Idiofa is a town in

Kwilu Province Kwilu is a province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It's one of the 21 provinces created in the 2015 repartitioning. Kwilu, Kwango, and Mai-Ndombe provinces are the result of the dismemberment of the former Bandundu province. Kwi ...

of the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

Location

Idiofa is the administrative center for

Idiofa Territory Idiofa Territory is an administrative area in the Kwilu Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The capital is the town of Idiofa. Location The territory has an area of . The Loange River defines the eastern boundary of the territory, w ...

. Idiofa lies at an altitude of 1820 ft (554 m), east of the larger city of

Kikwit Kikwit is the largest city of Kwilu Province, lying on the Kwilu River in the southwestern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kikwit is also known in the region under the nickname "The Mother". The population is approximately 458,000 ( ...

, and west of the

Lubue River The Lubue River runs from south to north through Idiofa territory, Kwilu province, Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally ...

. Idiofa is served by the small

Idiofa Airport Idiofa Airport is an airport serving Idiofa, a city in Kwilu Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo. See also * * * Transport in the Democratic Republic of the Congo * List of airports in the Democratic Republic of the Congo This is a list ...

(IATA Code: IDF). The town is part of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Idiofa The Roman Catholic Diocese of Idiofa ( la, Idiofaën(sis)) is a diocese located in the city of Idiofa in the Ecclesiastical province of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. History * April 13, 1937: Established as Apostolic Prefec ...

. 30 km from Idiofa is the settlement of Banga Banga which was an important local centre in

Belgian Congo The Belgian Congo (french: Congo belge, ; nl, Belgisch-Congo) was a Belgian colony in Central Africa from 1908 until independence in 1960. The former colony adopted its present name, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in 1964. Colo ...

days with a European presence and an palm oil press.

People

As of 2012 the population was estimated to be 61,056. The

Bunda people The Bunda people or (also ''Ambuun'', ''Mbuun'') in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are an ethnic group that mostly live in Idiofa Territory, Kwilu District of Bandundu Province. They speak the Mpuono language, spoken by an estimated 165,000 ...

form the majority of the population of the town. Idiofa is known as the place where President

Mobutu Sese Seko Mobutu Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu Wa Za Banga (; born Joseph-Désiré Mobutu; 14 October 1930 – 7 September 1997) was a Congolese politician and military officer who was the president of Zaire from 1965 to 1997 (known as the Democratic Republic o ...

's mother, Mama Yemo, died during an emergency landing at the local airport.

References

Populated places in Kwilu Province {{DRCongo-geo-stub