Lubumbashi

Lubumbashi (formerly official names: Élisabethville (French) and Elisabethstad (Dutch)) in the southeastern part of Democratic Republic of the Congo, is the second-largest city in the country, after the capital Kinshasa. Lubumbashi is the mining capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, acting as a hub for many of the country's biggest mining companies. The copper-mining city serves as the capital of the relatively prosperous Katanga Province, lying near the border with Zambia. Population estimates vary widely but average around 1.5 million.

Government

From 2000–2006, Floribert Kaseba Makunko served as mayor of Lubumbashi. He was later elected to the National Assembly in 2006.

History

Élisabethville under Belgian rule

The Belgian government established the modern-day government in the city of Élisabethville (sometimes Elizabethville, both in French, or Elisabethstad in Dutch) in 1910, named in honour of their queen Elisabeth, wife to king Albert I. By that time, the government had taken over the colony from King Leopold II, and renamed it as the Belgian Congo. This site was chosen by Vice-Governor-General Emile Wangermée because of its proximity to the copper mine of Etoile du Congo and the copper ore smelting oven installed by Union Minière du Haut Katanga on the nearby Lubumbashi river. The Comité Spécial du Katanga (CSK), a semi-private concessionary company set up in 1906, had its headquarters in Elisabethville throughout the colonial era. It enjoyed major privileges, mainly in terms of land and mining concessions, in the Katanga province.