Kasai-Occidental (Province du Kasaï-Occidental)
The province of Kasaï-Occidental was established in 1966 by regrouping the provinces of Luluabourg and Unité Kasaïenne which in turn were created 1962 when the historical Kasaï Province was divided in five provinces namely Lomami, Sankuru, Sud-Kasai, Luluabourg, Unité-Kasaïenne. The former provinces of Luluabourg and Unité-Kasaïenne correspond to the current districts of Lulua District and Kasaï District. Since its formation the provincial seat is Kananga (formerly Luluabourg) which was also the seat of the Kasaï Province between 1957 and 1962. The Province of Lusambo precedes the current entity, it was created 1933 by carving out the districts of Kasai and Sankuru from the Province of Congo-Kasaï, one of the four provinces established in 1924. The province of Lusambo changed its name to Kasaï Province in 1947 its provincial seat was still Lusambo until 1957 when it was moved to Luluabourg (now Kananga). The Province of Kasai existed until it was subdivided in 1962 into 5 provinces.
The Province derives its name from the Kasaï river which flows through the Kasaï District from south to north. The river is the second longest in DR. Congo and a major tributary of the Congo river. The Kasaï river was variously called Enzzadi, Nsadi, Nzadi, Kassabi, Kasye, Kassaba by the different local tribes (Luba, Tshokwe, Lunda, etc..), latter European explorers came to use the name Kasaï to refer to the river.
Map - Kasai-Occidental (Province du Kasaï-Occidental)
Map
Country - Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo
Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo |
Centered on the Congo Basin, the territory of the DRC was first inhabited by Central African foragers around 90,000 years ago and was reached by the Bantu expansion about 3,000 years ago. In the west, the Kingdom of Kongo ruled around the mouth of the Congo River from the 14th to 19th centuries. In the northeast, center and east, the kingdoms of Azande, Luba, and Lunda ruled from the 16th and 17th centuries to the 19th century. King Leopold II of Belgium formally acquired rights to the Congo territory in 1885 and declared the land his private property, naming it the Congo Free State. From 1885 to 1908, his colonial military forced the local population to produce rubber and committed widespread atrocities. In 1908, Leopold ceded the territory, which thus became a Belgian colony.
Currency / Language
ISO | Currency | Symbol | Significant figures |
---|---|---|---|
CDF | Congolese franc | Fr | 2 |
ISO | Language |
---|---|
FR | French language |
KG | Kongo language |
LN | Lingala language |