Kwilu District (french: District du Kwilu, nl, District KwangoKwilu) was a district of the
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 ...
and 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 ...
. It roughly corresponded to the present province of
Kwilu.
Location
The Free State was annexed by Belgium in 1908 as the
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 ...
.
In 1933 the original four provinces were reorganized into six provinces, named after their capitals, and the central government assumed more control.
The
Congo-Kasaï province was split into
Léopoldville
Kinshasa (; ; ln, Kinsásá), formerly Léopoldville ( nl, Leopoldstad), is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Once a site of fishing and trading villages situated along the Congo River, Kinshasa is now one of ...
and
Lusambo
Lusambo is a territory in and capital of Sankuru province, Democratic Republic of the Congo. The town lies north of the confluence of the Sankuru River and the Lubi River. Lusambo is served by Lusambo Airport.
In 1890 Lusambo was chosen by P ...
(Kasai).
The number of districts was reduced to 15.
A map of the districts in 1933 shows
Kwango District
Kwango District (french: District du Kwango, nl, District Kwango) was a district of the Congo Free State, Belgian Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It went through various changes in extent. It roughly corresponded to the present pro ...
in Léopoldville Province.
It is bordered by Portuguese possessions to the south,
Bas-Congo District to the west,
Lac Léopold II District to the north and
Kasai District to the east.
By 1954 Kwango District had been split into a smaller Kwango District in the south and Kwilu District in the north.
Kwilu was bordered by Lac Leopold II District to the north, Kasai District to the east and Kwango District to the south and west.
It covered essentially the same territory as the present
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 ...
.
The area was out of a total of for Leopoldville province as a whole.
Post-independence
Léopoldville Province was divided in 1963–1966 into the provinces of
Congo Central,
Kwilu,
Kwango
Kwango is a province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It's one of the 21 provinces created in the 2015 repartitioning. Kwango, Kwilu, and Mai-Ndombe provinces are the result of the dismemberment of the former Bandundu province. Kwa ...
, and
Mai-Ndombe.
Bandundu Province
Bandundu is one of eleven former provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It bordered the provinces of Kinshasa and Bas-Congo to the west, Équateur to the north, and Kasai-Occidental to the east. The provincial capital is also ca ...
was formed in 1966 by merging Kwilu, Kwango and Mai-Ndombe.
As of 2008 Kwilu District contained the territories of
Bagata,
Bulungu,
Masi-Manimba
Masi-Manimba is a town in Kwilu Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, the headquarters of the Masi-Manimba Territory.
As of 2012 the population was estimated to be 31,802.
The town lies on the Lukula River, a tributary of the Kwilu River. ...
,
Gungu
Gungu is a town in Kwilu Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). It is the capital of Gungu Territory as well as Gungu Sector. The town lies west of the Kwilu River and is situated between the streams Lukunia in the south-east and Kite ...
and
Idiofa
Idiofa is a town in Kwilu Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Location
Idiofa is the administrative center for Idiofa Territory.
Idiofa lies at an altitude of 1820 ft (554 m), east of the larger city of Kikwit, and west of the ...
.
Bandundu Province was broken up into provinces formed from its districts in 2015.
Kwilu Province was formed from the Kwilu district and the independently administered cities of
Bandundu and
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 ( ...
.
Bandundu retained its status as a provincial capital.
Maps
File:1933 provinces Belgian Congo cropped from 1950 administration map Atlas General du Congo 611.jpg, 1933 provinces and districts
File:Democratic Republic of the Congo (26 provinces) - Kwilu.svg, The present Kwilu province
File:Democratic Republic of the Congo (26 provinces) - Kwango.svg, The present Kwango province
See also
*
Districts of the Belgian Congo
The Districts of the Belgian Congo were the primary administrative divisions when Belgium annexed the Congo Free State in 1908, each administered by a district commissioner.
In 1914 they were distributed among four large provinces, with some bound ...
*
Districts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...
References
Sources
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{{Authority control
Districts of the Belgian Congo
Districts of Bandundu Province