Ituri River

The Ituri River (French: Rivière Ituri) is a river of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is the main tributary of the Aruwimi River, which forms where the Ituri meets the Nepoko River. It gives its name to Ituri Province.

Course
The Ituri has its headwaters in province of Haut-Uélé in the mountains to the west of Lake Albert, about 15 km north of Kaladau. It flows generally south into Ituri province, and flows past Mongbwalu to the east. It is joined from the left by Shari River to the northeast of Irumu about 45 km south-southwest of Bunia. It is joined from the left by the Malibongo River near Komanda Helipad. From there it flows in a generally westward direction to Bomili in Tshopo province, where it is joined by the Nepoko River to form the Aruwimi.

The Ituri is 650 km long. The Aruwimi is 380 km long, giving a combined length of 1030 km.

The river flows through the 63000 km2 Ituri Rainforest. About one-fifth of the rainforest is made up of the Okapi Wildlife Reserve, a World Heritage Site.

History
In 1903 prospectors working for the Congo Free State discovered gold in the Ituri River. This led to the opening of the Kilo mine in 1905 and the Moto mine in 1911, and in 1919 to creation of the Régie Industrielle des Mines de Kilo-Moto.