Makanza

Makanza or Mankanza is a town in the Équateur province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, headquarters of Makanza territory.

Makanza
Commune
Map of Makanza, around 1890
Makanza
Coordinates: 1.677922°N 19.166336°E / 1.677922; 19.166336
Country	DR Congo
Province	Équateur
Territory	Makanza
Time zone	UTC+1 (West Africa Time)

History

Makanza was formerly known as Bangala Station and then as Nouvelle-Anvers / Nieuw-Antwerpen (New Antwerp).^[1] It is a port on the River Congo. Located midway between Kinshasa and Kisangani, the location housed a trading post from the 1890. The town was one of the main stages of the Emin Pasha Relief Expedition. The Bangala people of the area were among the first people to come in contact with the colonialists. Their language, Lingala, eventually merged with the "Lobangi" lingua franca of the river.

From 1884 onwards, the city played an important role in the development of the Force Publique (the colonial army). This led to Lingala becoming the working language of the army.^[2]

Bangala tattoos, 1889

Demographics

Year	Population
1994	37,048
2004	41,447