Mbuji-Mayi

Congo - Kinshasa
Mbuji-Mayi, Congo - Kinshasa
Photo: MONUSCO/Myriam Asmani CC BY-SA 2.0 source More images ↗

Mbuji-Mayi, formerly Bakwanga, sits atop one of the largest known diamond deposits in the world, making it the traditional centre of industrial diamond mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo. A large city on the Mbuji-Mayi River in south-central DRC, it is thought to be the country's second-largest city after Kinshasa. Its name derives from Tshiluba and translates roughly as "Goat-Water." The city remains remote and poorly connected to surrounding provinces, with air travel the primary link to the wider country.

  • Population2,101,332
  • Nearest water from center6.9 km
  • Nearest mountain from center45.9 km