Lake Libanda is a lake in the Democratic Republic of the Congo[1] situated in Équateur Province to the west of the town of Makanza. The closest settlement is the village of Moboka to the southeast.[2]
| Lake Libanda | |
|---|---|
| Lac Libanda (French) | |
  Lake Libanda  Lake Libanda | |
| Location | Makanza, Equateur, Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Coordinates | 1°33′N 18°49′E / 1.55°N 18.82°E |
History
The lake was visited in 1889 during the Congo Free State by Captain-Commander of the Force Publique (the Belgian colonial military unit in the Congo) Étienne-Christophe-Bernard-Eugène Wilverth, at the time as Commanding Officer of the training camp of Umangi in the town of Lisala.[3] Making a trip to the Ngiri River, he found that a so-called Lake Ibinza did not exist and instead discovered a channel from the village of Moboka to Lake Libanda and from there to the Ngiri, near the village of Bosesera.[3] This channel was named the Bosesera Channel.
A Christian mission named the Catholic Mission of Libanda operated in the region in the 1960s.[4]
Geography
The lake's surface area is 7.9 km2 (3.1 sq mi). Its maximum length is 4.5 km (2.8 mi) and its maximum width is 2.5 km (1.6 mi).[5]
The Bosesera Channel (French: Chenal de Bosesera) is a stream which has its source in Lake Libanda, passing through Mabale before reaching the Congo River near Moboka, slightly downstream of Makanza.[6]
Demographics
The Libanda subgroup of the Libinza people (Libinja) inhabit the region surrounding Lake Libanda.[7][8] They speak the Libinza language. The other subgroup is the Boyokoko.