Editing Kinshasa

{{Short description|Capital and most populous city of DR Congo}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Kinshasa
| native_name        = Kinsásá ([[Lingala]])
| official_name      = ''Ville de Kinshasa''
| settlement_type    = [[Capital city]] and [[Provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo|Province]]
| image_skyline      = {{multiple image
 |perrow             = 1/2/2/2
 |border             = infobox
 |total_width        = 280
 |caption_align      = center
 | image1            = La Gombe, Kinshasa, RDC.jpg
 | caption1          = [[Gombe, Kinshasa|Downtown Kinshasa]]
 | image2            = Stade des Martyrs de la Pentecôte.jpg
 | caption2          = [[Stade des Martyrs]]
 | image3            = BOT 039.jpg
 | caption3          = [[Kinshasa Botanical Garden]]
 | image4            = Palais_de_la_nation_Kinshasa_(8756656913).jpg
 | caption4          = [[Palais du Peuple (Kinshasa)|Palais du Peuple]]
 | image5            = Parc de la Vallée de la Nsele.jpg
 | caption5          = [[Nsele Valley Park]]
 | image6            = Le 17 janvier 1961, Patrice Lumumba mourrait, victime de son « rêve » pour un Congo libre, démocratique et développé.  (16112526649).jpg
 | caption6          = Statue of [[Patrice Lumumba]] by the [[Limete Tower]] (in background)
 | image7            = Bâtiment de la SCPT (anciennement ONATRA) à Gombe, Kinshasa.jpg
 | caption7          = [[Société commerciale des transports et des ports|Commercial Company of Transport and Ports]]
 }}
| image_flag         = Flag of Kinshasa, DRC.svg
| image_seal         = Coat of arms of Kinshasa.svg
| seal_size          = 50px
| nickname           = Kin la belle<br />({{literally|Kin the beautiful}})
| motto              = 
| image_map          = Democratic Republic of the Congo (26 provinces) - Kinshasa.svg
| map_caption        = Kinshasa on map of DR Congo provinces
| pushpin_map        = Democratic Republic of the Congo#Africa
| pushpin_relief     = 1
| pushpin_map_caption = Kinshasa on map of DR Congo
| coordinates        = {{Coord|04|19|19|S|15|18|43|E|type:adm1st_region:CD-KN|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = {{flag|Democratic Republic of the Congo|DR Congo}}
| subdivision_type1  = [[Provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo|Province]]
| established_title  = Founded
| established_date   = 1881 (as Léopoldville)
| seat_type          = City hall
| seat               = [[La Gombe (Kinshasa)|La Gombe]]
| parts_type         = [[Communes in Kinshasa|Communes]]
| parts_style        = coll
| p1                 = [[Bandalungwa]]
| p2                 = [[Barumbu]]
| p3                 = [[Bumbu]]
| p4                 = [[Gombe, Kinshasa|Gombe]] (formerly Kalina)
| p5                 = [[Kalamu]]
| p6                 = [[Kasa-Vubu, Kinshasa|Kasa-Vubu]]
| p7                 = [[Kimbanseke]]
| p8                 = [[Kinshasa (commune)|Kinshasa]]
| p9                 = [[Kintambo]]
| p10                = [[Kisenso]]
| p11                = [[Lemba, Kinshasa|Lemba]]
| p12                = [[Limete]]
| p13                = [[Lingwala]]
| p14                = [[Makala]]
| p15                = [[Maluku, Kinshasa|Maluku]]
| p16                = [[Masina, Kinshasa|Masina]]
| p17                = [[Matete]]
| p18                = [[Mont Ngafula]]
| p19                = [[Ndjili, Kinshasa|Ndjili]]
| p20                = [[Ngaba]]
| p21                = [[Ngaliema]]
| p22                = [[Ngiri-Ngiri]]
| p23                = [[Nsele]]
| p24                = [[Selembao]]
| government_type    = 
| governing_body     = [[Provincial Assembly of Kinshasa]]
| leader_title       = [[List of Governors of Kinshasa|Governor]]
| leader_name        = {{ill|Daniel Bumba|It=Daniel Bumba Lubaki|fr}}
| leader_title1      = 
| leader_name1       = 
| total_type         = City-province
| area_footnotes     = <ref name=Kayembe2009 />
| area_total_km2     = 9965
| area_land_km2      = 
| area_water_km2     = 
| area_water_percent = 
| area_urban_km2     = 600
| elevation_m        = 240
| population_total   = 17071000<ref>{{Cite web |last=Institut National De La Statistique |title=Projections demographiques 2019–25 (in French) |url=http://ins.mkbco.pro/Portals/0/OpenContent/Files/19197/TROIKA_-_Projections_demographiques_2019-25.xlsx |access-date=September 23, 2020 |archive-date=2 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200702122410/http://ins.mkbco.pro/Portals/0/OpenContent/Files/19197/TROIKA_-_Projections_demographiques_2019-25.xlsx |url-status=dead}}</ref>
| population_as_of   = 2021
| population_footnotes = 
| population_density_km2 = 1462
| population_urban   = 16316000
| population_metro   = 17239463
| population_urban_footnotes = <ref>{{cite web |url=https://populationstat.com/democratic-republic-of-the-congo/kinshasa |title=PopulationStat.com |access-date=20 January 2021 |archive-date=21 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210321203809/https://populationstat.com/democratic-republic-of-the-congo/kinshasa |url-status=live }}</ref>
| population_density_urban_km2 = auto
| population_blank1_title = [[National language|Language]]
| population_blank1  = French and Lingala
| population_note    = 
| demographics_type1 = [[Demographics of the Democratic Republic of the Congo|Ethnic groups]]
| demographics1_title1 = Native
| population_demonym = Kinshasan<br>Léopoldvillian (1881–1966)
| postal_code        = 
| area_code          = 243
| iso_code           = CD-KN
| blank2_name_sec1   = [[Human Development Index|HDI]] (2022)
| blank2_info_sec1   = 0.582<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://hdi.globaldatalab.org/areadata/shdi/|title=Sub-national HDI – Area Database – Global Data Lab|website=hdi.globaldatalab.org|language=en|access-date=13 September 2018|archive-date=23 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180923120638/https://hdi.globaldatalab.org/areadata/shdi/|url-status=live}}</ref><br />{{color|#fc0|medium}} · [[List of provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo by Human Development Index|1st of 11]]
| area_urban_footnotes = <ref name="population">{{Cite web |date=April 2017 |title=DemographiaWorld Urban Areas – 13th Annual Edition |url=http://www.demographia.com/db-worldua.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180503021711/http://www.demographia.com/db-worldua.pdf |archive-date=3 May 2018 |access-date=8 July 2017 |publisher=[[Demographia]]}}</ref>
| timezone           = [[West Africa Time|WAT]]
| utc_offset         = +01:00
| coor_pinpoint      = 
| registration_plate_type = [[Vehicle registration plates of the Democratic Republic of the Congo|License Plate Code]]
| registration_plate = {{flagicon|Democratic Republic of the Congo}} CGO / '''01'''
| website            = 
| demographics1_info1 = [[Teke people|BaTeke]], [[Kongo people|BaKongo]]
}}

