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{{dablink|For the municipality in the Philippines, see
Kananga, LeyteKananga is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 42,866 people in 8,665 households.-Barangays:Kananga is politically subdivided into 23 barangays.-External links:**...
. For the villain in the
James BondJames Bond 007 is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. The character has also been used in the longest running and most financially successful English language film franchise to date, starting in 1962 with Dr...
film
Live and Let DieLive and Let Die is the eighth spy film in the James Bond series, and the first to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The film was produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman...
known as Kananga, see
Mister Big (James Bond)Mr. Big is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the James Bond novel and film Live and Let Die. In the film, Big is portrayed by actor Yaphet Kotto. The novel and film versions of Mr. Big are extremely different, with the film incarnation bordering on being a completely new character...
.
}}
Kananga, formerly (and on some company names) known as
Luluabourg or
Luluaburg, is the capital of
Lulua ProvinceLulua Province is a province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo that was created from Kasai-Occidental province. It will be officially established in 2009 according to the 2006 Constitution.-History:...
in the
Democratic Republic of the CongoThe Democratic Republic of the Congo is a country located in Central Africa, with a small length of Atlantic coastline. It is the third largest country in Africa...
. It has a population of 1,130,100 (2004).
The city lies near the Lulua River - a tributary of the
Kasai RiverThe Kasai River is a tributary of the Congo River, located in central Africa. The river begins in Angola and serves as the border between Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo , then flows into the DRC, where it joins the Congo northeast of Kinshasa. The Kasai's tributaries include the...
and the
IleboIlebo, formerly known as Port-Francqui, is a town in Kasai Province in the Democratic Republic of Congo, lying at the highest navigable point of the Kasaï River. As such, it is an important transport hub for ferries to Kinshasa and trains to Lubumbashi....
–
LubumbashiLubumbashi is the second largest city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo , second only to the nation's capital Kinshasa, and the hub of the southeastern part of the country. The copper-mining city serves as the capital of the relatively prosperous Haut-Katanga Province, lying near the...
railway. An important
commercialCommerce is a division of trade or production which deals with the exchange of goods and services from producer to final consumer. It comprises the trading of something of economic value such as goods, services, information, or money between two or more entities...
and
administrative centreAdministrative centre is often used in several countries to refer to a county town, or other seat of regional or local government, or the place where the central administration of a commune is located. -See also:*Local government*Regions of Norway*Regions of Portugal*District center...
, it is home to a
museumA museum is a building or institution which houses a collection of artifacts.Museums collect and care for objects of scientific, artistic, or historical importance and make them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary...
and to
Kananga AirportKananga Airport is an airport in Kananga, Democratic Republic of the Congo.-Airlines and destinations:...
.
History
GermanGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
explorer
Hermann WissmannHermann Wissmann was a German explorer and administrator in Africa.In 1880, Wissmann accompanied explorer Paul Pogge on a journey through the Congo Basin. In the eastern Congo, Pogge and Wissmann parted company...
established a station in the area around present-day Kananga, on the left-bank of the Lulua river. Wissmann named the station
Malandji, a name suggested by his 400 carriers, who were from the city of
MalanjeMalange is the capital city of Malanje Province in Angola Pop. 222,000 aprox. Malange, at an elevation of 1,220 m. Nearby is the spectacular Calandula waterfalls, 85 km from the city. These falls are 105 metres high and their great width makes them the main tourist attraction in the region. It...
in Angola. Later on, with the construction of the railway on the other bank of the river, the station was moved, and the Lulua train station gave its name to the new town, namely
Luluabourg. The old location is named
Malandji-Makulu (old Malandji) to this day.
At the Brussels Round Table in 1960, the name given to the negotiations for the independence of the (then)
Belgian CongoThe Democratic Republic of the Congo is a country located in Central Africa, with a small length of Atlantic coastline. It is the third largest country in Africa...
, a decision was taken that the new state would move the location of its capital from
Kinshasa{{clear}}{{clear}}{{clear}}{{clear}}{{clear}}{{clear}}{{Infobox settlement|name = Kinshasa|official_name =|other_name = formerly Léopoldville or Leopoldstad...
to Kananga (then Luluabourg), due to the latter's central location. However, due to multiple political setbacks, and particularly the secession attempt by
Albert KalonjiAlbert Kalonji is a Congolese politician best known for leading the short-lived secessionist state of South Kasai during the Congo Crisis...
and his
South KasaiSouth Kasai was a secessionist region in the area of south central Republic of the Congo during the early 1960s. The region sought independence in similar circumstances to neighboring State of Katanga during the political turmoil arising from the decolonization of Belgian Congo...
