In the region of Bandundu, where we lived, the
uplands are plateaus of flat grasslands (savanna) with sandy
soils and few trees.
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"Woods" on the savanna consist of loose
stands of scrubby, fire resistant trees and shrubs. The wood
of these trees is extremely dense and is the preferred lumber
for constructing insect and rot resistant houses and fencing.
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When the topography of this area was formed,
rivers and streams cut valleys into the grassland plateaus. These
valleys are now filled with dense, hardwood, gallery rainforests.
Soils in these lowlands are of dense red clay.
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The village we lived in, called Kipalanka, is
located on the bank of the Kwenge river at the site of an old,
steam-driven palm oil factory - like something out of a Joseph
Conrad novel. Dense, early morning fog hangs in the valley, steaming
up glasses and saturating clothing.
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Village sites in this area are typically made
in cleared areas of the forest. Once deforested, these shallow
rainforest soils quickly deplete to form deep sandy pits which
made riding into village areas on our motorcycles an incredible
challenge and instant entertainment for the children living there!
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| Infrastructure in the Congo is in particularly
terrible shape. The most major "highway" in the country
(a country the size of the U.S.A. east of the Mississippi river)
is only one and a half lanes wide and runs approximately 600
kilometers (360 miles) from the national capital Kinshasa to
the regional capital of Kikwit. Transportation for people, produce
and livestock is frequently on overloaded trucks. The rule of
thumb is: "There's always room for one more." |
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Due to the destructive nature of "slash
and burn" agriculture, firewood for cooking can sometimes
be quite scarce. These women have walked 15 kilometers (9 miles)
outside of the regional capital of Kikwit to collect firewood.
The haze you see in the background is smoke from forest which
is being burned to clear new fields for crops.
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Reduction of the rainforest is painfully evident
in some areas.
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