'''Kinshasa''' ({{IPAc-en|k|ɪ|n|ˈ|ʃ|ɑː|s|ə}}; {{IPA|fr|kinʃasa|lang}}; {{langx|ln|Kinsásá}}), formerly named '''Léopoldville''' from 1881–1966 ({{langx|nl|Leopoldstad}}), is the [[Capital city|capital]] and [[Cities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo|largest city]] of the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]]. Kinshasa is one of the world's fastest-growing [[Megacity|megacities]], with an estimated population of 17 million in 2024.<ref>''[https://worldpopulationreview.com/world-cities/kinshasa-population  Kinshasa Population 2024]'', World population review 30 May 2024</ref> It is the [[List of cities and towns in the Democratic Republic of the Congo|most densely populated city in the DRC]], the [[List of cities in Africa by population|most populous city]] and [[List of urban areas in Africa by population|third-largest metropolitan area]] in Africa, and the world's [[List of largest cities|twenty-second most populous city]] and [[List of national capitals by population|fourth-most populous capital city]]. It is the leading [[Economy|economic]], [[Politics|political]], and [[cultural center]] of the DRC,<ref name=":7" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Chignac |first=François |date=2023-07-06 |title=Conférence Risque Pays 2023 : le climat des affaires s'améliore en RDC |url=https://fr.euronews.com/next/2023/07/06/conference-risque-pays-2023-le-climat-des-affaires-s-ameliore-en-rdc |access-date=2023-08-30 |website=euronews |language=fr |archive-date=30 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230830093909/https://fr.euronews.com/next/2023/07/06/conference-risque-pays-2023-le-climat-des-affaires-s-ameliore-en-rdc |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":8">{{Cite news |last=Rouaud |first=Pierre Olivier |date=July 25, 2022 |title=RD Congo: les fortes prévisions de croissance confortées par le FMI |language=French |work=Classe-export.com |url=https://classe-export.com/index.php/pays/afrique/62036-rd-congo-les-fortes-previsions-de-croissance-confortees-par-le-fmi/ |access-date=2023-08-30 |archive-date=30 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230830093921/https://classe-export.com/index.php/pays/afrique/62036-rd-congo-les-fortes-previsions-de-croissance-confortees-par-le-fmi/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Kaseso |first=Joel Machozi |date=2023-05-27 |title=Faux, le magazine Forbes n'a pas publié un classement du "Top 10 des meilleurs villes de la RDC en 2023" |url=https://congocheck.net/faux-le-magazine-forbes-na-pas-publie-un-classement-du-top-10-des-meilleurs-villes-de-la-rdc-en-2023/ |access-date=2023-08-30 |website=Congocheck.net |language=fr-FR |archive-date=30 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231230062747/https://congocheck.net/faux-le-magazine-forbes-na-pas-publie-un-classement-du-top-10-des-meilleurs-villes-de-la-rdc-en-2023/ |url-status=live }}</ref> housing several industries including [[manufacturing]],<ref>{{Cite news |date=13 September 2013 |title=Congo-Kinshasa: Les industries manufacturières affichent une bonne croissance |language=French |work=AllAfrica |url=https://fr.allafrica.com/stories/201309131353.html |access-date=2023-10-19}}</ref> [[telecommunications]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Syosyo |first=Crispin Malingumu |date=2015 |title=Analyse du marché des télécommunications mobiles en République Démocratique du Congo: Dynamique du marché et stratégies des acteurs |url=https://hal.science/hal-03119515/document |access-date=2023-10-19 |website=hal.science |language=French |archive-date=20 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231220160311/https://hal.science/hal-03119515/document |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Tuema |first=Jacques Kiambu Di |date=December 5, 2009 |title=Déréglementation des services de télécommunications en République Démocratique du Congo et inégale répartition des ressources |url=https://www.cairn.info/revue-d-economie-regionale-et-urbaine-2009-5-page-975.htm |journal=Revue d'Économie Régionale & Urbaine |language=French |issue=2009/5 |pages=975–994 |doi=10.3917/reru.095.0975 |access-date=19 October 2023 |archive-date=20 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231220160311/https://www.cairn.info/revue-d-economie-regionale-et-urbaine-2009-5-page-975.htm |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }}</ref> [[List of banks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo|banking]], and [[entertainment]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-05-27 |title=La culture et le divertissement au Congo |url=https://actualite.cd/2021/05/27/la-culture-et-le-divertissement-au-congo |access-date=2023-10-19 |website=Actualite.cd |language=fr |archive-date=13 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231213132013/https://actualite.cd/2021/05/27/la-culture-et-le-divertissement-au-congo |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Luzonzo |first=Merseign |date=2016 |title=Les fondements de l'émergence économique de la République Démocratique du Congo: défis et perspectives |trans-title=The foundations of the economic emergence of the Democratic Republic of Congo: challenges and prospects |url=https://www.memoireonline.com/04/17/9762/Les-fondements-de-lemergence-economique-de-la-Republique-Democratique-du-Congo--defis-et-pe.html |access-date=2023-09-01 |publisher=Université Catholique du Congo |language=French |publication-place=Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo |archive-date=1 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230901122128/https://www.memoireonline.com/04/17/9762/Les-fondements-de-lemergence-economique-de-la-Republique-Democratique-du-Congo--defis-et-pe.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The city also hosts some of DRC's significant institutional buildings, such as the [[People's Palace (Kinshasa)|People's Palace]], [[Palace of the Nation (Kinshasa)|Palace of the Nation]], [[Court of Cassation (Democratic Republic of the Congo)|Court of Cassation]], [[Constitutional Court of the Democratic Republic of the Congo|Constitutional Court]], [[African Union City]], [[Marble Palace, Kinshasa|Marble Palace]], [[Martyrs Stadium, Kinshasa|Martyrs Stadium]], [[Government House, Kinshasa|Government House]], [[Kinshasa Financial Center]], and other national departments and agencies.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-07-06 |title=Actualité {{!}} Quelle est la nature juridique de l'autorité du ministre de la Justice sur le Parquet ? |url=https://www.mediacongo.net/article-actualite-71641_quelle_est_la_nature_juridique_de_l_autorite_du_ministre_de_la_justice_sur_le_parquet.html |access-date=2023-08-30 |website=www.mediacongo.net |language=French |publication-place=Kinshasa |archive-date=30 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230830095413/https://www.mediacongo.net/article-actualite-71641_quelle_est_la_nature_juridique_de_l_autorite_du_ministre_de_la_justice_sur_le_parquet.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-11-25 |title=En RDC, le difficile accès à la justice pour les femmes victimes de viols |url=https://www.rfi.fr/fr/afrique/20201125-en-rdc-le-difficile-acc%C3%A8s-%C3%A0-la-justice-pour-les-femmes-victimes-de-viols |access-date=2023-08-30 |website=RFI |language=fr |archive-date=30 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230830095409/https://www.rfi.fr/fr/afrique/20201125-en-rdc-le-difficile-acc%C3%A8s-%C3%A0-la-justice-pour-les-femmes-victimes-de-viols |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Rédaction |first=La |date=2019-01-28 |title=Félix Tshisekedi s'installe dans "une modeste" villa à la cité de l'UA |url=https://www.politico.cd/encontinu/2019/01/28/felix-tshisekedi-sinstalle-dans-une-modeste-villa-a-la-cite-de-lua.html/34471/ |access-date=2023-08-30 |website=Politico.cd |language=fr-FR |archive-date=30 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230830093921/https://www.politico.cd/encontinu/2019/01/28/felix-tshisekedi-sinstalle-dans-une-modeste-villa-a-la-cite-de-lua.html/34471/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Huband |first=Mark |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gf7EDwAAQBAJ&dq=palais+de+marbre+Mobutu&pg=PA123 |title=The Skull Beneath The Skin: Africa After The Cold War |date=2019-05-20 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-429-96439-8 |location=Oxfordshire, England, United Kingdom |pages=123 |language=en |access-date=19 September 2023 |archive-date=16 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231016114513/https://books.google.com/books?id=gf7EDwAAQBAJ&dq=palais+de+marbre+Mobutu&pg=PA123 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The Kinshasa site has been inhabited by [[Teke people|Teke]] and Humbu people for centuries and was known as ''Nshasa'' before transforming into a [[Commercial area|commercial hub]] during the 19th and 20th centuries.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":5" /> The city was named Léopoldville by [[Henry Morton Stanley]] in honor of [[Leopold II of Belgium]].<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4" /><ref name=":6" /> The name was changed to Kinshasa in 1966 during [[Mobutu Sese Seko]]'s ''[[Authenticité (Zaire)|Zairianisation]]'' campaign as a tribute to ''Nshasa'' village.<ref name=":3" /> Covering 9,965 square kilometers, Kinshasa stretches along the southern shores of the [[Pool Malebo]] on the [[Congo River]]. It forms an expansive crescent across flat, low-lying terrain at an average altitude of about 300 meters.<ref name=":3" /> Kinshasa borders the [[Mai-Ndombe Province]], [[Kwilu Province]], and [[Kwango|Kwango Province]] to the east; the [[Congo River]] delineates its western and northern perimeters, constituting a [[natural border]] with the [[Republic of the Congo]]; to the south lies the [[Kongo Central|Kongo Central Province]]. Across the river sits [[Brazzaville]], the smaller capital of the neighboring Republic of the Congo, forming the world's second-closest pair of capital cities despite being separated by a four-kilometer-wide unbridged span of the Congo River.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Buron |first=Thierry |date=2020-11-22 |title=Brazzaville et Kinshasa : proches, mais séparées |url=https://www.revueconflits.com/brazaville-et-kinshasa-proches-mais-separes/ |access-date=2023-12-15 |website=Conflits : Revue de Géopolitique |language=fr-FR |archive-date=15 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231215134251/https://www.revueconflits.com/brazaville-et-kinshasa-proches-mais-separes/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Academie |first=Jan Van Eyck |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_zFUAAAAMAAJ |title=Brakin: Brazzaville-Kinshasa : Visualizing the Visible |date=2006-06-12 |publisher=Lars Müller Publishers |isbn=978-3-03778-076-3 |location=Baden, Switzerland |language=en |access-date=30 August 2023 |archive-date=16 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231016114545/https://books.google.com/books?id=_zFUAAAAMAAJ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":3" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Burke |first=Jason |date=2017-01-17 |title=Face-off over the Congo: the long rivalry between Kinshasa and Brazzaville |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/jan/17/congo-rivalry-kinshasa-brazzaville-river-drc |access-date=2023-08-29 |issn=0261-3077 |archive-date=18 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170718224203/https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/jan/17/congo-rivalry-kinshasa-brazzaville-river-drc |url-status=live }}</ref>

