Luao River
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| Luao River | |
|---|---|
  | |
| Location | |
| Countries | Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola |
| Provinces | Moxico, Angola, Lualaba, DRC |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Mouth | |
• location | Kasai River |
• coordinates | 10°35′55″S 22°18′40″E / 10.598500°S 22.311109°E |
| Basin features | |
| River system | Kasai River |
The Luao River forms part of the boundary between Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is a right tributary of the Kasai River.
The Luao River flows from south to north along the border between Moxico Province of Angola and Lualaba Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). It flows between the towns of Luau in Angola and Dilolo in the DRC.[1][better source needed]
Border settlement
The border agreement between Portugal and Belgium of 25 May 1891 defined part of the border as being a tributary of the Kasai up to Lago Dilolo. However, it was discovered that Lago Dilolo drained southeast into the Zambezi watershed rather than north to the Kasai. The Portuguese claimed that the Luao tributary of the Kasai should be taken as the boundary, while the Belgians were in favor of the Luacano River, a tributary of the Kasai farther to the west. Eventually Belgium ceded a large area west of the Luau River in an exchange of territories agreed on 22 July 1927.[2] In return for the "Dilolo Hook", Belgium gained a smaller area to the northwest which opened an easier railway route from Matadi to Léopoldville.[3]