Sankuru is a province in central Democratic Republic of the Congo, with its capital at Lusambo. It covers 104,331 km² and holds a projected 2,417,000 people, which makes it one of the largest and most thinly settled of the 26 provinces created in the 2015 repartitioning.
| Capital | Lusambo |
|---|---|
| Population | 2,417,000 (2019 projection) |
| Area | 104,331 km² |
| Territories | 6 |
| Cities | Lusambo (capital); Lodja is the largest town |
| Languages | French (official); Otetela, Tshiluba, Kiswahili |
| Neighbours | Tshuapa, Tshopo, Maniema, Lomami, Kasaï-Oriental, Kasaï-Central, Kasaï |
Towns, Cities and Territories
Sankuru has six territories. Each takes its name from its headquarters town, so there is no name mismatch to catch you out.
| Territory | Headquarters | Area |
|---|---|---|
| Katako-Kombe | Katako-Kombe | 25,949 km² |
| Kole | Kole | 16,192 km² |
| Lodja | Lodja | 12,054 km² |
| Lomela | Lomela | 26,346 km² |
| Lubefu | Lubefu | 12,229 km² |
| Lusambo | Lusambo | 16,508 km² |
Lodja is the province’s commercial centre and largest town, with 68,244 residents recorded in 2016 — more than twice Lusambo, the capital, which stood at about 28,520 in 2004. The other town people ask about is Tshumbe, in Lubefu territory, the Catholic mission seat that has given the area its schools and hospital for a century. Lomela and Kole, in the forested north, are the hardest to reach; Katako-Kombe is the largest territory by population.
Geography
Sankuru is named for the Sankuru River, which crosses the province and gives Lusambo its port. Lusambo stands just north of where the Lubi River joins the Sankuru. The Lomami runs along the eastern side and the Lukenie and Lubefu drain the north. The south is wooded savanna; the north, around Lomela and Kole, is equatorial rainforest on the southern rim of the Congo basin. Sankuru borders seven provinces: Tshuapa and Tshopo to the north, Maniema to the east, Lomami and Kasaï-Oriental to the south-east, Kasaï-Central to the south, and Kasaï to the south-west.
Demographics
Density averages about 23 people per km², among the lowest in the country, and much of the northern forest is close to empty. DR Congo has held no census since 1984, so all figures are projections; a 2020 estimate put the province at 2,593,400. The dominant people are the Tetela (Batetela), whose language, Otetela, is what you will hear in daily life; Tshiluba and Kiswahili serve as trade languages and French is official. Kuba, Songye, Luba and Twa communities live along the southern and western edges, and Anamongo groups occupy the northern forest.
Economy and Local Life
Farming carries the province. Rice is the crop Sankuru is known for, with Lodja as its collection point, alongside cassava, maize, bananas, pineapples, sugar cane, sorghum and coffee. Fishing on the Sankuru, Lomami and Lukenie is a real part of household income, and timber, charcoal and brickmaking are the small industries.
Minerals are present but barely worked: diamonds, gold, iron and cassiterite occur across the province, and artisanal diamond digging around Lodja is the main extractive activity. The limit is transport. There is no railway and few maintained roads, so produce moves by river and by bicycle, and the distance to a buyer is what sets the price at any market here.
History
Lusambo is older than the province. Paul Le Marinel chose it in 1890 as the main Belgian base in Kasaï, and it became one of the Congo Free State’s most important military posts. Sankuru was a province in its own right from 1962 to 1966, then a district of the former Kasaï-Oriental province from 1966 until 2015, when that province was split into Sankuru, Lomami and the new Kasaï-Oriental. Patrice Lumumba, DR Congo’s first prime minister, was born in Katako-Kombe territory, and the province still trades on that association.
Getting There
Lodja Airport (FZVA), about 7 km from town, is the practical way into the province and takes light domestic flights. Lusambo has its own airport serving the capital. Overland, Lusambo is reached from Mbuji-Mayi and Kananga on earth roads, and the Sankuru River carries freight and passengers when levels allow. There is no railway anywhere in the province. Journeys to Lomela and Kole in the north are long and seasonal; plan around the rains, which run roughly October to May.
FAQ
What is the capital of Sankuru?
Lusambo, on the Sankuru River. It is the administrative capital, though Lodja is the larger and busier town.
How many territories does Sankuru have?
Six: Katako-Kombe, Kole, Lodja, Lomela, Lubefu and Lusambo. Each is named after its headquarters town.
What language is spoken in Sankuru?
Otetela, the language of the Tetela people, is the everyday language. Tshiluba and Kiswahili are used in trade and French is official.
What is the largest town in Sankuru?
Lodja, with 68,244 residents in 2016. It is the province’s commercial centre and the hub of its rice trade.
Was Patrice Lumumba from Sankuru?
Yes. He was born in Katako-Kombe territory in 1925 and remains the province’s best-known figure.
Which province was Sankuru part of before 2015?
The former Kasaï-Oriental, where it was a district from 1966. It had also been a separate province between 1962 and 1966.