01) Looking for a month-by-month description of the weather conditions
in the North-East DRC including Kissangani (Zaire) and specifically
the Ituri.
02) Need to understand the road conditions in NE DRC for each of the
month of the year.

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Request for Question Clarification by omnivorous-ga on 18 Jan 2003 06:25 PST

Kongulu --

Road conditions in that area will be difficult to quantify.  As
anywhere in the world, roads vary in their construction and geography.
 For example, the road from Kisangani to Bunia is relatively flat
(rising around Bunia).  It runs through the Ituri forest and is
relatively wide.  The road from Bunia to Goma covers very hilly
terrain, including active volcanic areas.  It is narrower.

Best regards,

Omnivorous-GA

Kongulu --

Here is an excellent and detailed study of weather (and crops) in NE
Zaire.  The document is in Adobe Acrobat format but includes monthly
rainfall totals for 4 locations in the Ituri:
Global Environment Change
"Wetter Isn't Better"
(1999)http://147.46.94.112/e_journals/pdf_full/journal_g/g02_199904_090406.pdf

I'll be glad to cover the road situation in more detail if you can
provide a focus.  The prime interruption to road traffic in this area
is during the rainy seasons due to road washouts and mud.

Google search strategy:
weather + monthly + Zaire + Ituri

Best regards,

Omnivorous-GA

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Request for Answer Clarification by kongulu-ga on 18 Jan 2003 06:42 PST

Dear Omnivour,

I just need a general description of the type of weather that can
expected for each month. For my purposes the characteristics of a
specific road are not important. I can extrapolate a wide-area
generalization from the weather as regards what to expect when
traveling by road,river,plane in the NE DRC area.

I have not read you response yet, but will when I return in a few
hours. Meanwhile I will close the question. Thank you.

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Clarification of Answer by omnivorous-ga on 18 Jan 2003 07:07 PST

Kongulu --

Thank you for your comments.  There are some excellent photos and
descriptions of the area that you're researching in the March, 1973
National Geographic Magazine.  One image that still sticks in my mind
is the picture in that issue of a truck stuck in the mud south of
Bunia.

Travel by each method -- road, river, air -- has unique
characteristics in that part of the DRC.  The country is large (as big
as the portion of the United States E of the Mississippi) but the area
of the Ituri is densely forested and sparsely populated.

Best regards,

Omnivorous-GA

Provided link to excellent source. Thank you