Équateur is one of the 21 new provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo created in the 2015 repartitioning. Équateur, Mongala, Nord-Ubangi, Sud-Ubangi, and Tshuapa provinces are the result of the dismemberment of the former Équateur province. The new province was formed from the Équateur district and the independently administered city of Mbandaka which retained its status as a provincial capital. From Wikipedia