Kinshasa

Kinshasa is the capital and most populous city of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Located across the river to the north is Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of Congo. Kinshasa has an area of 583 sq km (225 sq mi) and a population of over 9,300,000.

Kinshasa was founded by Henry Morgan Stanley in 1881 as a trading post and was originally named Léopoldville (French) or Leopoldstad (Dutch) in honour of King Léopold II of Belgium. The construction of a railway line to Matadi sparked rapid development of the town. In 1920, Léopoldville replaced Boma as the capital of Belgian Congo, remaining as capital after Belgian Congo's independence in 1960 as the Republic of Congo. Léopoldville was renamed Kinshasa in 1966.

Kinshasa is a major cultural, intellectual, and industrial center. Kinshasa is a city and a province, and is divided into four districts (Funa, Lukunga, Mont Amba, and Tshangu), which are further divided into 24 communes. The city has a tropical wet and dry climate, with a rainy season from October to May and a dry season from June to September. Kinshasa is served by N'Djili Airport and is a major river port of the Congo.