Located 730 km north-east of Kinshasa, Mbandaka is the capital of Equateur Province. Over 200 000 people live in Mbandaka. There is no electricity and no piped water. There are also no taxis, buses, trains or ambulances in the town. Transport to and from Kinshasa is either by one of the six weekly flights to the small airport, or by boat on the Congo river – a journey taking around one week each way.