Kinshasa also functions as one of the [[Provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo|26 provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo]] and is administratively divided into [[Communes of Kinshasa|24 communes]], which are further subdivided into 365 neighborhoods.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Zimi |first=Gutu Kia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3PMYEAAAQBAJ&dq=Ma+Campagne+Kinshasa&pg=PT55 |title=Growing Trees in Urban Kinshasa: Shrub Vegetation in Residential Plots in Kinshasa |date=2021-01-10 |publisher=AuthoHouse |isbn=978-1-6655-1262-6 |location=Bloomington, Indiana |language=en |access-date=19 September 2023 |archive-date=16 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231016114513/https://books.google.com/books?id=3PMYEAAAQBAJ&dq=Ma+Campagne+Kinshasa&pg=PT55 |url-status=live }}</ref> With an expansive administrative region, over 90 percent of the province's land remains rural, while urban growth predominantly occurs on its western side.<ref name="area">{{Cite web |title=Géographie de Kinshasa |url=http://www.kinshasa.cd/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=300 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120723091147/http://www.kinshasa.cd/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=300 |archive-date=23 July 2012 |access-date=25 June 2012 |publisher=Ville de Kinshasa |df=dmy-all}}</ref> Kinshasa is the largest nominally [[Geographical distribution of French speakers|Francophone]] urban area globally, with [[French language|French]] being the language of government, education, media, public services and high-end commerce, while [[Lingala]] is used as a [[lingua franca]] in the street. The city's inhabitants are popularly known as ''[[wiktionary:Kinois|Kinois]]'', with the term "[[wiktionary:Kinois|Kinshasans]]" used in English terminology.<ref name=":7">{{Cite book |last=Cécile B. Vigouroux & Salikoko S. Mufwene |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Le_8WMk1Pr4C&q=french%20lingala%20kinshasa&pg=PA103 |title=Globalization and Language Vitality: Perspectives from Africa, pp. 103 & 109 |year=2008 |publisher=A&C Black |isbn=9780826495150 |access-date=25 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151005104851/https://books.google.com/books?id=Le_8WMk1Pr4C&lpg=PA111&dq=french%20lingala%20kinshasa&pg=PA103 |archive-date=5 October 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Magnan |first=Pierre |date=2017-06-02 |title=Kinshasa a dépassé Paris comme plus grande ville francophone du monde |url=https://www.francetvinfo.fr/monde/afrique/republique-democratique-du-congo/kinshasa-a-depasse-paris-comme-plus-grande-ville-francophone-du-monde_3060123.html |access-date=2023-08-30 |website=Franceinfo |language=fr-FR |archive-date=30 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230830093921/https://www.francetvinfo.fr/monde/afrique/republique-democratique-du-congo/kinshasa-a-depasse-paris-comme-plus-grande-ville-francophone-du-monde_3060123.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-10-10 |title=This is the most French-speaking city in the world |url=https://www.en-vols.com/en/inspirations-en/culture-en/most-french-speaking-city/ |access-date=2023-08-30 |website=En-vols.com |language=en-US |archive-date=30 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230830093920/https://www.en-vols.com/en/inspirations-en/culture-en/most-french-speaking-city/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Cornall |first=Flo |date=2023-06-01 |title=Congolese artists wear costumes made of trash to shine a light on Kinshasa's pollution problem |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/01/style/congolese-artists-colin-delfosse-fulu-act-spc-intl/index.html |access-date=2023-08-30 |website=CNN |language=en |archive-date=30 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230830093920/https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/01/style/congolese-artists-colin-delfosse-fulu-act-spc-intl/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[National Museum of the Democratic Republic of the Congo]] is DRC's most prominent and central museum. The [[Collège des Hautes Études de Stratégie et de Défense|College of Advanced Studies in Strategy and Defense]] is the highest military institution in DRC and Central Africa. The [[Université Pédagogique Nationale|National Pedagogical University]] is DRC's first pedagogical university and one of Africa's top pedagogical universities. [[N'djili Airport|N'Djili International Airport]] is the largest airport in the nation.<ref>[Airport rankings: Africa https://gettocenter.com/airports/continent/africa {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231016114531/https://gettocenter.com/airports/continent/africa |date=16 October 2023 }}]</ref> In 2015, Kinshasa was designated as a [[City of Music (UNESCO)|City of Music]] by [[UNESCO]] and has been a member of the [[Creative Cities Network]] since then.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016–2019 |title=Kinshasa: Ville Créative de la Musique |trans-title=Kinshasa: Creative City of Music |url=https://en.unesco.org/creative-cities/sites/default/files/kinshasa_rvcu_-rapport_exercice_2015_-_2019.pdf |access-date=2024-02-24 |website=en.unesco.org |page=3 |language=French |publication-place=Paris, France |archive-date=31 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230331135810/https://en.unesco.org/creative-cities/sites/default/files/kinshasa_rvcu_-rapport_exercice_2015_-_2019.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2015 |title=Kinshasa: About the Creative City |url=https://en.unesco.org/creative-cities/kinshasa#:~:text=Kinshasa%2C%20capital%20of%20the%20Democratic,shaped%20by%20many%20international%20influences. |access-date=2023-12-27 |website=En.unesco.org |archive-date=11 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190511140106/https://en.unesco.org/creative-cities/kinshasa#:~:text=Kinshasa%2C%20capital%20of%20the%20Democratic,shaped%20by%20many%20international%20influences. |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Nsele Valley Park]] is the largest [[urban park]] in Kinshasa, housing a range of [[fauna]] and [[flora]]. According to the [[List of most expensive cities for expatriate employees|2016 annual ranking]], Kinshasa is Africa's most expensive city for [[expatriate]] employees, ahead of close to 200 global locations.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Velluet |first=Quentin |date=2018-10-31 |title=Offres d'emploi : les meilleures opportunités en Afrique – Jeune Afrique |url=https://www.jeuneafrique.com/emploi-formation/offres/ |access-date=2023-08-30 |website=JeuneAfrique.com |language=fr-FR |archive-date=30 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230830210108/https://www.jeuneafrique.com/emploi-formation/offres/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Karuri |first=Ken |date=2016-06-22 |title=Luanda, Kinshasa ranked among world's most expensive cities for expats |url=https://www.africanews.com/2016/06/22/luanda-kinshasa-ranked-among-world-s-most-expensive-cities/ |access-date=2023-08-30 |website=Africanews |language=en |archive-date=30 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230830093909/https://www.africanews.com/2016/06/22/luanda-kinshasa-ranked-among-world-s-most-expensive-cities/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Hughes |first=Martin |date=2016-07-03 |title=Kinshasa Is Most Expensive City To Live For Expats |url=https://www.moneyinternational.com/kinshasa-expensive-city-live-expats/ |access-date=2023-08-30 |website=Money International |language=en-GB |archive-date=30 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230830093910/https://www.moneyinternational.com/kinshasa-expensive-city-live-expats/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Toponymy ==
There are several theories about the origin of the name ''Kinshasa''. Paul Raymaekers, an [[anthropologist]] and [[Ethnology|ethnologist]], suggests that the name derives from the combination of the [[Kongo language|Kikongo]] and Kihumbu languages.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last1=Kinyamba |first1=S. Shomba |last2=Nsenda |first2=F. Mukoka |last3=Nonga |first3=D. Olela |last4=Kaminar |first4=T.M. |last5=Mbalanda |first5=W. . |date=2015 |title=Monographie de la ville de Kinshasa |url=https://www.fsmtoolbox.com/assets/pdf/Monographie_de_la_ville_de_Kinshasa.pdf |access-date=2023-08-04 |publisher=Institut Congolais de Recherche en Développement et Etudes Stratégiques (ICREDES) |pages=9–28 |language=French |publication-place=Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo |archive-date=27 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327044324/https://www.fsmtoolbox.com/assets/pdf/Monographie_de_la_ville_de_Kinshasa.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> The prefix "''Ki(n)''" signifies a hill or inhabited area and "''Nsasa''" or "''Nshasa''" refers to a bag of salt. According to Raymackers, ''Kinshasa'' was a significant trading site where people from the Lower Congo (now [[Kongo Central|Kongo Central Province]]) and [[Atlantic Ocean|South Atlantic Ocean]] exchanged salt for goods such as [[iron]], [[Slavery|slaves]] and [[ivory]] brought by those from the Upper Congo (now [[Tshopo Province]]).<ref name=":3" /> However Hendrik van Moorsel, an anthropologist, historian and researcher, proposes that [[Teke people|Bateke]] [[Fisherman|fishermen]] traded fish for cassava with locals along the riverbank, and the place of this exchange was called "''Ulio''".<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":5">{{Cite book |last=Moorsel |first=Hendrik van |title=Atlas de préhistoire de la plaine de Kinshasa |publisher=Université Lovanium |year=1968 |location=Kinshasa, Belgian Congo |language=French}}</ref> In [[Teke languages|Teke]], "exchange" is "''Utsaya''", and "place of exchange" is "''Intsaya''". Thus, the name evolved from ''Ulio'' to ''Intsaya'', and later, under the influence of Kikongo, transformed into ''Kintsaya'', eventually becoming ''Kinshasa''.<ref name=":3" /> ''Kinshasa'', also known as ''N'shasa'', is regarded as the primary "place of exchange" on the southern bank of the [[Pool Malebo]], where [[barter]]ing occurred even before the commercial boom of [[Kintambo]].<ref name=":3" />

