Tshopo

For the river, see Tshopo River.

Tshopo is one of the 21 provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo created in the 2015 repartitioning. It is situated in the north central part of the country on the Tshopo River, for which it is named.

Tshopo Province de la Tshopo (French) Mkoa wa Tshopo (Swahili)
Province
Cascades of the Tshopo River
Seal
Coordinates: 0°31′N 25°12′E
Country	Democratic Republic of the Congo
Established	2015
Named for	Tshopo River
Capital	Kisangani
Government
• Governor	Paulin Lendongolia[1]
Area
• Total	199,567 km2 (77,053 sq mi)
Population  (2020 est.)
• Total	2,829,700
• Density	14/km2 (37/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+2 (Central Africa Time)
License Plate Code	CGO / 25
Official language	French
Website	latshopo.com

Tshopo, Bas-Uele, Haut-Uele, and Ituri provinces are the result of the dismemberment of the former Orientale province.^[2] Tshopo was formed from the Tshopo district and the independently administered city of Kisangani which retained its status as a provincial capital.

The 2020 population was estimated to be 2,829,700.^[3]

History

From 1963 to 1966, the area was constituted as the province of Haut-Congo (Upper Congo). It was merged into Orientale Province in 1966 as, separately, the District of Tshopo and the city of Kisangani. The Presidents (later governors) of Haut-Congo were:

• 1963 – 26 June 1963: Georges Grenfell (b. 1908)
• 26 June 1963 – 1964: Paul Isombuma
• 1964 – August 1964: François Aradjabu
• August 1964 – 5 Nov 1966: Jean Marie Alamazani

Provincial status was re-instated to Tshopo in 2015, being formed from Tshopo District and the city of Kisangani.^[4]

Approximate correspondence between historical and current province

Approximate correspondence between historical and current province

Belgian Congo				Republic of the Congo		Zaire		Democratic Republic of the Congo
1908	1919	1932	1947	1963	1966	1971	1988	1997	2015
22 districts	4 provinces	6 provinces	6 provinces	21 provinces + capital	8 provinces + capital	8 provinces + capital	11 provinces	11 provinces	26 provinces
Bas-Uele	Orientale	Stanleyville	Orientale	Uele	Orientale	Haut-Zaïre		Orientale	Bas-Uele
Haut-Uele									Haut-Uele
Ituri				Kibali-Ituri					Ituri
Stanleyville				Haut-Congo					Tshopo
Aruwimi
Maniema		Costermansville	Kivu	Maniema	Kivu		Maniema
Lowa
Kivu				Nord-Kivu			Nord-Kivu
				Kivu-Central			Sud-Kivu

Territories

The provincial capital is the city of Kisangani. Territories are:^[5]

• Bafwasende
• Banalia
• Basoko
• Isangi
• Opala
• Ubundu
• Yahuma

References

1. "Le nouveau gouverneur de Tshopo exhorte la population à collaborer avec le gouvernement provincial". Radio Okapi (in French). 29 June 2024. Retrieved 29 June 2024.
2. "Découpage territorial : procédures d'installation de nouvelles provinces". Radio Okapi (in French). 13 July 2015. Archived from the original on 19 July 2015. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
3. "Congo (Dem. Rep.): Provinces, Major Cities & Towns - Population Statistics, Maps, Charts, Weather and Web Information". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 2024-02-11.
4. "Provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo". Statiods.com.
5. Blaes, X. (October 2008). "Découpage administratif de la République Démocratique du Congo" (PDF). PNUD-SIG. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-04-01. Retrieved 2011-12-09.

External links

• Stanleyville.be City of Kisangani Website.