Map by Stanley.jpg, Henry Morton Stanley's map of the area during his expedition down the Congo River
See also
*
Transport in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Ground transport in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has always been difficult. The terrain and climate of the Congo Basin present serious barriers to road and rail construction, and the distances are enormous across this vast country ...
References
External links
* (Images, etc.)
Boma Panorama
{{Authority control
Communities on the Congo River
Populated places in Kongo Central
Populated places established in the 16th century