The name ''Nshasa'' is believed to originate from the Teke verb "''tsaya''" (''tsaa''), meaning "to exchange", and the noun "''intsaya''" (''insaa''), referring to any market or place of exchange. It was at this location that Teke [[broker]]s traded ivory and slaves from the [[Banunu people|Banunu]] slave traders, often mistaken for the [[Yanzi people|Yanzi]], for European trade items brought by the [[Zombo people|Zombo]] and [[Kongo people|Kongo]] people.<ref name=":3" /> Despite the various theories, the historical name of ''Kinshasa'' is known to have been ''Nshasa'', as documented by [[Henry Morton Stanley]] during his crossing of [[Africa]] from [[Zanzibar]] to [[Boma, Democratic Republic of the Congo|Boma]] in 1874–1877 when he mentioned visiting "the king of Nshasa" on 14 March 1877.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":6">{{Cite book |last=Boya |first=Loso Kiteti |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hpi4lyWG7zwC |title=D.R. Congo |year=2010 |isbn=9781450082495 |location=Bloomington, Indiana |publisher=Xlibris Corporation |pages=175 |language=English |access-date=19 September 2023 |archive-date=16 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231016114105/https://books.google.com/books?id=hpi4lyWG7zwC |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite book |last=Ness |first=Immanuel |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pHo2DwAAQBAJ&dq=Henry+Stanley+Nshasa+village&pg=PT699 |title=Encyclopedia of World Cities |publisher=Taylor & Francis |date=September 19, 2017 |isbn=9781317471585 |location=Thames, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom |language=English |access-date=19 September 2023 |archive-date=16 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231016114356/https://books.google.com/books?id=pHo2DwAAQBAJ&dq=Henry+Stanley+Nshasa+village&pg=PT699 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==History==
{{Main|History of Kinshasa|Timeline of Kinshasa|Kinshasa (commune)#History}}
[[File:Stanley Founding of Congo Free State 186 View of Leopoldville Station and Port 1884 The Baptist Mission on the summit of Leopold Hill.jpg|thumb|left|View of Léopoldville station and port (1884)]]
[[File:Bateke Village, Kinshasa - Starr, Frederick, Congo natives - an ethnographic album (1912).png|thumb|left|Kinshassa village (1912)]]

Prior to the establishment of  Kinshasa, the area was for a time part of the [[Anziku Kingdom]]. By about 1698, it had become an essentially independent domain known as [[Nkonkobela]].<ref>John K. Thornton. ''History of West Central Africa''. Cambridge University Press, 2020. p. 208</ref>

The city was established as a trading post by [[Henry Morton Stanley]] in 1881.<ref>Roman Adrian Cybriwsky, ''Capital Cities around the World: An Encyclopedia of Geography, History, and Culture'', ABC-CLIO, USA, 2013, p. 144</ref> It was named Léopoldville in honor of Stanley's employer [[Leopold II of the Belgians|King Leopold II of the Belgians]]. He would then proceed to take  control of most of the [[Congo Basin]] as the [[Congo Free State]], not as a colony but as his private property. The post flourished as the first navigable port on the Congo River above [[Livingstone Falls]], a series of rapids over {{convert|300|km|abbr=off}} below Leopoldville. At first, all goods arriving by sea or being sent by sea had to be carried by porters between Léopoldville and [[Matadi]], the port below the rapids and {{cvt|150|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} from the coast. The completion of the [[Matadi-Kinshasa Railway|Matadi-Kinshasa]] [[portage railway]], in 1898, provided an alternative route around the rapids and sparked the rapid development of Léopoldville. In 1914, a pipeline was installed so that crude oil could be transported from Matadi to the upriver steamers in Leopoldville.<ref name="britannica.com">{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Kinshasa – national capital, Democratic Republic of the Congo |encyclopedia=britannica.com |url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/318863/Kinshasa/9050/History |access-date=25 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141018021639/https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/318863/Kinshasa/9050/History |archive-date=18 October 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> By 1923, the city was elevated to capital of the [[Belgian Congo]], replacing the town of [[Boma, Democratic Republic of the Congo|Boma]] in the Congo estuary, pursuant to the Royal Decree of 1 July 1923, countersigned by the [[Minister of the Colonies (Belgium)|Minister of the Colonies]], Louis Franc.<ref name=":3" /><ref name="britannica.com" /> Before this, Léopoldville was designated an "urban district", encompassing exclusively the [[Communes of Kinshasa|communes]] of [[Kintambo]] and the current [[Gombe, Kinshasa|Gombe]], which burgeoned around [[Ngaliema Bay]].<ref name=":3" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Moulin |first=Léon de Saint |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gEWQYgEACAAJ |title=Les anciens villages des environs de Kinshasa |date=1971 |publisher=Université Lovanium |location=Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo |language=fr |access-date=9 April 2024 |archive-date=25 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240525162455/https://books.google.com/books?id=gEWQYgEACAAJ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":9">{{Cite web |last=Luaka |first=Evrard Nkenku |date=2005 |title=La gestion et la gouvernance des déchets dans la ville-province de Kinshasa |trans-title=Waste management and governance in the city-province of Kinshasa |url=https://www.memoireonline.com/05/07/461/m_gestion-gouvernance-dechets-ville-province-kinshasa5.html |access-date=2024-04-09 |publisher=University of Kinshasa |language=fr |publication-place=Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo |archive-date=9 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240409114108/https://www.memoireonline.com/05/07/461/m_gestion-gouvernance-dechets-ville-province-kinshasa5.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Then the communes of [[Kinshasa (commune)|Kinshasa]], [[Barumbu]], and [[Lingwala]] emerged. In the 1930s, these communes predominantly housed employees of Chanic, Filtisaf, and [[TEXAF|Utex Africa]].<ref name=":9" />

In 1941, legislative ordinance n°293/AIMO of 25 June 1941, conferred Kinshasa the status of a city and established an Urban Committee (''Comité Urbain''), with an allocated area of 5,000 hectares and a population of 53,000.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Kinyamb |first1=S. Shomba |last2=Nsenda |first2=F. Mukoka |last3=Nonga |first3=D. Olela |last4=Kaminar |first4=T.M. |last5=Mbalanda |first5=W. |date=2015 |title=Monographie de la ville de Kinshasa |trans-title=Monograph of the city of Kinshasa |url=https://www.fsmtoolbox.com/assets/pdf/Monographie_de_la_ville_de_Kinshasa.pdf |access-date=2024-04-09 |publisher=Institut Congolais de Recherche en Développement et Etudes Stratégiques (ICREDES) |page=43 |language=fr |publication-place=Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo |archive-date=27 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327044324/https://www.fsmtoolbox.com/assets/pdf/Monographie_de_la_ville_de_Kinshasa.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":9" /> Concurrently, it became the colony's capital, the [[Congo-Kasaï|Congo-Kasaï Province]]'s capital, and the [[Mongala|Moyen Congo]] district. The city was demarcated into two zones: the urban zone, comprising Léo II, Léo-Ouest, Kalina, Léo-I, or Léo-Est, and Ndolo; and the indigenous zone to the south. The urban populace swelled in 1945 with the cessation of [[Forced labour|forced labor]], facilitating the influx of native Africans from rural regions. Léopoldville then became predominantly inhabited by the [[Kongo people|Bakongo]] ethnic group.<ref name=":9" />

