Bunia

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Bunia
Provincial capital and city
Ville de Bunia
Bunia.JPG
Bunia from the air, looking north toward the Nyakasanza district
Democratic Republic of the Congo adm location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Bunia
Location in Democratic Republic of the Congo
Coordinates: 1°34′N30°15′E / 1.567°N 30.250°E / 1.567; 30.250
Country Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg Democratic Republic of the Congo
Province Ituri
Government
 • MayorFerdinand Fimbo Lebilye [1]
Area
 • City576 km2 (222 sq mi)
 • Urban
53 km2 (20 sq mi)
Elevation
1,277 m (4,190 ft)
Population
 (2015) [2]
 • City900,666
 • Density1,600/km2 (4,000/sq mi)
 •  Urban
[3]
486,000
 • Urban density9,200/km2 (24,000/sq mi)
Time zone UTC+2 (Central Africa Time)
Climate Af
National language Swahili

Bunia is the capital city of Ituri Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). It was part of the Orientale Province until that province's dissolution. [4]

Contents

It lies at an elevation of 1,275 metres or 4,180 feet on a plateau about 30 kilometres or 19 miles west of Lake Albert in the Albertine Rift, and about 25 kilometres or 16 miles east of the Ituri Rainforest.

The city is at the center of the Ituri conflict between the Lendu and Hema. In the Second Congo War the city and district were the scene of much fighting and many civilian deaths from this conflict, and related clashes between militias and Uganda-based forces. Consequently, the city is the base of one of the largest United Nations peace-keeping forces in Africa, and its headquarters in northeastern DRC. The area's natural resources include gold mines over which militias and foreign forces have been fighting.

Climate

Bunia has a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen Af) with warm, humid and wet conditions prevailing year-round. Although rainfall is reduced substantially between December and February, those months still average over 130 millimetres or 5 inches of rain. For the rest of the year, rainfall is very heavy with over 230 millimetres or 9.1 inches for nine months of the year.

Climate data for Bunia
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)29.4
(84.9)		28.9
(84.0)		28.9
(84.0)		28.3
(82.9)		27.2
(81.0)		26.1
(79.0)		25.6
(78.1)		26.1
(79.0)		27.2
(81.0)		27.2
(81.0)		27.2
(81.0)		28.3
(82.9)		27.5
(81.5)
Daily mean °C (°F)22.8
(73.0)		22.8
(73.0)		22.8
(73.0)		22.8
(73.0)		22.2
(72.0)		20.8
(69.4)		20.6
(69.1)		20.6
(69.1)		21.1
(70.0)		21.4
(70.5)		21.1
(70.0)		22.0
(71.6)		21.8
(71.2)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)16.1
(61.0)		16.7
(62.1)		16.7
(62.1)		17.2
(63.0)		17.2
(63.0)		15.6
(60.1)		15.6
(60.1)		15.0
(59.0)		15.0
(59.0)		15.6
(60.1)		15.0
(59.0)		15.6
(60.1)		15.9
(60.6)
Average rainfall mm (inches)139.7
(5.50)		172.7
(6.80)		238.8
(9.40)		269.3
(10.60)		317.5
(12.50)		266.7
(10.50)		309.9
(12.20)		393.7
(15.50)		243.8
(9.60)		274.3
(10.80)		304.8
(12.00)		165.1
(6.50)		3,096.3
(121.9)
Source: [5]

Transport

The main dirt highways connecting north-eastern DR Congo with Kisangani to the west and Butembo and Goma to the south pass through Bunia, but have fallen into disrepair and are virtually impassable, especially after the frequent rains.

Bunia is only 40 kilometres or 25 miles from the Ugandan border running down Lake Albert, but there are no road connections across the Great Rift Valley to the closest Ugandan towns of Toro and Fort Portal. Instead a dirt highway going north-east reaches Arua and Gulu north of the lake. Before the war made the route impassable, this was the chief trade route between the DRC and Uganda, as well between the DRC and Juba in South Sudan, and Bunia was an important market city, for cross-border trade as well as internal trade.

The supposed route of the Lagos-Mombasa Highway passes just to the south of Bunia, emphasising its potential as a centre of trade, but that transnational highway does not exist as a viable route through the DRC.

Bunia is linked to the small port of Kasenyi on Lake Albert by a 60 kilometres (37 mi) dirt track via Bogoro, which has a spectacular and dangerous 600-metre descent of the western escarpment of the Great Rift Valley. Kasenyi has a 155 metres (509 ft) jetty from which boat transport can link with Mahagi-Port at the north end of the lake, and with Butiaba and Ntoroko on the Eastern Lake Albert Shore (Ugandan side) and Pakwach on the Albert Nile.

Given the poor state of the roads, and the total lack of railway transport, Bunia Airport is of prime importance.

Demographics

Projected to be the eighth fastest growing city on the African continent between 2020 and 2025, with a 5.63% growth. [6]

Other features

Bunia from the air. Over Bunia.jpg
Bunia from the air.

Mount Hoyo is 35 kilometres or 22 miles south-west of Bunia. The Shari River flows along the northwestern outskirts of the city. The Ituri River flows around 35 km west of Bunia. The confluence of the Shari and Ituri is about 45 kilometres or 28 miles south-southwest of Bunia. [7]

Although Bunia is about 170 kilometres or 110 miles north of the Equator, the city was featured in the BBC television travel documentary Equator made in 2006, since it was one of the few places near the Equator in eastern DRC where the safety of the TV crew could be assured, by the presence of the large UN peace-keeping force.

Higher education

Bunia has a number of universities, the largest being the University of Bunia (UNIBU) followed by the private Université Shalom de Bunia (USB) which offers the largest library in Bunia (about 40,000 volumes) with an online catalog.

Related Research Articles

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References

  1. ↑ "Ituri : les chefs de quartiers et des avenues achèvent un atelier de formation sur la gouvernance participative". ACP Média Public (in French). ACP. 6 August 2019. Archived from the original on 7 August 2019. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
  2. ↑ "Cellule d'Analyses des Indicateurs de Développement" . Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  3. ↑ "Bunia, Democratic Republic of the Congo Population (2024) - Population Stat". populationstat.com. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  4. ↑ "Congo (Dem. Rep.): largest cities and towns and statistics of their population". World Gazetteer. Retrieved 21 January 2009.[ dead link ]
  5. ↑ ZA Bunia globalbioclimatics.org [ dead link ]
  6. ↑ "Ranked: The World's Fastest Growing Cities". virtual capitalist. 13 August 2021. Archived from the original on 13 August 2021. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  7. ↑ Google Earth —measurements and directions checked.

1°34′N30°15′E / 1.567°N 30.250°E / 1.567; 30.250

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