Ilebo

Ilebo, formerly Port-Francqui, town, south-central Democratic Republic of the Congo. The town lies along the Kasai River near its junction with the Sankuru River. Ilebo is a river port and has rail connections with Kananga and Lubumbashi. It is an important transshipment point in the transport of copper and other minerals to Kinshasa and Matadi. Ilebo is also a busy commercial, industrial, and agricultural centre. The large pavilion of the Hôtel des Palmes, built for an official visit by the Belgian king Albert I in the 1920s, dominates the town. Pop. (2004 est.) 67,721.