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Mbuji-Mayi
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Formerly (until 1966):
Bakwanga
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Mbuji-Mayi

Democratic Republic of the Congo
Also known as: Bakwanga
Written and fact-checked by
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History

Mbuji-Mayi, city, south-central Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is situated on the Mbuji-Mayi River. It was developed by Europeans as a mining town after diamonds were found in the area in 1909. The region in which Mbuji-Mayi is situated annually produces one-tenth in weight of the world’s industrial diamonds, with mining managed by the SociĂ©tĂ© MiniĂšre de Bakwanga. The city had only 30,000 inhabitants in 1960, but since then massive immigration from neighbouring areas has increased the city’s population dramatically. There is a teacher-training college in the city, which is accessible from Kananga (100 miles [160 km] west-northwest) by road and from Kinshasa, Lubumbashi, and Kananga by air. Pop. (2010 est.) 1,488,000.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy McKenna.
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