Basankusu | |
|---|---|
 Basankusu Market | |
| Nickname: Basa | |
  Basankusu Location in Democratic Republic of the Congo | |
| Coordinates: 1°13′20″N 19°48′10″E / 1.22222°N 19.80278°E | |
| Country |  DR Congo |
| Province | Équateur |
| Territory | Basankusu |
| Elevation | 1,217 ft (371 m) |
| Population (2004) | |
| • Total | 23,764 [1] |
| • Languages | Lomongo Lingala French |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (West Africa Time) |
| Climate | Af |
Basankusu is a town in Équateur Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is the main town and administrative centre of the Basankusu Territory. In 2004, it had an estimated population of 23,764.[1] It has a gravel airstrip, covered and open markets, a hospital, and three cellphone networks, the first of which was installed in 2006. The town is also known as a centre for bonobo conservation efforts. Despite such developments, most inhabitants live at a subsistence level: hunting, fishing, keeping chickens and keeping a vegetable plot. In 2010, the workers at the local palm plantation would earn an average monthly salary of $40 (US dollars), most others would have much less.[2]
The location of the town on the Lulonga River, a tributary of the Congo, at the confluence of the Lopori and Maringa Rivers has contributed to its success as a centre for trade in the region. Set deep in tropical rainforest, the rivers serve as the highways for transport of people as well as goods.[3]
Historically, Basankusu holds some stories of exploitation during the times of the Abir Congo Company but was also the gateway to much of Equateur Province for those individuals involved in the reforms which came from the Casement Report and the Berlin conference of 1884-5.[4][5][6]
- ^ a b "Congo (Dem. Rep.)". City Population. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
- ^ SNV Netherlands Development Organisation: Socio-economic Impact of palm oil producers in Basankusu territory – The result of organisation and structuring of associations, Democratic Republic of Congo. Jean Pierre USOTILA PIE adviser, Portfolio Equateur Province, RD Congo, Palm Oil, Agriculture Archived November 29, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Lulonga River | river, Democratic Republic of the Congo".
- ^ "The Belgian Congo | Boundless World History".
- ^ "Berlin 1884: Remembering the conference that divided Africa".
- ^ "The Three Lives of the Casement Report: Its Impact on Official Reactions and Popular Opinion in Belgium // Articles // Breac // University of Notre Dame".