Gbadolite, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Gbadolite is a regional capital of 73,835 people in Nord-Ubangi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, founded in December 8, 1972.
Why visit Gbadolite
Townapedia lists 1 museum or landmark in and around town.
Weather in Gbadolite
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Gbadolite
Gbadolite or Gbado-Lite (Northern Ngbandi pronunciation: [ɡ͡badɔlite]) is the capital of Nord-Ubangi Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The town is located 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) south of the Ubangi River at the border to the Central African Republic and 1,150 kilometres (710 mi) northeast of the national capital Kinshasa. Gbadolite was the ancestral home and residence of Joseph-Désiré Mobutu, later self-styled as Mobutu Sese Seko where airport, colleges, malls, supermarkets and libraries were built by the President in a program of modernization. Gbadolite is where Mobutu led the summit that would produce the Gbadolite Declaration, a short-lived ceasefire in the Angolan Civil War in 1989.
From the Wikipedia article Gbadolite (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Travel tips from other travellers: Gbadolite on Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Museums and landmarks1
Churches and places of worship4
Schools, colleges and libraries1
Healthcare2
History
Mobutu built Gbadolite into a luxurious town often nicknamed "Versailles of the Jungle". He built a hydroelectric dam on the nearby Ubangi River in Mobayi Mbongo, an international airport, Gbadolite Airport, which could accommodate a Concorde, and three large palaces. As a result, the people of the town had no trouble finding jobs. During Mobutu's regime, Gbadolite also had companies such as CDIA Zaire for farming productions, SOZAGEC for road construction, and SAFRICAS for house construction. The town had a general hospital with high tech facilities, supermarkets and malls, which were destroyed in 1997. Gbadolite had also College Presidentiel, a high school famous for its academic excellence and administered by Jesuit Fathers to whom Mobutu gave the school. This school had a chemistry lab, physics lab, computer lab, Olympic game facilities, and band instruments of all kinds. The town was also famous for its Chapelle Marie la Misericorde, a luxurious church in which Mobutu buried his first wife, Mama Mobutu.
Two palaces were built outside Gbadolite at Kawele. One was an elaborate complex of Chinese pagodas, while the other was a modern mansion. Both were used as residences for Mobutu and guests. The three-story palace in Gbadolite was used primarily for public functions.
From the History section of Gbadolite on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Map of Gbadolite
8 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Gbadolite Airport (BDT) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 4 km away.
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Gbadolite aerial view, Radio Okapi/John Bompengo / MONUSCO, CC BY-SA 2.0
- ISS034-E-15671 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS053-E-157322 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS053-E-157323 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS053-E-161199 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS053-E-161198 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
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