21-548: Bandundu is one of eleven former provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo . It bordered the provinces of Kinshasa and Bas-Congo to the west, Équateur to the north, and Kasai-Occidental to the east. The provincial capital is also called Bandundu (formerly Banningstad/Banningville). Bandundu was formed in 1966 by merging the three post-colonial political regions: Kwilu, Kwango, and Mai-Ndombe. Under
42-469: A bill for decentralisation in the National Assembly . The subsequent debate turned up a variety of issues that first had to be addressed with changes to related laws. In an October 2010 conclave of the ruling AMP coalition, it was proposed to revise Article 226, which calls for the creation of 26 provinces out of the current 11, in order to allow more time for the transition. On 9 January 2015
63-563: A coup on 24 November 1965, Colonel Joseph Mobutu became president of the country and the constitution was suspended. Measures were instituted to reduce provincial autonomy and increase political centralisation. On 6 April 1966, a presidential decree reduced the number of provinces to 12. On 24 December, Mobutu declared that the number of provinces would be further reduced to eight. Under the constitution of 27 June 1976, provincial assemblies and ministers were eliminated in favor of appointed governors and advisory bodies. The constitution also left
84-530: A nightlife of Congolese music for the younger population; however, most citizens prefer the sidewalk cafes with music, grilled goat meat and beer; such as Primus, Mitzig and Doppel. Local transportation in Bandundu is mostly bicycles and motorbikes referred to as "Toleka" meaning "Let's go" in the Lingala language. Traffic flows are closely directed by the street police at each intersection to avoid clashes between
105-463: A town (Cite). It is about 45 km to Panu, one of the major harbours of Idiofa territory. Mateko is surrounded by beautiful small and big rivers such as Kamuntsha , Diambala river, Madzulu and Kimpele. Kamuntsha river is the nearest big river to Mateko, a tributary of the Kasai river and one of the important rivers of the region that facilitates trading between Mateko and Kinshasa . Kikongo (Kituba)
126-480: Is the main language of Mateko. Many citizens of Bandundu make their living with small provision shops selling basic food items, various beauty products and other beauty products such as weave hair. There has been an increase in foreign entrepreneurs opening electronics shops and other electronic items increasing the market awareness. Today's bus transportation (costs $ 30 one way) from Kinshasa (the Capital) to Bandundu
147-560: Is twice a week, but the ferry crossing only operates from 7am to 5 pm. There are two television stations normally showing local news from Kinshasa, religion or the country's national sport; football. Hotels, like the Hotel Vendome, are slowly evolving in the center of town, offering full services to include its own dedicated internet. Although international visitors are minimal, there are occasional visitors connected to NGOs and local government work. Chez Jacque, an outdoor disco, provides
168-545: The Constitution of the Democratic Republic of the Congo , adopted in 2006, specifies a territorial organisation into 26 provinces, again resembling the previous provincettes and original colonial districts. The reorganisation was scheduled to take effect within three years of the new constitution's promulgation, however progress was slow. In October 2007 the Minister for Decentralisation, Denis Kalume Numbi , presented
189-571: The Loi Fondementale ", manage provincial police and judicial officials, establish educational systems lower than higher education, tend to agricultural and mining concessions, construct and maintain local railways, roads, and public works, and manage their own finances, though their funding was heavily subsidized by the central government. Social legislation and national minimum wages were to be concurrent powers shared with central authorities. All other duties and responsibilities rested with
210-716: The 2006 constitution, Bandundu was to be broken up again into the aforementioned political regions. This finally took place in the 2015 repartitioning . Kwilu province was formed by combining the Kwilu district and the cities of Bandundu and Kikwit , Kwango province from the Kwango district, and Mai-Ndombe province by combining the Plateaux and Mai-Ndombe districts. The landscape of Bandundu province consisted primarily of plateaus covered in savanna , cut by rivers and streams that are often bordered by thick forest. The province
