Katanga Province

Katanga Province

Katanga is one of the provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Between 1971 and 1997 (during the rule of Mobutu Sese Seko when Congo was known as Zaire), its official name was Shaba Province.

Katanga's regional capital is Lubumbashi. Its area is 497,000 km², larger than California and 16 times larger than Belgium. Farming and ranching are carried out on the Katanga Plateau. The eastern part of the province is a rich mining region, which supplies cobalt, copper, tin, radium, uranium, and diamonds. The capital city, Lubumbashi, is the second largest city in the Congo. Moïse Katumbi Chapwe, a businessman, is the governor of Katanga province. He took office on 24 February 2007.