Équateur (former province)


Équateur was one of the eleven provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo between 1966 and 2015, when it was split into the new, smaller Équateur province, as well as the Tshuapa, Mongala, Nord-Ubangi and Sud-Ubangi provinces.
Located in the north of the country, the province bordered the Republic of the Congo to the west, the Central African Republic to the north, to the east the Orientale province, and to the south the Kasai-Oriental, Kasai-Occidental, and Bandundu provinces.
The word "Équateur" is French for the Equator, which lies less than south of the provincial capital of Mbandaka, a city on the Congo River.

History

1962 Équateur Province was split into Cuvette-Centrale Province, Moyen-Congo Province and Ubangi Province.
In 2015 when it was split under the terms of the 2006 Constitution, it formed five new provinces:

Divisions

The province is divided into the cities of Mbandaka, Gbadolite and Zongo and the districts of Équateur, Nord-Ubangi, Sud-Ubangi, Mongala and Tshuapa.
NameDistrictTerritoryPop. 2010Coordinates
BasankusuÉquateur DistrictBasankusu Territory27,492
BefaleTshuapa DistrictBefale Territory3,723
BikoroÉquateur DistrictBikoro Territory7,128
BingaMongala DistrictBinga Territory64,639
BoendeTshuapa DistrictBoende Territory33,765
BokunguTshuapa DistrictBokungu Territory7,829
BolombaÉquateur DistrictBolomba Territory4,252
BomongoÉquateur DistrictBomongo Territory4,784
BongandangaMongala DistrictBongandanga Territory3,648
BosoboloNord-Ubangi DistrictBosobolo Territory12,932
BudjalaSud-Ubangi DistrictBudjala Territory21,259
BumbaMongala DistrictBumba Territory103,328
BusingaNord-Ubangi DistrictBusinga Territory32,590
GbadoliteNord-Ubangi District48,083
GemenaSud-Ubangi DistrictGemena Territory132,971
IkelaTshuapa DistrictIkela Territory15,214
IngendeÉquateur DistrictIngende Territory3,951
KunguSud-Ubangi DistrictKungu Territory7,738
LibengeSud-Ubangi DistrictLibenge Territory23,962
LisalaMongala DistrictLisala Territory79,235
LukolelaÉquateur DistrictLukolela Territory15,230
MbandakaÉquateur District324,236
Mobayi-MbongoNord-Ubangi DistrictMobayi-Mbongo Territory5,413
MonkotoTshuapa DistrictMonkoto Territory8,640
YakomaNord-Ubangi DistrictYakoma Territory11,720
ZongoSud-Ubangi District32,516

Education