The universal geography : earth and its inhabitants

406 WEST AFEICA.
from the coast to the Congo along a line of stations which, if they do not yet exist,
arc at least indicated on the maps. The three chief ports founded by the French
on taking possession of this valley arc Niari-Bahircndc, on the iipper course of the
Kwilu, Niari Lu-Bima, at the confluence of the river of like name, and Ngotii,
standing on a prominent bluff in the region of the cataracts. Doubtless this route
must one day acquire great commercial importance, but this cannot be till a
carriage road has been constructed, the Kwilu itself not being navigable.
Fig. 197. Ma-Poko Falls on the UrPEE Ogo'way.
Scale 1 : 17,000.
Eastbr&reenwich 13 M-jo- I5'i2'
550 Yai-as.
Recently M. Cholet made the journey in twenty-five days from the coast to
Brazzaville.
At present all the trafiic of this region is carried on through the port of
Loango (Buala), an old city tiU recently claimed by Portugal, biit now assigned to
France. In the days of its prosjieritj-, when it was capital of a province of the
Congo empire, Loango was said to have a population of fifteen thousand; at
present it is less a town than a group of factories surrounded by chbnbeques, that
is, hovels constructed of raphia stems and " Loango grass," or papyrus. At this
point the shore-line curves round to the west, thus sheltering the roadstead from