In the 1950s, [[Planned community|planned urban centers]] such as [[Lemba, Kinshasa|Lemba]], [[Matete]], and a segment of Ndjili were established to accommodate workers from the [[Limete]] industrial zone.<ref name=":9" /> [[Lovanium University]], the colony's inaugural university, was founded in 1954.<ref name=":9" /> By 1957, Léopoldville comprised eleven communes and six adjunct regions: [[Kalamu]], [[Kasa-Vubu, Kinshasa|Dendale]] (present-day [[Kasa-Vubu, Kinshasa|Kasa-Vubu commune]]), [[Lingwala|Saint Jean]] (now [[Lingwala]]), [[Ngiri-Ngiri]], [[Kintambo]], [[Limete]], [[Bandalungwa]], [[Gombe, Kinshasa|Léopoldville]] (current [[Gombe, Kinshasa|Gombe]]), [[Barumbu]], [[Kinshasa (commune)|Kinshasa]], and [[Ngaliema]]; along with the adjunct regions of Lemba, [[Binza group|Binza]], [[Makala]], [[Kimwenza]], [[Kimbanseke]], and Kingasani. Subsequently, the adjunct regions of Ndjili and Matete were incorporated.<ref name=":9" />

After gaining its independence on 30 June 1960, following [[Léopoldville riots|riots in 1959]], the [[Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville)|Republic of the Congo]] [[Belgian Congo general election, 1960|elected]] its first prime minister, [[Patrice Lumumba]] whose perceived pro-Soviet leanings were viewed as a threat by Western interests. This being the height of the Cold War, the U.S. and Belgium did not want to lose control of the strategic wealth of the Congo, in particular its uranium. Less than a year after Lumumba's election, the Belgians and the U.S. bought the support of his Congolese rivals and set in motion the events that culminated in Lumumba's assassination.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja |author-link=Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja |date=17 January 2011 |title=Patrice Lumumba: the most important assassination of the 20th century |url=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2011/jan/17/patrice-lumumba-50th-anniversary-assassination |access-date=9 February 2020 |website=The Guardian |archive-date=23 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191023072741/https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2011/jan/17/patrice-lumumba-50th-anniversary-assassination |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1964, [[Moïse Tshombe]] decreed the expulsion of all nationals of [[Republic of the Congo]], [[Burundi]] and [[Mali]], as well as all political refugees from [[Rwanda]].<ref>Jules Gerard-Libois and Benoit Verhaegen, ''Congo 1964: Political Documents of a Developing Nation'', Princeton University Press, 2015, p. 450</ref><ref name=NYT >{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/08/22/archives/congo-starts-expulsions.html |language=en |title=Congo Starts Expulsions |work=The New York Times |date=22 August 1964 |access-date=19 May 2021 |archive-date=19 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210519132855/https://www.nytimes.com/1964/08/22/archives/congo-starts-expulsions.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>Daouda Gary-Tounkara, ''1964 : le Mali réinsère ses ressortissants expulsés'', In: '' Plein droit 2016/1 (n° 108)'', GISTI, 2016, p. 35-38</ref><ref>United States. Central Intelligence Agency, ''Daily Report, Foreign Radio Broadcasts'', Issues 11–15, 1967</ref> In 1965, with the help of the U.S. and Belgium, [[Mobutu Sese Seko|Joseph-Désiré Mobutu]] seized power in the Congo. He initiated a policy of "[[Authenticité (Zaire)|Authenticity]]", attempting to renativize the names of people and places in the country. On 2 May 1966, the government announced that the nation's major cities would be restored to their pre-colonial names, effective on 30 June, the sixth anniversary of independence.<ref>"Congo Cities Get Back Old Names", ''Vancouver Sun'', May 3, 1966, p.11</ref> Léopoldville was renamed ''Kinshasa'', for [[Kinshasa (commune)|a village named Kinshasa]] that once stood near the site. Kinshasa grew rapidly under Mobutu, drawing people from across the country who came in search of their fortunes or to escape ethnic strife elsewhere, thus adding to the many ethnicities and languages already found there.

In 1991 the city had to [[1991 Zaire unrest|fend off rioting soldiers]], who were protesting the government's failure to pay them. Subsequently a rebel uprising began, which in 1997 finally brought down the regime of Mobutu.<ref name="britannica.com" /> Kinshasa suffered greatly from Mobutu's excesses, mass corruption, nepotism and the civil war that led to his downfall. Nevertheless, it is still a major cultural and intellectual center for Central Africa, with a flourishing community of musicians and artists. It is also the country's major industrial center, processing many of the natural products brought from the interior.

[[Joseph Kabila]], president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 2001 to 2019, was not overly popular in Kinshasa.<ref name=Trapido2016 /> Violence broke out following the announcement of Kabila's victory in the contested [[Democratic Republic of the Congo general election, 2006|election of 2006]]; the European Union deployed troops ([[EUFOR RD Congo]]) to join the UN force in the city. The announcement in 2016 that a new election would be delayed two years led to large protests in September and [[December 2016 Congolese protests|December]] which involved [[barricade]]s in the streets and left dozens of people dead. Schools and businesses were closed down.<ref>"[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-37406407 DR Congo election: 17 dead in anti-Kabila protests] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180616023724/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-37406407 |date=16 June 2018 }}", ''BBC'', 19 September 2016.</ref><ref>Merritt Kennedy, "[https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/12/21/506449446/congo-a-powder-keg-as-security-forces-crack-down-on-whistling-demonstrators Congo A 'Powder Keg' As Security Forces Crack Down On Whistling Demonstrators] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180517153108/https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/12/21/506449446/congo-a-powder-keg-as-security-forces-crack-down-on-whistling-demonstrators |date=17 May 2018 }}", ''NPR'', 21 December 2016.</ref>

==Geography==

[[File:Fleuve Congo Kinshasa 8.JPG|thumb|Dawn at the banks of the [[Congo River]] in [[Ngaliema]] commune]]

=== Location ===
Kinshasa is strategically situated on the southern bank of the expansive [[Pool Malebo|Malebo Pool]], spanning 9,965 square kilometers, configured in a grand crescent shape atop a low-lying, flat terrain with an average elevation hovering around 300 meters.<ref>{{Cite book |last=PhD |first=Gutu Kia Zimi |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3PMYEAAAQBAJ&dq=Kinshasa+Pool+Malebo+9,965&pg=PT26 |title=Growing Trees in Urban Kinshasa: Shrub Vegetation in Residential Plots in Kinshasa |date=2021-01-10 |location=Bloomington, Indiana, United States |publisher=AuthorHouse |isbn=978-1-6655-1262-6 |language=en |access-date=2 May 2024 |archive-date=25 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240525162456/https://books.google.com/books?id=3PMYEAAAQBAJ&dq=Kinshasa+Pool+Malebo+9,965&pg=PT26#v=onepage&q=Kinshasa%20Pool%20Malebo%209%2C965&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Iyenda |first=Guillaume |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zhu8AAAAIAAJ&q=Kinshasa%20Pool%20Malebo%209,965 |title=Households' Livelihoods and Survival Strategies Among Congolese Urban Poor: Alternatives to Western Approaches to Development |date=2007 |publisher=Edwin Mellen Press |isbn=978-0-7734-5269-5 |pages=69 |language=en |access-date=2 May 2024 |archive-date=25 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240525162457/https://books.google.com/books?id=zhu8AAAAIAAJ&q=Kinshasa%20Pool%20Malebo%209,965 |url-status=live }}</ref> Positioned between latitudes 4° and 5° and longitudinal coordinates 15° to 16°32 east, Kinshasa is flanked by the provinces of [[Mai-Ndombe Province|Mai-Ndombe]], [[Kwilu Province|Kwilu]], and [[Kwango]] to the east, while the [[Congo River]] delineates its western and northern boundaries, naturally demarcating the border with the [[Republic of the Congo]]. To the south, it is demarcated by the [[Kongo Central|Kongo Central Province]].<ref name=":10">{{Cite web |last1=Kinyamba |first1=S. Shomba |last2=Nsenda |first2=F. Mukoka |last3=Nonga |first3=D. Olela |last4=Kaminar |first4=T.M. |last5=Mbalanda |first5=W. . |date=2015 |title=Monographie de la ville de Kinshasa |url=https://www.fsmtoolbox.com/assets/pdf/Monographie_de_la_ville_de_Kinshasa.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327044324/https://www.fsmtoolbox.com/assets/pdf/Monographie_de_la_ville_de_Kinshasa.pdf |archive-date=27 March 2023 |access-date=2024-05-02 |publisher=Institut Congolais de Recherche en Développement et Etudes Stratégiques (ICREDES) |pages=9–12 |language=Fr |publication-place=Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo}}</ref>

