Banana | |
|---|---|
  Banana Location in Democratic Republic of the Congo | |
| Coordinates:6°1′S12°25′E / 6.017°S 12.417°E /-6.017; 12.417 | |
| Country |  Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Province | Kongo Central |
| Population | |
• Total | 3,165 |
Banana is a smallseaport in theKongo Central province of theDemocratic Republic of the Congo on theAtlantic coast. The port is situated in Banana Creek, an inlet about 1 km wide on the north bank of theCongo River's mouth, separated from the ocean by a spit of land 3 km long and 100 to 400 m wide. The port is located on the creek side of the spit, which shelters it from the ocean. It is about 8 km south-east ofMuanda to which it is connected by a paved road running along the coast.
The port of Banana consists of one wharf of 75 m and depth 5.18 m, with two small cranes for cargo handling and a few small jetties. The port has an oil terminal 4 km further upriver, to which tankers discharge while at anchor in the creek. This terminal has road access separate from the main port east of Muanda. There are no major facilities in Banana apart from the port, since these are provided by the much larger town of Muanda, where the nearest airport is located. There is no rail link.[citation needed]
There is also a naval base of theNavy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is partly maintained with Chinese assistance.[2]
In early 2022, a $1.2 billion construction project began to turn the port into the DRC's firstdeep-water port.[3] The work is being carried out byDP World, despite a lack of public tender, as part of its 30 year development and management contract.[3][4] When completed in 2025, the port is expected to process over 300,000 containers per year.[3] The project has been criticized for its potential environmental threats, since it borders the country'sMangroves National Park, home to vulnerable and endangered plant and animal species.[3]
| Climate data for Banana | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 31 (87) | 31 (87) | 31 (88) | 31 (88) | 30 (86) | 27 (81) | 26 (78) | 26 (78) | 27 (80) | 28 (83) | 29 (85) | 30 (86) | 29 (84) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 24 (75) | 24 (75) | 24 (76) | 24 (75) | 23 (73) | 21 (69) | 19 (66) | 19 (66) | 22 (71) | 23 (74) | 24 (75) | 24 (75) | 23 (73) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 28 (1.1) | 170 (6.6) | 150 (6) | 140 (5.5) | 110 (4.2) | 2.5 (0.1) | 2.5 (0.1) | 2.5 (0.1) | 2.5 (0.1) | 10 (0.4) | 94 (3.7) | 69 (2.7) | 770 (30.4) |
| Source: Weatherbase[5] | |||||||||||||
The town was developed as a port in the 19th century, largely as part of theslave trade.Henry Morton Stanley arrived at Banana in 1879 at the start of an exploratory expedition funded byLeopold II of Belgium. Following theConference of Berlin (1884–85) the European powers recognised Léopold's claim to theCongo Basin, andin a ceremony at Banana in 1885 the king announced[clarification needed] the establishment of theCongo Free State, headed by himself, beginning the period of European colonization.
TheEncyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1911) article on thefolkloric belief in werewolves noted that "The people of Banana are said to change themselves by magical means, composed of human embryos and other ingredients, but in theirleopard form they may do no hurt to mankind under pain of retaining for ever the beast shape."[6][7]
Banana was the main Belgian naval base of the Congo until independence in 1960.[citation needed]
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Thomas, Northcote Whitridge (1911). "Lycanthropy". InChisholm, Hugh (ed.).Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 17 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 149.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)6°01′S12°25′E / 6.017°S 12.417°E /-6.017; 12.417
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