Tshikapa
Tshikapa | |
|---|---|
Provincial capital and city | |
| Ville de Tshikapa | |
An overhead view of Tshikapa | |
| Coordinates: 6°25′S 20°48′E / 6.417°S 20.800°E | |
| Country | Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Province | Kasaï |
| City status | 2003 |
| Named after | Tshikapa River |
| Communes | Dibumba I, Dibumba II, Kanzala, Mabondo, Mbumba |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Faustin Lumuluabo |
| Area | |
| • Urban | 38 km2 (15 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 485 m (1,591 ft) |
| Population (2016 estimate) | |
| • Urban | 732,000 |
| • Urban density | 19,000/km2 (50,000/sq mi) |
| • City | 267,462 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (Central Africa Time) |
| Climate | Aw |
Tshikapa is the capital city of Kasaï Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The city is located 60 km (37 mi) north of the Angolan border and 189 km (117 mi) west of Kananga at the confluence of the Tshikapa and Kasai rivers. According to records published by the Utrecht University library, the population of the city has grown from 38,900 in 1970 to 180,900 in 1994. However, the two recent Congo wars have caused great flux in population rendering current figures unreliable. Tshikapa has been a site of diamond mining since its founding in the early 20th century. The city was founded by Forminière, an American/Belgian mining consortium which discovered diamonds near this location in the early 1900s.
The city is served by the Tshikapa Airport. The diamond industry is the main form of income for the city. Despite this, it is poor and few of the roads are paved.