The Congo River is the second longest river in Africa after the [[Nile]] and has the continent's greatest [[Discharge (hydrology)|discharge]]. As a [[waterway]] it provides a means of transport for much of the [[Congo Basin]]; it is navigable for river barges between Kinshasa and [[Kisangani]]; many of its tributaries are also navigable. The river is an important source of [[hydroelectric power]], and downstream from Kinshasa it has the potential to generate power equivalent to the usage of roughly half of Africa's population.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Wachter |first=Sarah J. |date=19 June 2007 |title=Giant dam projects aim to transform African power supplies |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/19/business/worldbusiness/19iht-rnrghydro.1.6204822.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111101175527/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/19/business/worldbusiness/19iht-rnrghydro.1.6204822.html |archive-date=1 November 2011 |access-date=15 December 2010 |work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>

=== Relief ===
{{Multiple image
| image1            = A view of Congo River from Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).jpg
| caption1          = A view of [[Congo River]] from Kinshasa
| image2            = Sun Set by the Congo River-1 - Kinshasa, DRC.jpg
| caption2          = [[Sunset]] by the Congo River in Kinshasa
| direction         = horizontal
| total_width       = 420
}}

Topographically, Kinshasa has a [[marsh]]y, [[alluvial plain]], with altitudes ranging from 275 to 300 meters, along with hilly terrain that elevates from 310 to 370 meters.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NnQQBAAAQBAJ&dq=Kinshasa+alluvial+plain&pg=PA147 |title=Agriculture in Urban Planning: Generating Livelihoods and Food Security |date=2012-05-16 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-1-136-57205-0 |editor-last=Redwood |editor-first=Mark |location=Thames, Oxfordshire United Kingdom |pages=8 |language=en |access-date=2 May 2024 |archive-date=25 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240525162459/https://books.google.com/books?id=NnQQBAAAQBAJ&dq=Kinshasa+alluvial+plain&pg=PA147#v=onepage&q=Kinshasa%20alluvial%20plain&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":10" /><ref>{{Cite book |last= |first= |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pVutDwAAQBAJ&dq=Kinshasa+alluvial+plain&pg=PA32 |title=Congo Republic Energy Policy, Laws and Regulations Handbook - Strategic Information and Basic Laws |date=2017-11-22 |publisher=Global Pro Info USA |isbn=978-1-5145-1238-8 |location=Miami, Florida, United States |pages=32 |language=en |access-date=2 May 2024 |archive-date=25 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240525162526/https://books.google.com/books?id=pVutDwAAQBAJ&dq=Kinshasa+alluvial+plain&pg=PA32#v=onepage&q=Kinshasa%20alluvial%20plain&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> The city has four principal features: the Malebo Pool, a vast expanse of water with islands and islets; the Kinshasa Plain, which is a highly [[Urban area|urbanizable space]], but susceptible to drainage issues; the Terrace, which is a series of low ridges overlooking the plain; and the Hills Area, which is characterized by deep valleys and [[cirque]]-shaped formations.<ref name=":10" />

The Malebo Pool spans over 35 kilometers in length and 25 kilometers in width and is encircled by [[Ngaliema|Ngaliema Municipality]] to the west and [[Maluku, Kinshasa|Maluku Municipality]] to the east, traversing through [[Gombe, Kinshasa|Gombe]], [[Barumbu]], [[Limete]], [[Masina, Kinshasa|Masina]], and [[Nsele]] municipalities.<ref name=":10" /> The Kinshasa Plain has a banana-like shape and is surrounded by eastward-oriented hills. Its low sandy alluvial masses extend from Maluku Municipality in the east to the western foothills of Ngaliema, covering approximately 20,000 hectares.<ref name=":10" />

The Terrace is mainly situated in the city's western expanse, between [[Ndjili, Kinshasa|N'djili]] and [[Mont Ngafula|Mount Ngafula]]. It comprises stony blocks of soft [[sandstone]] and [[Silicon dioxide|silica]]-covered yellow [[clay]], topped with brown [[silt]], and ranges from 10 to 25 meters in height. It retains vestiges of an ancient surface.<ref name=":10" /> The Hills Area commences several kilometers from the Malebo Pool and is characterized by deep valleys and cirque-shaped formations. These hills reach heights surpassing 700 meters and exhibit gentle, rounded contours sculpted by local rivers.<ref name=":10" /> While their eastern counterparts may reflect remnants of the [[Batéké Plateau]], their origins in the west and south remain enigmatic. Their natural [[erosion]] processes are exacerbated by human intervention, sometimes assuming catastrophic proportions.<ref name=":10" />

=== Hydrography ===
[[File:Congo river in full flow at Parc de la Vallée de la Nsele,Kinshasa, DRC.jpg|thumb|260x260px|Congo River in full flow at [[Nsele Valley Park|Parc de la Vallée de la Nsele]]]]
Kinshasa's hydrographic network encompasses the [[Congo River]] and its principal left bank tributaries, traversing the city from south to north. These include the [[Lukunga River|Lukunga]], [[Ndjili River|Ndjili]], Nsele, Bombo, or Mai-Ndombe rivers and the Mbale.<ref name=":10" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Kitambo |first1=Benjamin |last2=Papa |first2=Fabrice |last3=Paris |first3=Adrien |last4=Tshimanga |first4=Raphael M. |last5=Calmant |first5=Stephane |last6=Fleischmann |first6=Ayan Santos |last7=Frappart |first7=Frederic |last8=Becker |first8=Melanie |last9=Tourian |first9=Mohammad J. |last10=Prigent |first10=Catherine |last11=Andriambeloson |first11=Johary |date=2022-04-12 |title=A combined use of in situ and satellite-derived observations to characterize surface hydrology and its variability in the Congo River basin |url=https://hess.copernicus.org/articles/26/1857/2022/ |journal=Hydrology and Earth System Sciences |language=English |volume=26 |issue=7 |pages=1857–1882 |doi=10.5194/hess-26-1857-2022 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2022HESS...26.1857K |issn=1027-5606 |access-date=2 May 2024 |archive-date=2 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240502085852/https://hess.copernicus.org/articles/26/1857/2022/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Michael |first1=Mukendi Tshibangu |last2=Henri |first2=Mbale Kunzi |last3=Meti |first3=Ntumba Jean |last4=Felicien |first4=Lukoki Luyeye |date=2020-05-15 |title=Floristic Inventory of Invasive Alien Aquatic Plants Found in Malebo Pool in Congo Rivers, Kinshasa, DR. Congo (Case of MOLONDO, MIPONGO, and JAPON Islands) |url=https://journalofscience.org/index.php/GJSFR/article/view/2864 |journal=Global Journal of Science Frontier Research |language=en-US |volume=20 |issue=C6 |pages=31–44 |issn=2249-4626 |access-date=2 May 2024 |archive-date=2 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240502085851/https://journalofscience.org/index.php/GJSFR/article/view/2864 |url-status=live }}</ref> Unfortunately, these waterways are polluted due to the city's demographic pressures and inadequate sanitation.<ref name=":10" />

=== Geology ===
Geologically, the soil in Kinshasa is of the Arenoferrasol category,<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ca66AAAAIAAJ&q=Kinshasa%20Arenoferrasol |title=Monographie de la province du Maniema |date=1998 |publisher=République démocratique du Congo, Ministères de l'agriculture et de l'élevage |location=Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo |pages=9 |language=fr |access-date=2 May 2024 |archive-date=25 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240525162500/https://books.google.com/books?id=ca66AAAAIAAJ&q=Kinshasa%20Arenoferrasol |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lgouAAAAIAAJ&q=Kinshasa%20Arenoferrasol |title=African Soils: Volumes 16-18 |publisher=Commission Scientifique, technique et de la recherche de l'Organisation de l'unité Africaine |year=1971 |location=Paris, France |pages=169 |language=en |access-date=20 May 2024 |archive-date=25 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240525163002/https://books.google.com/books?id=lgouAAAAIAAJ&q=Kinshasa%20Arenoferrasol |url-status=live }}</ref> characterized by fine [[sand]]s with a clay content typically below 20%, low [[organic matter]], and absorbent complex saturation.<ref name=":10" /> The basement is composed of [[Precambrian]] [[bedrock]], featuring finely stratified red sandstone often infused with [[feldspar]]. This rock is visible at the rapids' base near [[Mount Stanley|Mount Ngaliema]] and south of the [[Ndjili River|N'djili River]], and effectively withstands erosive forces.<ref name=":10" />

=== Vegetation ===
[[File:Sunset in the Democratic Republic of Congo2.jpg|thumb|231x231px|A view of Congo River from Kinshasa]]

Kinshasa's vegetation comprises gallery [[forest]]s, [[Fairy circle (arid grass formation)|grassy formations]], [[Ruderal species|ruderal plant]] groups, and [[Aquatic ecosystem|aquatic formations]]. These gallery forests, found along the main watercourses within humid valleys of the Congolese guinéo ombrophile type, have degraded into highly exploited pre-forest fallows, manifesting as reclusive foresters of varying ages.<ref name=":10" /> Ruderal plant groups line railway tracks within narrow strips, reflecting the region's vegetation cover's discontinuity and repetition. Kinshasa is home to diverse vegetation types, each intricately linked to specific ecological parameters.<ref name=":10" />

