Kalemie
Kalemie | |
---|---|
Provincial capital and UTC+2 (CAT) | |
National language | Swahili |
Climate | Aw |
Kalemie, formerly Albertville or Albertstad, is a city on the western shore of Lake Tanganyika in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Lukuga River, that drains Lake Tanganyika to the Lualaba River, runs through the city. Kalemie is the capital of Tanganyika Province.
History
From 1886 to 1891, the
Founding of Albertville
On 30 December 1891 Captain
After the Arabs left the territory, the original Albertville was gradually abandoned, and the name became attached to the military post of M'Toa to the north of the Lukuga, the site of present-day Kalemie.[9]
World War I and the East African campaign
In 1914 Albertville was the base for the
Post-independence and name change to Kalemie
Albertville was attacked by mercenaries under Major
In the late 1960s and early 1970s under the regime of
In 1971, as a result of the
Climate
Kalemie has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen: Aw).
Climate data for Kalemie | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 24.0 (75.2) |
24.3 (75.7) |
24.3 (75.7) |
24.2 (75.6) |
23.6 (74.5) |
21.8 (71.2) |
21.2 (70.2) |
22.7 (72.9) |
24.1 (75.4) |
25.1 (77.2) |
24.2 (75.6) |
23.7 (74.7) |
23.6 (74.5) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 122 (4.8) |
96 (3.8) |
139 (5.5) |
206 (8.1) |
82 (3.2) |
7 (0.3) |
1 (0.0) |
7 (0.3) |
31 (1.2) |
58 (2.3) |
163 (6.4) |
174 (6.9) |
1,086 (42.8) |
Source: Climate-Data.org[11] |
Economy
Kalemie serves as an important town in the Katanga province, Manufactures include cement, food products, and textiles.
Mining
The town consequently serves as a distribution centre for such minerals as copper, cobalt, zinc,Gold, tin, and coal.
Transport
Airport
The town is served by Kalemie Airport, with flights to other airports in the country.
Rail
Kalemie lies at the centre of railway lines to
. The construction of a railway Kalemie to Bukavu through the town of Baraka to open up the Kivu region was proposed.Water
Kalemie lies at the centre of water lines to
Language(s)
Although French is the official language, the main language in Kalemie is a dialect of
Sports
Lubumbashi is home to football clubs Tanganyika, FC Etoile Jaune (Yellow Stars) and many more.
Kalemie Port
The port at Kalemie was built to connect the Great Lakes rail line (from the Kabalo junction on the Lualaba River) to the Tanzanian lake port and railhead at Kigoma, from where the Tanzanian Central Railway Line runs to the seaport of Dar es Salaam. The port was built with a 130 m (430 ft) wharf and 3 mobile cranes, giving it a capacity of 500 t (550 short tons) per day with two shifts. Currently, the cranes are not functional, and vessels cannot reach the wharf due to silting up of the lake next to it. The buildings of the port also require rehabilitation.[13] Moreover, the railway line for 100 km (62 mi) west of Kalemie is 'very degraded' and not fully operational.
Kalemie Port is also used by boat services to the northern Lake Tanganyika ports of Kalundu-Uvira and Bujumbura in Burundi, and southwards to Moba and Mpulungu in Zambia.
Kalemie Port is operated by the railway company
Town partnerships
Kalemie maintains partnership links with the following places:
2005 earthquake
The Lake Tanganyika earthquake struck on December 5, 2005. The epicentre was approximately 10 km (6.2 mi) below the surface of Lake Tanganyika, some 55 km (34 mi) south-east of Kalemie. At least dozens of houses were destroyed.[15]
References
- ^ "Les chefs de service urbain de Kalemie appelés à la maximisation des recettes" (in French). Agence congolaise de presse (ACP). 9 February 2023. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
- ^ "Il y a 80 ans, le 27 Mai 1927, Mourait le Captiaine Joubert" (in French). Lavigerie. Retrieved 2013-04-09.
- ^ Shorter, Aylward (2003). "Joubert, Leopold Louis". Dictionary of African Christian Biography. Retrieved 2013-04-10.
- ^ Ergo 2005, p. 43.
- ISBN 978-0-9553936-5-5.
- ISBN 978-1-136-25681-3.
- ISBN 978-2-84586-682-9.
- ^ Swann & Bennett 2012, p. 34.
- ^ a b Auzias & Labourdette 2006, p. 211.
- ^ S.J.G. Clarke, 'The Congo Mercenary: A History and Analysis,' South African Institute of International Affairs, Johannesburg, 1968, p.43-45
- ^ "Climate:Kalemie". Climate-Data.org. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
- ^ "Kingwana". facultystaff.richmond.edu. Archived from the original on 2021-05-07. Retrieved 2013-12-11.
- ^ "UNJLC". Archived from the original on 2007-07-24. Retrieved 2007-06-03.
- ^ GmbH, Advantic Systemhaus. "Stadt Steinheim / Kalemie". www.steinheim.de. Archived from the original on 2015-05-10. Retrieved 2015-05-08.
- ^ "Powerful quake rocks East Africa". 6 December 2005. Archived from the original on 10 December 2005. Retrieved 6 December 2005 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
Sources
- Auzias, Dominique; Labourdette, Jean-Paul (2006). Congo: République Démocratique. Petit Futé. p. 211. ISBN 978-2-7469-1412-4. Archivedfrom the original on 2017-10-28. Retrieved 2013-04-16.
- Ergo, André-Bernard (2005). Des bâtisseurs aux contempteurs du Congo Belge: L'odyssée coloniale. Editions L'Harmattan. ISBN 978-2-7475-8502-6. Retrieved 2013-04-12.
- Swann, Alfred J.; Bennett, Norman (2012). Fighting the Slave Hunters in Central Africa: A Record of Twenty-Six Years of Travel and Adventure Round the Great Lakes. Routledge. p. 31. ISBN 978-1-136-25681-3. Retrieved 2013-04-12.
External links
- "Villes de RD Congo - Kalemie" (in French). MONUC. 2006-05-29. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
- Web site of Kalemie / Bukavu / Kalima area
- A Trans-Africa Inland Waterway System?
- Democratic Republic of Congo Waterways Assessment
- Accident history for FMI at Aviation Safety Network
- Airport information for FZRF at Great Circle Mapper.