The Kasai River ( Swahili : Mto Kasai , French : Kasaï [ka.sa.i] ; called Cassai in Angola) is a left bank tributary of the Congo River , located in Central Africa . The river begins in central Angola and flows to the east until it reaches the border between Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo , where it turns north and serves as the border until it flows into the DRC. From Ilebo , between the confluences with Lulua river and Sankuru river , the Kasai river turns to a westerly direction. The lower stretch of the river, from the confluence with Fimi river until it joins the Congo at Kwamouth northeast of Kinshasa, is also known as the Kwa(h) River .
8-751: The Luao River forms part of the boundary between Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is a right tributary of the Kasai River . The Luao River flows from south to north along the border between Moxico Province of Angola and Lualaba Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). It flows between the towns of Luau in Angola and Dilolo in the DRC. The border agreement between Portugal and Belgium of 25 May 1891 defined part of
16-584: A large area west of the Luau River in an exchange of territories agreed on 22 July 1927. In return for the "Dilolo Hook", Belgium gained a smaller area to the northwest which opened an easier railway route from Matadi to Léopoldville . A bridge carries the Benguela railway and the EN230 highway across the river between Luau and Dililo. The Benguela railway, built by a subsidiary of Tanganyika Concessions ,
24-482: A region noted for its infertile, sandy soil. It is a tributary of Congo river and diamonds are found in it. Around 60% of diamonds in Belgium go from Kasai river for cutting and shaping. Henry Morton Stanley reached the confluence on 9 March 1877, calling the river Nkutu, a "powerful and deep river", but recognizing it as originating from David Livingstone 's Kwango. The Kasai's main tributaries upstream from
32-614: The 18th and 19th centuries, left a lasting impact in the regions where they were most prominent, such as between the Kwango and the Kwilu rivers. The population has never recovered fully, with the population density lower than that of areas that did not experience the slave trade. The most probable trigger to British and Portuguese great interests in the Kasai River was the presence of alluvial diamonds lying in rich deposit beds, especially at
40-684: The border as being a tributary of the Kasai up to Lago Dilolo . However, it was discovered that Lago Dilolo drained southeast into the Zambezi watershed rather than north to the Kasai. The Portuguese claimed that the Luao tributary of the Kasai should be taken as the boundary, while the Belgians were in favor of the Luacano River , a tributary of the Kasai farther to the west. Eventually Belgium ceded
48-539: The confluence with the Congo: The tributaries of River Kasai are clear of obstacles like cataracts and river weed, making them very navigable. They facilitate the transport sector and form an important trade artery. The river's role in transport and trade was more prominent during the pre-colonial period when the slave trade was legal. Slave traders used one of its major tributaries, the Kwango River, to navigate
56-499: The equatorial rain forest, capture slaves and find their way back to the Atlantic Ocean where they had docked their ships. It is greatly controversial that some of the local kingdoms that were along the Kasai River supported the slave trade. The Rund kingdom for instance, readily provided slaves for the most notorious slave traders like John Matthews, a renowned British slave vendor. These activities, though they occurred between
64-679: Was completed from Lobito on the Atlantic coast to Dilolo in August 1928. It took another 22 months to complete the 324 miles (521 km) line from Dilolo to Tenke , where it connected with the Katanga network run by the Compagnie du chemin de fer du bas-Congo au Katanga (BCK). The line was officially opened on 1 July 1931. Kasai River The Kasai basin consists mainly of equatorial rainforest areas, which provide an agricultural land in
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