=== Residential and commercial areas ===
Kinshasa is a city of sharp contrasts, with affluent residential and commercial areas and three universities alongside sprawling slums.<ref name="Flouriot2013">Jean Flouriot, "[https://com.revues.org/6770 Kinshasa 2005. Trente ans après la publication de l’Atlas de Kinshasa] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170917080851/https://com.revues.org/6770 |date=17 September 2017 }}", ''Les Cahiers d’Outre-Mer'' 261, January–March 2013; [[doi:10.4000/com.6770]].</ref> The older and wealthier part of the city (''ville basse'') is located on a flat area of [[Alluvium|alluvial sand and clay]] near the river, while many newer areas are found on the [[erosion|eroding]] red soil of surrounding hills.<ref name="Kayembe2009">Matthieu Kayembe Wa Kayembe, Mathieu De Maeyer et Eléonore Wolff, "[https://belgeo.revues.org/7349 Cartographie de la croissance urbaine de Kinshasa (R.D. Congo) entre 1995 et 2005 par télédétection satellitaire à haute résolution] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170917080911/https://belgeo.revues.org/7349|date=17 September 2017}}", ''Belgeo'' 3–4, 2009; [[doi:10.4000/belgeo.7349]].</ref><ref name="Trapido2016">Joe Trapido, "[https://newleftreview.org/II/98/joe-trapido-kinshasa-s-theatre-of-power Kinshasa's Theater of Power] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170917080840/https://newleftreview.org/II/98/joe-trapido-kinshasa-s-theatre-of-power |date=17 September 2017 }}", ''[[New Left Review]]'' 98, March/April 2016.</ref> Older parts of the city were laid out on a geometric pattern, with ''de facto'' racial segregation becoming ''de jure'' in 1929 as the European and African neighborhoods grew closer together. [[Urban planning|City plans]] of the 1920s–1950s featured a ''[[Cordon sanitaire (politics)|cordon sanitaire]]'' or buffer between the white and black neighborhoods, which included the central market as well as parks and gardens for Europeans.<ref name="BeeckmansBigon2016">Luce Beeckmans & Liora Bigon, "The making of the central markets of Dakar and Kinshasa: from colonial origins to the post-colonial period”; ''Urban History'' 43(3), 2016; [[doi:10.1017/S0963926815000188]].</ref>

Urban planning in post-independence Kinshasa has been limited. The ''Mission Française d'Urbanisme'' drew up some plans in the 1960s which envisioned a greater role for [[automobile]] transportation but did not predict the city's significant population growth. Thus much of the [[urban structure]] has developed without guidance from a master plan. According to [[UN-Habitat]], the city is expanding by eight square kilometers per year. It describes many of the new neighborhoods as [[slum]]s, built in unsafe conditions with inadequate infrastructure.<ref name=ChirisaEtAl2017 /> Nevertheless, spontaneously developed areas have in many cases extended the [[grid plan|grid street plan]] of the original city.<ref name=Flouriot2013 />

===Administrative divisions===
{{Main|Communes of Kinshasa}}
{{See also|Subdivisions of the DR Congo#Territorial organization}}
[[File:Commune Map of Kinshasa.png|thumb|A map of Kinshasa presenting its Communes.]]

Kinshasa is both a city (''ville'' in French) and a province, one of the 26 [[provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo]]. Nevertheless, it has city subdivisions and is divided into 24 [[Communes of Kinshasa|commune]]s (municipalities), which in turn are divided into 369 quarters and 21 embedded groupings.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Commission Électorale Nationale Indépendante |author-link=Independent National Electoral Commission (Democratic Republic of the Congo) |title=La Cartographie Electorale des 26 Provinces—Kinshasa |url=https://www.ceni.cd/cartographie-electorale/provinces/kinshasa |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181028000421/http://www.ceni.cd/cartographie-electorale/provinces/kinshasa |archive-date=28 October 2018 |access-date=18 April 2020 |website=www.ceni.cd |language=fr}}</ref> [[Maluku, Kinshasa|Maluku]], the rural commune to the east of the urban area, accounts for 79% of the {{cvt|9,965|km2}} total land area of the city-province,<ref name="area" /> with a population of 200,000–300,000.<ref name=Flouriot2013 /> The communes are grouped into four districts which are not in themselves administrative divisions.

{{Div col|colwidth=15em}}
* [[Funa District]]
** [[Bandalungwa]]
** [[Bumbu]]
** [[Kalamu]]
** [[Kasa-Vubu, Kinshasa|Kasa-Vubu]]
** [[Makala]]
** [[Ngiri-Ngiri]]
** [[Selembao]]
* [[Lukunga District]]
** [[Barumbu]]
** [[Gombe, Kinshasa|Gombe]]
** [[Kinshasa (commune)|Kinshasa]]
** [[Kintambo]]
** [[Lingwala]]
** [[Mont Ngafula]]
** [[Ngaliema]]
* [[Mont Amba District]]
** [[Kisenso]]
** [[Lemba, Kinshasa|Lemba]]
** [[Limete]]
** [[Matete]]
** [[Ngaba]]
* [[Tshangu District]]
** [[Kimbanseke]]
** [[Maluku, Kinshasa|Maluku]]
** [[Masina, Kinshasa|Masina]]
** [[Ndjili, Kinshasa|Ndjili]] (N'Djili)
** [[Nsele]] (N'Sele)
{{Div col end}}

{{Kinshasa communes}}

===Climate===
Under the [[Köppen climate classification]], Kinshasa has a [[tropical wet and dry climate]] (''Aw''). Its lengthy rainy season spans from October through May, with a relatively short dry season, between June and September. Kinshasa lies south of the [[equator]], so its dry season begins around its winter solstice, which is in June. This is in contrast to African cities further north featuring this climate where the dry season typically begins around December. Kinshasa's dry season is slightly cooler than its wet season, though temperatures remain relatively constant throughout the year.

{{Weather box
|location = Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
|metric first = yes
|single line = yes

|Jan record high C = 36
|Feb record high C = 36
|Mar record high C = 38
|Apr record high C = 37
|May record high C = 37
|Jun record high C = 37
|Jul record high C = 32
|Aug record high C = 33
|Sep record high C = 35
|Oct record high C = 35
|Nov record high C = 37
|Dec record high C = 34

|Jan high C = 30.6
|Feb high C = 31.3
|Mar high C = 32.0
|Apr high C = 32.0
|May high C = 31.1
|Jun high C = 28.8
|Jul high C = 27.3
|Aug high C = 28.9
|Sep high C = 30.6
|Oct high C = 31.1
|Nov high C = 30.6
|Dec high C = 30.1
|year high C = 30.4

|Jan mean C = 25.9
|Feb mean C = 26.4
|Mar mean C = 26.8
|Apr mean C = 26.9
|May mean C = 26.3
|Jun mean C = 24.0
|Jul mean C = 22.5
|Aug mean C = 23.7
|Sep mean C = 25.4
|Oct mean C = 26.2
|Nov mean C = 26.0
|Dec mean C = 25.6
|year mean C = 25.5

|Jan low C = 21.2
|Feb low C = 21.6
|Mar low C = 21.6
|Apr low C = 21.8
|May low C = 21.6
|Jun low C = 19.3
|Jul low C = 17.7
|Aug low C = 18.5
|Sep low C = 20.2
|Oct low C = 21.3
|Nov low C = 21.5
|Dec low C = 21.2
|year low C = 20.6

|Jan record low C = 18
|Feb record low C = 20
|Mar record low C = 18
|Apr record low C = 20
|May record low C = 18
|Jun record low C = 15
|Jul record low C = 10
|Aug record low C = 12
|Sep record low C = 16
|Oct record low C = 17
|Nov record low C = 18
|Dec record low C = 16

|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 163
|Feb precipitation mm = 165
|Mar precipitation mm = 221
|Apr precipitation mm = 238
|May precipitation mm = 142
|Jun precipitation mm = 9
|Jul precipitation mm = 5
|Aug precipitation mm = 2
|Sep precipitation mm = 49
|Oct precipitation mm = 98
|Nov precipitation mm = 247
|Dec precipitation mm = 143

|Jan precipitation days = 12
|Feb precipitation days = 12
|Mar precipitation days = 14
|Apr precipitation days = 17
|May precipitation days = 12
|Jun precipitation days = 1
|Jul precipitation days = 0
|Aug precipitation days = 1
|Sep precipitation days = 6
|Oct precipitation days = 10
|Nov precipitation days = 16
|Dec precipitation days = 14

