Moba port is a town

Town

A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...

 located in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...

 in Tanganyika District

Tanganyika District

Tanganyika District is a district located in the Katanga Province, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.Under the February 2006 constitution the district was to be upgraded to Tanganyika Province. As of 2011 this had not happened.-References:...

. It is the administrative center of Moba Territory.

Location

Moba is situated on the western shore of the southern part of Lake Tanganyika

Lake Tanganyika

Lake Tanganyika is an African Great Lake. It is estimated to be the second largest freshwater lake in the world by volume, and the second deepest, after Lake Baikal in Siberia; it is also the world's longest freshwater lake...

, 140 kilometres (87 mi) south-east of Kalemie

Kalemie

Kalemie, formerly Albertville/Albertstad, is a town on the western shore of Lake Tanganyika in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The town is next to the exit of the Lukuga River flowing out from Lake Tanganyika to the Lualaba River....

, to which it is linked by regular boat services.
The larger town of Kirungu

Kirungu

Kirunga is a town located in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Tanganyika District. It is inland from Moba port, the administrative center of Moba Territory....

 (Kilungu) is on a plateau

Plateau

In geology and earth science, a plateau , also called a high plain or tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat terrain. A highly eroded plateau is called a dissected plateau...

 400 metres (1,312.3 ft) above the lake and 5 km from Moba.
A dirt road leads down from Kirungu to a jetty in Moba.

Moba lies just south of the Mulobozi river

Mulobozi River

The Mulobozi River is a stream in the Katanga Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo that flows through the Marungu highlands from the west into Lake Tanganyika just to the north of Moba port....

.
The Marungu highlands

Marungu highlands

The Marungu highlands are in the Katanga Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the west of the southern half of Lake Tanganyika.-Location:The highlands are divided by the Mulobozi River, which flow into the lake just north of Moba port...

, a range of steep rugged hills, rises behind the town, bisected by the Mulobozi.
The smaller northern section rises to an elevation of about 2100 metres (6,889.8 ft) and the larger southern section to about 2460 metres (8,070.9 ft).

People

In 1984 Moba had a population of 25,463.
Its tribe is mostly Tabwa

Rungu (African ethnic group)

The Lungu Rungu are an ethnic and linguistic group based in southwestern Tanzania and northeastern Zambia. In 1987 the Rungu population in Tanzania was estimated to number 34,000...

.

Civil war and aftermath

During the Second Congo War

Second Congo War

The Second Congo War, also known as Coltan War and the Great War of Africa, began in August 1998 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo , and officially ended in July 2003 when the Transitional Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo took power; however, hostilities continue to this...

 (1998-2003) the region became a battle zone between government forces and rebel groups.
The area between Pweto

Pweto

Pweto is a town in the Katanga Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo . It is the administrative center of the Pweto Territory. The town was the scene of a decisive battle in December 2000 during the Second Congo War which resulted in both sides making more active efforts to achieve...

, Moba and Moliro

Moliro

Moliro is a community in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo beside Lake Tanganyika on the border with Zambia.It is in Katanga Province....

 has been called the "Triangle of Death".
In November 2000, DRC government troops with Interahamwe

Interahamwe

The Interahamwe is a Hutu paramilitary organization. The militia enjoyed the backing of the Hutu-led government leading up to, during, and after the Rwandan Genocide. Since the genocide, they have been forced out of Rwanda, and have sought asylum in Congo...

 fighters, former Rwandan army troops now fighting for the DRC government and other allies launched an offensive. They captured positions held by the Congolese Rally for Democracy-Goma (RCD-Goma), such as Pweto

Pweto

Pweto is a town in the Katanga Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo . It is the administrative center of the Pweto Territory. The town was the scene of a decisive battle in December 2000 during the Second Congo War which resulted in both sides making more active efforts to achieve...

, Pepa

Pepa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Pepa is a community in the northeast of the Tanganyika District of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is located 167 kilometres northeast by road from Pweto, to the west of Lake Tanganyika.-Location:...

, and attacked Moba port. The RCD-Goma and Rwandan Patriotic Army (RPA) forces counter-attacked early in December 2000.
The Rwandans re-took Pweto and Moba early in December 2000.

On 1 August 2007 a mob of demonstrators assaulted United Nations military observers and damaged offices belonging to the UNHCR and sister agencies. The United Nations withdrew from the town and ceased repatriation of refugees living in Zambia.

Economy

There are no paved roads in the Moba area nor within several hundred kilometres of the town. Two dirt roads, frequently impassable in the rainy season, are the only access by land from the west and south.
Moba had long been without electricity. Since 1996, there is a small hydroelectric dam

Dam

A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...

built to provide its population with electricity. This dam was sponsored by an Italian NGO, Mondo Gusto, on Ngandwe Fuamba river.

Economic activity in Moba is mostly agriculture, fishing and gold mining.