231-427: The Congo . Under the first constitution, the Loi Fondementale , six provinces were provided for: Equateur, Kasai, Katanga, Kivu, Leopoldville, and Orientale. The provinces were organized with their own elected assemblies and parliamentary governments responsible to them. Provincial authorities had the power to organise the "political structures of the province within the framework of the general principles contained in
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#1732779897866252-726: The Democratic Republic of the Congo Article 2 of the Constitution of the Democratic Republic of the Congo divides the country into the capital city of Kinshasa and 25 named provinces. It also gives the capital the status of a province. Therefore, in many contexts Kinshasa is regarded as the 26th province. (per km in 2019) When Belgium annexed the Belgian Congo as a colony in November 1908, it
273-524: The central government. As central authority collapsed due to the outbreak of the Congo Crisis following an army mutiny in July, provincial governments were able to leverage the situation to increase their political autonomy. The disintegration of central authority led to numerous political discussions aimed at reconciliation and territorial reorganization marked by various political leaders arguing for
294-501: The creation of new provinces from which many of them sought to personally benefit. In August 1962, 16 additional provinces were promulgated. By 1963, the country was organised into 21 provinces (informally called provincettes ) plus the capital city of Léopoldville, similar to the original 22 districts under colonial rule. This framework was confirmed in the Luluabourg Constitution , promulgated in 1964. Following
315-605: The districts of Kwango , Kwilu , Mai-Ndombe and Plateaux . Cities and towns, with their 2010 populations, are: Mateko is a town located in the Bandundu Province. The total population of the town in 2,367. It is located in the North-West of Idiofa Territory in the Kwilu District . The name Mateko designates: Mateko as a Sector (Collectivite), Mateko as a local municipality (Groupement) and Mateko as
336-411: The few cars, motor bikes, foot traffic, and push carts. The local cultural center is used for graduations, public services, and church. There are enormous money changing outlets for local and international money, such as Soficom and Western Union. Music is an enormous part of life in the Congo where the love of the rhumba can dominate the dance floor with the likes for King Kester Emeneya, etc., crooning to
357-601: The old samba beat from a Cuban influence. Two main trade languages are spoken in the Bandundu Province: Lingala , spoken north of the Kasai River, and Kituba (also called Kikongo ya Leta) spoken south of the river. These languages have become so commonplace that many have grown up using them as their first language. There are also many local dialects such as Lele , Kimbala , Kisamba , and Wongo . Download coordinates as: Provinces of
378-454: The organisation of provinces to be determined by law. In 1971, the country was renamed Zaire , and three provinces were also renamed. In 1975, the capital city of Kinshasa obtained the status of a province. In 1988, the province of Kivu was split into three. In 1997, the country was renamed Democratic Republic of the Congo , and the three provinces that had been renamed in 1971 either retook their previous name or took another. Article 2 of
399-403: The valleys. The main crops are manioc (cassava), maize, squash, and beans. The villagers raise chickens, ducks, goats, sheep and cattle, and supplement their diet with fish and bushmeat. A few Indian and Chinese business people selling electronics, such as cell phones, televisions and sound systems, have opened shop recently. The province was divided into the cities of Bandundu and Kikwit and
420-662: Was bisected by the Kasai River , which flows into the Congo River on the province's western boundary. Other major rivers are the Kwango , Kwenge , Kwilu and Lukenie . Lake Mai-Ndombe is the largest lake, with this lake and the surrounding swamp forest forming the southern portion of the Tumba-Ngiri-Maindombe Ramsar wetlands. Most villages are situated on the higher ground, with the villagers practicing shifting slash-and-burn agriculture in
441-597: Was initially organised into 22 districts. Ten western districts were administered directly by the main colonial government, while the eastern part of the colony was administered under two vice-governments: eight northeastern districts formed Orientale Province, and four southeastern districts formed Katanga. In 1919, the colony was organised into four provinces: In 1932, the colony was reorganised into six provinces. Initially they were named after their capital cities, but in 1947 regional names were adopted. The Belgian Congo became an independent country in 1960, named Republic of
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