port on the Atlantic coast in far southwestern Democratic Republic of the Congo (Congo), central Africa, at the mouth of the Congo River. One of the nation's older towns, it was known as a trading centre in the 19th century, mainly during the slaving era. In the 1970s and 1980s its port was developed to increase its facilities as a deepwater port, and a rail line was built to link Banana with Boma and Kinshasa, the national capital. Banana lies in a delta of mangrove forests, but northward along the coast lie some beaches, near which is Moanda, an offshore oil centre. Pop. (latest est.) 3,165.