Map of Orientale
Orientale is a first-level division of DR Congo. Its largest mapped city is Kisangani, with about 578,470 people in the metropolitan area. The interactive map below is centred on Orientale, and the tables list its 12 mapped cities along with the lakes, World Heritage Sites nearest to them.
- Cities Mapped
- 12
- Largest City
- Kisangani
- Country
- DR Congo
Interactive Map of Orientale
About Orientale
Orientale Province (French: Province orientale, lit. 'Eastern province') is one of the former provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and its predecessors the Congo Free State and the Belgian Congo. It went through a series of boundary changes between 1898 and 2015, when it was divided into smaller units.
The District of Orientale Province was created from Stanley Falls District on 15 July 1898.
The district was expanded to become Orientale Province in 1913. It was divided in 1933 into Costermansville (later Kivu) and Stanleyville Province. Stanleyville Province was renamed Orientale Province from 1947 to 1963, when it was broken up into Kibali-Ituri, Uélé and Haut-Congo provinces. Orientale Province was reconstituted in 1966. Between 1971 and 1997 it was called Haut-Zaïre, then it returned to the name of Orientale.
The province contained the Bas-Uele, Haut-Uele, Ituri and Tshopo districts. These were elevated to provinces in 2015 under the 2006 constitution.
The province lay in the northeast of the country. Originally it bordered Équateur to the west, Congo-Kasaï to the southwest and Katanga to the south. After being reduced in size, it bordered Équateur to the west, Kasaï-Oriental province to the southwest, Maniema to the south, and North Kivu to the southeast. It also bordered the Central African Republic and South Sudan to the north, and Uganda to the east. The provincial capital was Stanleyville, later renamed Kisangani.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia: Orientale Province (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Orientale in Depth
History
On 15 July 1898 the Stanley Falls District became the District of Orientale Province (District de la province Orientale), with Stanleyville as its headquarters.
In 1910 the new vice-government general of Katanga was formed the south, with parts of Lualaba District and parts of Stanleyville.
Orientale/Oost Province was formed in 1913 in the Belgian Congo from the District of Orientale Province, expanded to include Haut-Uélé, Bas-Uélé and Aruwimi.
The new province contained the districts of Bas-Uele, Haut-Uele, Ituri, Stanleyville, Aruwimi, Maniema, Lowa and Kivu.
It was divided in 1933 into Costermansville (later Kivu) and Stanleyville Province.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Orientale Province (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Orientale: Key Facts
| Population | 9,003,000 (2015) |
|---|---|
| Area | 503,239 km² |
| Capital | Kisangani |
Facts from Wikidata Q831370 (CC0).
History of Orientale: Empires and States
The atlas records 3 polities whose mapped territory included part of Orientale, from Belgian Congo in 1890 CE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.
| Polity | Period here |
|---|---|
| Belgian Congo | 1890–1959 CE |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | 1960–2024 CE |
| Zaire | 1973–1995 CE |
Historical Maps of Orientale
Orientale on the world map in each year one of these states held it:
Derived by testing mapped cities against dated territorial polygons. Dates are when the polygons cover this place, not the polity's whole lifespan, and polities absent from the source dataset are not listed.
Largest Cities in Orientale
12 cities mapped. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.
| # | Name | Population | Region | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kisangani | 578,470 | Orientale | Admin-1 capital |
| 2 | Isiro | 157,196 | Orientale | Populated place |
| 3 | Wamba | 146,871 | Orientale | Populated place |
| 4 | Bunia | 96,764 | Orientale | Populated place |
| 5 | Aketi | 58,601 | Orientale | Populated place |
| 6 | Buta | 45,677 | Orientale | Populated place |
| 7 | Basoko | 43,709 | Orientale | Populated place |
| 8 | Yangambi | 35,531 | Orientale | Populated place |
| 9 | Watsa | 24,516 | Orientale | Populated place |
| 10 | Bondo | 23,517 | Orientale | Populated place |
| 11 | Mongbwalu | 2,819 | Orientale | Populated place |
| 12 | Bafwasende | 149 | Orientale | Populated place |
Largest Lakes in Orientale
1 lake mapped. Ranked by mapped surface area. A lake on a border is listed under each country it lies in, with the area of the whole lake. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Surface Area | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lake Albert | 5,404 km² | Lake |
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Orientale
2 World Heritage Sites mapped. Listed by year of inscription, earliest first. Sites shared with another country appear under each. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Inscribed | Type | Criteria |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Garamba National Park | 1980 | Natural | (ix) (x) |
| 2 | Okapi Wildlife Reserve | 1996 | Natural | (x) |
Orientale: Quick Answers
- Where is Orientale?
- Orientale is a first-level division of DR Congo, in Africa. Its mapped cities centre on 2.0364° N, 26.5090° E.
- What is the largest city in Orientale?
- Kisangani is the largest city mapped in Orientale, with a metropolitan population of about 578,470.
- How many cities are in Orientale?
- YearMaps maps 12 cities and towns in Orientale, with a combined metropolitan population of about 1.21 million. This counts mapped settlements, not every municipality.
- What is the largest lake in Orientale?
- The largest lake mapped in or beside Orientale is Lake Albert, at about 5,404 km².