, this decision was never implemented. When the central government reconquered South Kasai in 1962, Luluabourg became the capital of the new
Kasai-OccidentalKasai-Occidental is a province of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Its provincial capital is Kananga. It borders Bandundu to the west, Equateur to the north, Kasai-Oriental to the east, and Katanga to the south-east. To the south it borders the country of Angola.- Post-2006 Constitution...
province.
In 1966, during an
AfricanizationAfricanization or Africanisation has been applied in various contexts, notably in naming and in the composition of staff.-Africanization of names:...
campaign,
Mobutu Sese SekoMobutu Sésé Seko Nkuku Ngbendu wa Za Banga , commonly known as Mobutu or Mobutu Sésé Seko , born Joseph-Désiré Mobutu, became the President of Zaire after deposing Joseph Kasavubu. He remained in office for 31.5 years...
renamed a number of cities and towns that bore European names. Leopoldville became
Kinshasa{{clear}}{{clear}}{{clear}}{{clear}}{{clear}}{{clear}}{{Infobox settlement|name = Kinshasa|official_name =|other_name = formerly Léopoldville or Leopoldstad...
, and Luluabourg became Kananga.
Under the 2006 constitution, the Democratic republic of the Congo was divided in 25 provinces, and one national Capital city (
Kinshasa{{clear}}{{clear}}{{clear}}{{clear}}{{clear}}{{clear}}{{Infobox settlement|name = Kinshasa|official_name =|other_name = formerly Léopoldville or Leopoldstad...
). The
Kasai-OccidentalKasai-Occidental is a province of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Its provincial capital is Kananga. It borders Bandundu to the west, Equateur to the north, Kasai-Oriental to the east, and Katanga to the south-east. To the south it borders the country of Angola.- Post-2006 Constitution...
was divided into two provinces. Kananga became the capital of the
Lulua ProvinceLulua Province is a province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo that was created from Kasai-Occidental province. It will be officially established in 2009 according to the 2006 Constitution.-History:...
.
Locally, Kananga is known as
Kananga-Malandji, or even
Kananga-Malandji wa Nshinga.
Nshinga, or cables, stands for the large high-voltage cables of the
Inga-ShabaThe Inga-Shaba EHVDC Transmission Line is a 1200 mile long high-voltage direct current overhead electric power transmission line in the Democratic Republic of Congo, linking the Inga hydroelectric complex at the mouth of the Congo River to mineral fields in Shaba, currently Katanga...
project, that cross the skies of Kananga, and that link
KolweziKolwezi is a city in Lualaba Province in the south of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, west of Likasi. It is home to an airport and a railway to Lubumbashi. The population is approximately 418,000....
and the southern
Katanga ProvinceKatanga is a southern province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Between 1971 and 1997, its official name was Shaba Province. Under the new constitution, the province is to be replaced by four smaller provinces by February 2009. Its regional capital is Lubumbashi...
(post-2006, the
Lualaba ProvinceLualaba Province is one of the new provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to be established by 18 February 2009 by dividing Katanga Province into four parts, under the 2006 Constitution. The capital of Lualaba Province is Kolwezi....
) to the
Inga DamThe Inga Dams, located in western Democratic Republic of the Congo 140 miles southwest of Kinshasa, are hydroelectric dams on the largest waterfalls in the world, Inga Falls. Here the Congo River drops 96 metres and has an average flow of 42,476 m³/s....
in
Kongo CentralKongo Central is a province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. At the time of the independence of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the province was part of the greater province of Leopoldville, along with the current provinces of Kinshasa, Kwango, Kwilu and Mai-ndombe...
.
Accident
A
railway accidentKananga railway accident include a number of incidents:* 1 August, 2007 - A railway accident 100 km west of this town, caused by a brake failure, resulted in 100 fatalities. Other sources report this as a derailment....
100km west of this town, caused by a brake failure, resulted in 100 fatalities.
Trivia
- Kananga (as Luluabourg) was the site of the drafting of the first Congolese-written constitution for the Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a country located in Central Africa, with a small length of Atlantic coastline. It is the third largest country in Africa...
, in 1964.
External links
{{New DRC provincial capitals}}
{{coord|05|53.82|S| 22|26.93|E|type:city|display=title}}