Bandundu, formerly known as Banningville or Banningstad, is the capital city of Kwilu Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Location

Bandundu is located on the east bank of the Kwango River, just north of the confluence of the Kwango and the Kwilu, and 8 km south from the mouth of the Kwango on the Kasai River. It is around 260 km from Kinshasa by air, or about 400 km by road. In 2009, Bandundu had an estimated population of 133,080.

Economy

Bandundu was once a significant river port, as it is the largest town on the river between Kinshasa and Kikwit. However, traffic on the Kasai and Kwango Rivers dropped dramatically as a result of the Second Congo War, and has yet to recover. Bandundu does have intermittent passenger and freight service to Kinshasa, Mushie and Kikwit. Since 2008, there is a car/truck ferry service running several times per day across the Kwango. An unpaved road, roughly 250 km long, runs from this point to the main (paved) highway between Kinshasa and Kikwit. Bandundu is served by Bandundu Airport, with direct flights to Kinshasa. Unlike many cities in the Congo, Bandundu has a fairly constant supply of electricity. However, this has nothing to do with Inga-Shaba HVDC line, as this line has no intermediate terminals.

Climate

Under the Köppen climate classification, Bandundu has a tropical wet and dry climate (Aw).

Sister cities

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