Isiro (pronounced ) is the capital of
Haut-Uele Province in the northeastern part 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 ...
. It lies between the
equatorial forest
Tropical forests (a.k.a. jungle) are forested landscapes in tropical regions: ''i.e.'' land areas approximately bounded by the tropic of Cancer and tropic of capricorn, Capricorn, but possibly affected by other factors such as prevailing winds.
...
and the
savannah
A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the Canopy (forest), canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to rea ...
and its main resource is coffee. Isiro's population is estimated at approximately 182,000. Most people speak, Pa-Zande (
Zande language
Zande is the largest of the Zande languages. It is spoken by the Azande, primarily in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and western South Sudan, but also in the eastern part of the Central African Republic. It is called Pazan ...
),
Lingala
Lingala (Ngala) (Lingala: ''Lingála'') is a Bantu language spoken in the northwest of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the northern half of the Republic of the Congo, in their capitals, Kinshasa and Brazzaville, and to a lesser degree in ...
,
Swahili and which is somehow uncommon.
History
Isiro was named ''Paulis'' after colonel, later diplomat,
Albert Paulis
Albert may refer to:
Companies
* Albert (supermarket), a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic
* Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands
* Albert Market, a street market in The Gambia
* Albert Productions, a record label
* Albert C ...
when it was part 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 ...
. The city was developed in 1934 and reached its peak in 1957.
Université d'Uélé (in French). Accessed November 4, 2006.
In the troubled days of Congo's independence and its aftermath, operation ''Black Dragoon'' brought fighting between Belgian paratroopers and local Simba Rebellion, Simba militias.
In 1998, Isiro became the home of a newly created Dominican-operated university called '' Université d'Uélé''. It is the third city in Orientale province (after Kisangani and Bunia) to welcome a university.
Government and politics
It is the district seat of Haut-Uele, having replaced Bambiri, and includes six territories: Dungu, Faradje
Faradje is a town in the Haut-Uele province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and is the administrative center of Faradje Territory. It lies on the Dungu River.
It had a population of about 25,000 in 2009. It has dirt streets, a police sta ...
, Niangara
Niangara is a town in the Haut-Uele Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, lying on both sides of the Uele River. It is the headquarters of the Niangara Territory.
The town has a hospital operated by Médecins Sans Frontières.
As of ...
, Rangu, Wamba, and Watsa
Watsa is a community in the Haut-Uele Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, administrative center of the Watsa Territory. It is served by Watsa Airport, a grass airstrip south of the town.
Watsa was the location of the VI battalion o ...
. Isiro is also the birthplace of Marie Daulne, Leader of the group Zap Mama
Zap Mama is the music act of Belgian artist Marie Daulne. Zap Mama sings polyphonic and afro-pop music, a harmonic music with a mixture of infused African vocal techniques, urban, hip hop with emphasis on voice. The worldwide success of Zap Mam ...
.
Transport
Isiro is served by Matari Airport
Matari Airport is an airport serving Isiro, a city in Haut-Uélé Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo. The airport is northwest of the city.
The Isiro-Matari VOR/DME (Ident: IRO) is located southeast of the airport.
Airlines and des ...
, a national airport with flights to Kinshasa, the capital. The isolated narrow gauge
A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and .
Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...
Vicicongo line
Chemins de fer des Uele (Uele Railways or Vicicongo line) is a narrow-gauge line in the north east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It was built between 1924 and 1937 as a portage railway bypassing Congo River rapids.
Route
The line runs ...
to the river port of Bumba on the Congo River is not currently operational. The dirt roads to and from Isiro allow commercial trade with Uganda
}), is a landlocked country in East Africa
East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...
and South Sudan
South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the C ...
, in principle, but may be impassable in the wet season.
See also
*Roman Catholic Diocese of Isiro–Niangara
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Isiro–Niangara ( la, Isiren(sis) – Niangaraën(sis)) is a diocese located in the city of Isiro–Niangara in the Ecclesiastical province of Kisangani in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
History
* December ...
References
{{Authority control
Populated places in Haut-Uélé