The city of Kinshasa has had a different status under each of the different regimes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kinshasa was alternatively a commune, a city, a region, and a city-province hybrid. Consequently, the political leaders of the city have born different titles between 1960 and this day.
Politics of the Democratic Republic of Congo take place in the framework of a republic in transition from a civil war to a semi-presidential republic.
Kinshasa, formerly named Léopoldville until 30 June 1966, is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Once a site of fishing and trading villages along the Congo River, Kinshasa is now one of the world's fastest-growing megacities. Kinshasa's 2024 population was estimated at 17,032,322. It is the most densely populated city in the DRC, the most populous city in Africa, the world's fourth-most-populous capital city, Africa's third-largest metropolitan area, and the leading economic, political, and cultural center of the DRC. Kinshasa houses several industries, including manufacturing, telecommunications, banking, and entertainment. The city also hosts some of DRC's significant institutional buildings, such as the Palais du Peuple, Palais de la Nation, Court of Cassation, Constitutional Court, Cité de l'Union Africaine, Palais de Marbre, Stade des Martyrs, Immeuble du Gouvernement, Kinshasa Financial Center, and multiple federal departments and agencies.
Équateur was a province in the northwest of Belgian Congo and the independent Republic of the Congo, now known as Democratic Republic of the Congo. It had its origins in the Équateur District of the Congo Free State, the private property of King Leopold II of Belgium. It was upgraded to provincial status in 1917. Between 1933 and 1947 it was named Coquilhatville. In 1962 it was divided into three smaller provinces, but there were recombined in 1966. Équateur was one of the eleven provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo until 2015, when it was split into the new, smaller Équateur province, as well as the Tshuapa, Mongala, Nord-Ubangi and Sud-Ubangi provinces.
The Third Republic of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is a unitary state with a five-level hierarchy of types of administrative division. There are nine different types of country subdivision in a new hierarchy with no new types but with two from the previous one abolished.
The Republic of the Congo is an African nation with close musical ties to its neighbor, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Democratic Republic of the Congo's homegrown pop music, soukous, is popular across the border, and musicians from both countries have fluidly travelled throughout the region playing similarly styled music, including Nino Malapet and Jean Serge Essous. Brazzaville had a major music scene until unrest in the late 1990s, and produced popular bands like Extra Musica and Bantous de la Capitale that played an integral role in the development of soukous and other styles of Congolese popular music. The Hip-Hop group "Bisso na Bisso" also hails from Congo-Brazzaville.
The DR Congo national football team, recognised by FIFA as Congo DR, represents the Democratic Republic of the Congo in men's international football and it is controlled by the Congolese Association Football Federation. They are nicknamed Les Léopards, meaning The Leopards. The team is a member of FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
Étienne Tshisekedi wa Mulumba was a Congolese politician and the leader of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS), formerly the main opposition political party in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). A long-time opposition leader, he served as Prime Minister of the country on three brief occasions: in 1991, 1992–1993, and 1997. He was also the father of the current President, Felix Tshisekedi.
Kananga, formerly known as Luluabourg or Luluaburg, is the capital city of the Kasai-Central Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and was the capital of the former Kasaï-Occidental Province. It is the fourth most populous urban area in the country, with an estimated population of 1,524,000 in 2021.
Gombe, also known as La Gombe, or Downtown Kinshasa, is one of the 24 communes of Kinshasa, in the western part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Encompassing a vast area of approximately 29.33 square kilometers, it is home to an approximate population of 49,024 residents (2014).
The Boulevard du 30 Juin is a major 5‑km street in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). It is the city center's main transport artery, connecting the southern area of La Gombe with Kintambo and the Ngaliema to the west.
The Senate is the upper house of the Parliament of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The senate was established in 1960, abolished in 1967 and re-established in 2003.
Article 2 of the Constitution of the Democratic Republic of the Congo divides the country into the capital city of Kinshasa and 25 named provinces. It also gives the capital the status of a province. Therefore, in many contexts Kinshasa is regarded as the 26th province.
Articles related to the Democratic Republic of the Congo include:
The Agence nationale de renseignements (ANR) is a government intelligence agency of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The role of the agency is to ensure "internal security and external security" of the state. The agency was strongly criticized for the disrespect of human rights by several organisations. Inzun Kakiak has led the agency since 2019.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Matadi is a diocese located in the city of Matadi in the ecclesiastical province of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Mongala is one of the 21 provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo created in the 2015 repartitioning. Mongala, Équateur, Nord-Ubangi, Sud-Ubangi, and Tshuapa provinces are the result of the dismemberment of the former Équateur province. Mongala was formed from the Mongala District whose town of Lisala was elevated to capital city of the new province.
The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The Ministry of Finance of the Democratic Republic of the Congo oversees the implementation of national financial policy. Nicolas Kazadi has been the head of the ministry since April 26, 2021.
The cities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo are administrative divisions of provinces with the exception of Kinshasa which itself has the status of a province. Cities are further divided into communes. They are led by mayors except for Kinshasa which is led by a governor.
The Kinshasa Central Market, colloquially referred to as Zando in Lingala, is a marketplace located in Kinshasa's Gombe commune, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Covering an expansive 90,000 square meters, it was Kinshasa's largest marketplace during Mobutu Sese Seko's reign. It was eventually eclipsed by the Marché de la Liberté during the late president Laurent-Désiré Kabila's administration. As of May 1989, the market accommodated 15,500 vendors. By 2020, that number had risen to 35,000 vendors. Renowned for its wide assortment of products, including fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, spices, cooked meals such as chikwangue, clothing, fabrics, shoes, accessories, and household goods, the marketplace also showcases distinctive Congolese handicrafts and souvenirs for tourists and visitors.
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