Orientale, Congo

Orientale (also Oriental) (formerly Haut-Zaire) is a province of the Democratic Republic of Congo. It lies in the northeast of the country, and its provincial capital is Kisangani. It borders Equateur province to the west, Kasai-Oriental to the southwest, Maniema to the south, and Nord-Kivu to the southeast. It also borders the Central African Republic and Sudan to the north, and Uganda to the east.

The Ituri district of Orientale is the scene of the ongoing Ituri conflict.

History

In 1998 the Orientale villages of Durba and Watsa were the center of an outbreak of Marburg hemorrhagic fever among gold mine workers.

Post- devolution of Orientale

The proposed 2005 Constitution divided Orientale Province into four new provinces, based on its subregions:
* Ituri
* Haut-Uele
* Tshopo
* Bas-Uele

There was to be a referendum to accept the constitution in February 2006.

External links

* [http://www.cdc.gov/NCIDOD/eid/vol9no12/03-0355-G.htm CDC] "Map of the Democratic Republic of the Congo indicating the neighboring villages of Durba and Watsa, the epicenter of the 1998 outbreak of Marburg hemorrhagic fever."

Provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo