Aruwimi District | |
|---|---|
District | |
  Aruwimi District | |
| Coordinates: 0°35′05″N24°10′54″E / 0.584796°N 24.181770°E | |
| Country | Belgian Congo |
| Province | Orientale |
| District | Aruwimi |
Aruwimi District (French : District de l'Aruwimi, Dutch : District Aruwimi) was a district of the Congo Free State and Belgian Congo. It went through various changes in extent before being absorbed into other districts.
Article 3 of the decree of 16 April 1887 provided for the Congo Free State to be divided into administrative districts headed by district commissioners, assisted by one or more deputies. The decree of 1 August 1888 divided the Congo Free State into eleven districts, including Aruwimi-Uele District with its headquarters in Basoko. [1]
A map of the Congo Free State in 1888 shows the district of Aruwimi and Ouellé covering the northeast of the colony, bordering Stanley Pool District to the south, Équateur District to the southwest and Oubandji and Ouellé District to the west. [2] The borders of the district are mostly straight lines through unexplored territory. The name comes from the Aruwimi River, formed where the Ituri River flowing west from the Lake Albert region meets the Nepoko River, and flowing west to join the Congo in the west of the district, and the Uele River, flowing through the north of the district and feeding the Ubangi River, which defined the boundary between the Belgian and French possessions.
In 1895 the number of the districts was increased to fifteen. Aruwimi-Uele was split into two districts: Uele with headquarters in Niangara, and Aruwimi District, still with headquarters in Basoko. Uele was threatened by the Arabs, and was placed under special administration. [1] An 1897 map of the Congo Free State showed the Aruwimi District along the Aruwimi River to the south of Uellé District and to the north of the huge Stanley Falls District. The Aruwimi District had a long extension to the south of the Congo River along the west bank of the Lomami River, between the Stanley Falls District to the east and the Équateur District to the west. [3]
By 1910 the eastern arm of the district along the Aruwimi River had been absorbed into the Stanleyville District, apart from the lowest reaches, but to the south of the Congo River the district stretched south along both sides of the Lomami River. The district was bounded by the Bangala District to the northwest, Uele District to the northeast, Stanleyville District to the east, Kasai District to the southwest and Équateur District to the east. [2] The Aruwimi District became part of the Orientale Province created in 1914. It disappeared with the reorganization of 1933, absorbed into the Stanleyville District in the new Stanleyville Province. [2]
Lualaba District was a district of the pre-2015 Katanga Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The district dates back to the days of the Congo Free State and the Belgian Congo. The original Lualaba District was merged into Katanga in 1910, but in 1933 a new Lualaba District was formed within Katanga. After various significant boundary changes, in 2015 the district became the western part of the present Lualaba Province.
Équateur District was a former district of the Congo Free State, Belgian Congo and Democratic Republic of the Congo. In 1914, it became part of former Équateur Province. The district went through various changes of extent and name over the years. The original district roughly corresponds to the current provinces of Équateur and Tshuapa.
Cataractes District was a district located in the Kongo Central province, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It dated back to the days of the Congo Free State and the Belgian Congo.
Kasai District was a district of the Congo Free State, Belgian Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, named after the Kasai River. It was formed around 1885 and went through several large changes in extent in the years that followed. The 1933 version of the district roughly corresponded to the former Kasai-Occidental province and the present Kasaï and Kasaï-Central provinces.
Kwango District was a district of the Congo Free State, Belgian Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It went through various changes in extent. It roughly corresponded to the present provinces of Kwilu and Kwango.
Alphonse van Gèle, also written van Gele or Vangele, was a Belgian soldier who served as the Vice-Governor General of the Congo Free State from December 1897 until January 1899. He established the Equator Station, or Station de l’Équateur, today Mbandaka, and concluded a treaty with the powerful Zanzibar trader Tippu Tip at the Stanley Falls station, today Kisangani. He is known for having confirmed that the Uele River was the upper part of the Ubangi River.
The Districts of the Belgian Congo were the primary administrative divisions when Belgium annexed the Congo Free State in 1908, each administered by a district commissioner. In 1914 they were distributed among four large provinces, with some boundary changes. In 1933 the provinces were restructured into six, again with boundary changes. The number of districts fluctuated between 12 and 26 through splits and consolidations, first rising, then falling, then rising again.
Lac Léopold II District was a district of the Congo Free State, Belgian Congo and Democratic Republic of the Congo. It went through various changes in extent, but roughly corresponded to the modern Mai-Ndombe Province.
Stanleyville District was a district of the Belgian Congo and Democratic Republic of the Congo. It went through various changes in extent. Between 1933 and 1963 it had roughly the same extent as the current Tshopo province.
Lowa District was a district of the Belgian Congo. It was formed from part of Stanleyville District in 1914, and had been absorbed by Maniema District and Kivu District by 1926.
Uele District was a district of the Congo Free State and the Belgian Congo. It roughly corresponded to the current provinces of Bas-Uélé and Haut-Uélé.
Ubangi District was a district of the Congo Free State, Belgian Congo and Democratic Republic of the Congo. It went through various significant changes in extent.
Bangala District was a district of the Congo Free State and the Belgian Congo. It went through various significant changes in extent. The eastern part very roughly corresponded to the present province of Mongala.
Stanley Falls District was a district of the Congo Free State. It covered most of the eastern part of the colony along the Congo River south from Stanleyville.
Stanley Pool District, later named Moyen-Congo District was a district of the Congo Free State and Belgian Congo. It disappeared in a reorganization of 1914.
The Districts of the Congo Free State were the primary administrative divisions of the Congo Free State from 1885 to 1908. There were various boundary changes in the period before the Congo Free State was annexed by Belgium to become the Belgian Congo.
The Ubangi-Uélé District was a district of the Congo Free State between 1888 and 1895. It was later split into the Ubangi District to the north and Bangala District to the south.
Jules Alexandre Milz was a Belgian soldier who was active in exploring the northeast of the Congo Free State. He traveled extensively in Uele District, where he resolved the question of whether the Uele River was the upper portion of the Ubangi River. He was second in command of an expedition to the Nile in 1891–1892, and took over command after the leader died.
Léon Roget was a Belgian soldier and colonial administrator who was active in the Congo Free State. He was the first commander of the Force Publique, the armed force used to police the colony.