Mbuji-Mayi (formerly known as Bakwanga) is a sprawling city in Kasai region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Mbuji-Mayi might be the second-largest city in the DRC, but nobody really knows for sure. It is considered a particularly chaotic and lawless city even amongst the Congolese.
The area around Mbuji-Mayi is one of the richest sources of mineral wealth in the world. In the 1950s, it was estimated that the Mbuji-Mayi area had the world's most important industrial diamond deposits, containing at least 300 million karats of diamonds. The city was literally constructed on top of the diamond deposits, and while the city's reputation as a company town under tight control of Belgian economic interests meant it was neat and orderly, it also meant that the city's buildings and homes, including those of top MIBA executives, were sometimes demolished to access the diamonds. The city lacks much of the organization and classic European architecture that other major cities in the…
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
In Nov, Mbuji-Mayi typically sees ~30°C daytime highs and 19 rainy days.
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