Found in the northern limits of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with the Ubangi river forming its natural boundary with the Central African Republic, the province of Nord-Ubangi covers a surface of 56,644 km2. Until the country's independence in 1960, the area was occupied by small villages around Molegbe, the seat of the Catholic diocese. It is a rural region with a population of a little over one million, and where the main activities are farming, fishing, hunting, and small-scale trading. Had it not been for Mobutu s rise to power, it would have remained a minor hinterland. Once he became Congo s head of state in 1965, Mobutu launched a local reconstruction that would lead to the creation, in 1977, of the new district of Nord-Ubangi. Territories from the former districts of Ubangi and Mongala, where his ethnic kin had a strong presence, were transferred to the new district.