Mbuji-Mayi

Mbuji-Mayi
Provincial capital and city
Ville de Mbuji-Mayi
Mbuji-Mayi Airport
Mbuji-Mayi
Coordinates: 06°09′S 23°36′E / 6.150°S 23.600°E / -6.150; 23.600
Country	Democratic Republic of the Congo
Province	Kasai-Oriental
Founded	1914
Government
• Mayor	Jean-Marie Lutumba[1]
Area
• Urban	135.12 km2 (52.17 sq mi)
Elevation	549 m (1,801 ft)
Population  (2023)
• Urban [2]	2,892,000
• Urban density	21,000/km2 (55,000/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+2 (Central Africa Time)

Mbuji-Mayi or Mbujimayi (formerly Bakwanga) is a city and the capital of Kasai-Oriental Province in the south-central Democratic Republic of Congo. It is thought to be the second largest city in the country, after the capital Kinshasa and ahead of Lubumbashi, Kisangani and Kananga, though its exact population is not known. Estimates range from a 2010 CIA World Factbook estimated population of 1,480,000^[3] to as many as 3,500,000 estimated by the United Nations in 2008.^[4]

Mbuji-Mayi lies in Luba country on the Mbuji-Mayi River. The name Mbuji-Mayi comes from the local language, Tshiluba, and translates as "Goat-Water," a name deriving from the great number of goats in the region.^{[citation needed]} Despite its large population, the city remains remote, having little connection to surrounding provinces or to Kinshasa and Lubumbashi. However, Mbuji-Mayi is the traditional centre of industrial diamond mining in Congo, with it being located on top of one of the largest known deposits in the world. Air travel is provided through the Mbuji Mayi Airport.