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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