|Jan humidity = 83
|Feb humidity = 82
|Mar humidity = 81
|Apr humidity = 82
|May humidity = 82
|Jun humidity = 81
|Jul humidity = 79
|Aug humidity = 74
|Sep humidity = 74
|Oct humidity = 79
|Nov humidity = 83
|Dec humidity = 83

|Jan sun = 136
|Feb sun = 141
|Mar sun = 164
|Apr sun = 153
|May sun = 164
|Jun sun = 144
|Jul sun = 133
|Aug sun = 155
|Sep sun = 138
|Oct sun = 149
|Nov sun = 135
|Dec sun = 127
|source 1 = Climate-Data.org (temperature)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Climate: Kinshasa |url=http://en.climate-data.org/location/408/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160509221132/http://en.climate-data.org/location/408/ |archive-date=9 May 2016 |access-date=7 June 2016 |publisher=AmbiWeb GmbH}}</ref> Weatherbase (extremes)<ref name="Kinshasa-Kinshasa-Democratic-Republic-of-the-Congo">{{Cite web |title=KINSHASA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO |url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=1246&cityname=Kinshasa-Kinshasa-Democratic-Republic-of-the-Congo |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160807212430/http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=1246&cityname=Kinshasa-Kinshasa-Democratic-Republic-of-the-Congo |archive-date=7 August 2016 |access-date=7 June 2016 |publisher=Weatherbase}}</ref>
|source 2 = [[Danish Meteorological Institute]] (precipitation, sun, and humidity)<ref>{{Cite web |title=STATIONSNUMMER 64210 |url=http://www.dmi.dk/dmi/tr01-17.pdf |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116071752/http://www.dmi.dk/dmi/tr01-17.pdf |archive-date=16 January 2013 |access-date=7 June 2016 |publisher=[[Danish Meteorological Institute]]}}</ref>
}}

=== Parks and gardens ===
Kinshasa is home to a diverse range of parks and gardens:
[[File:Nsele Valley Park, Kinshasa, DR Congo.jpg|thumb|[[Nsele Valley Park]], Kinshasa, October 2021]]

* [[Nsele Valley Park]], the largest [[urban park]] in the city situated along the [[Nsele River]], offers a setting for [[Outdoor recreation|outdoor activities]]. It features [[Picnic|picnic areas]], [[Trail|walking trails]], and viewpoints overlooking the river.<ref>{{Cite web |title=LE PARC – Parc de la Vallée de la N'sele |url=https://parcdelavalleedelansele.com/le-parc/ |access-date=2023-07-03 |website=parcdelavalleedelansele.com |archive-date=7 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230607155036/https://parcdelavalleedelansele.com/le-parc/ |url-status=live }}</ref> 
* Parc Présidentiel, situated along the [[Congo River]], is a park in Kinshasa. The park offers [[pond]]s, [[Swimming pool|pools]], and [[fountain]]s, while the [[Théâtre de Verdure de Mont Ngaliema|Théâtre de Verdure]] serve as venues for cultural performances. The park's mini zoo has a diverse array of animals.
* [[Kinshasa National Zoological Park|Jardin Zoologique]], located in the heart of [[Gombe, Kinshasa|Gombe commune]], is a [[zoo]] in Kinshasa. The zoo houses a wide variety of [[mammal]]s, [[reptile]]s, and [[bird]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Driving directions to Jardin Zoologique, 1 Avenue Kasa-Vubu, Kinshasa |url=https://www.waze.com/live-map/directions/cd/kinshasa/kinshasa/jardin-zoologique?to=place.ChIJeUljtPAzahoRXB-xC1Bfqws |access-date=2023-07-03 |website=Waze |language=en |archive-date=3 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230703005450/https://www.waze.com/live-map/directions/cd/kinshasa/kinshasa/jardin-zoologique?to=place.ChIJeUljtPAzahoRXB-xC1Bfqws |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[Kinshasa Botanical Garden|Jardin Botanique de Kinshasa]], situated in Gombe, is a [[botanical garden]] that showcases the city's botanical treasures. The botanical garden houses an array of [[plant]]s and [[Flower|colorful flowers]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Memoire Online – Tfc: inventaire dendrométrique et floristique des arbres du jardin botanique de Kinshasa – Samuel ABANDA |url=https://www.memoireonline.com/02/22/12699/m_Tfc-inventaire-dendrometrique-et-floristique-des-arbres-du-jardin-botanique-de-Kinshasa3.html |access-date=2023-07-03 |website=Memoire Online |archive-date=3 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230703005447/https://www.memoireonline.com/02/22/12699/m_Tfc-inventaire-dendrometrique-et-floristique-des-arbres-du-jardin-botanique-de-Kinshasa3.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[Lola ya Bonobo]], located south of Kinshasa, is the world's only sanctuary for orphaned [[bonobo]]s. Situated at the [[Petites Chutes de la Lukaya]], it provides a safe and nurturing environment for [[Endangered species|endangered]] [[primate]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Friends of Bonobos {{!}} We save bonobos and their Congo rainforest home |url=https://www.bonobos.org/ |access-date=2023-07-03 |website=Bonobos |language=en |archive-date=5 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230605183535/https://www.bonobos.org/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Demographics==
[[File:Transport station in kinshasa.jpg|thumb|Life on the streets of Kinshasa in 2020]]
An official census conducted in 1984 counted 2.6&nbsp;million residents.<ref name="Bédécarrats2016">{{Cite journal |last1=Bédécarrats |first1=Florent |last2=Lafuente-Sampietro |first2=Oriane |last3=Leménager |first3=Martin |last4=Lukono Sowa |first4=Dominique |year=2019 |title=Building commons to cope with chaotic urbanization? Performance and sustainability of decentralized water services in the outskirts of Kinshasa |journal=Journal of Hydrology |volume=573 |pages=1096–1108 |doi=10.1016/j.jhydrol.2016.07.023 |doi-access=free}}</ref> Since then, all estimates are extrapolations. The estimates for 2005 fell in a range between 5.3&nbsp;million and 7.3&nbsp;million.<ref name=Flouriot2013 /> In 2017, the most recent population estimate for the city, it has a population of 11,855,000.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Archived copy |url=http://www.demographia.com/db-worldua.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180503021711/http://www.demographia.com/db-worldua.pdf |archive-date=3 May 2018 |access-date=26 June 2012}}</ref>

According to UN-Habitat, 390,000 people immigrate to Kinshasa annually, fleeing warfare and seeking economic opportunity.<ref name="Iazzolino2016">Gianluca Iazzolino, "[http://mgafrica.com/article/2016-03-29-kinshasa-the-dysfunctional-megapolis-of-12-million-souls Kinshasa, megalopolis of 12 million souls, expanding furiously on super-charged growth] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170709174042/http://mgafrica.com/article/2016-03-29-kinshasa-the-dysfunctional-megapolis-of-12-million-souls |date=9 July 2017 }}"; ''Mail & Guardian Africa'', 2 April 2016.</ref>

According to a projection (2016) the population of metropolitan Kinshasa will increase significantly, to 35 million by 2050, 58 million by 2075 and 83 million by 2100,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Hoornweg |first1=Daniel |last2=Pope |first2=Kevin |year=2017 |title=Population predictions for the world's largest cities in the 21st century |journal=Environment and Urbanization |volume=29 |issue=1 |pages=195–216 |doi=10.1177/0956247816663557 |bibcode=2017EnUrb..29..195H |doi-access=free}}</ref> making it one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world.

===Language===
The official language of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, of which Kinshasa is the capital, is French (See: [[African French#Kinshasa French|Kinshasa French vocabulary]]). Kinshasa is the largest officially Francophone city in the world, though many residents struggle to speak it.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=7 March 2016 |title=Populations of 150 Largest Cities in the World |url=http://www.worldatlas.com/citypops.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828095658/http://www.worldatlas.com/citypops.htm |archive-date=28 August 2017 |access-date=1 August 2016 |website=World Atlas}}</ref><ref name="Nadeau">{{Cite book |last=Nadeau |first=Jean-Benoit |title=The Story of French |publisher=St. Martin's Press |year=2006 |isbn=9780312341831 |page=301; 483}}</ref><ref name="Trefon">{{Cite book |last=Trefon |first=Theodore |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5VAAHi93y0sC&q=Kinshasa+second+largest+French+city&pg=PA7 |title=Reinventing Order in the Congo: How People Respond to State Failure in Kinshasa |publisher=Zed Books |year=2004 |isbn=9781842774915 |location=London and New York |page=7 |access-date=31 May 2009 |archive-date=30 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231230062746/https://books.google.com/books?id=5VAAHi93y0sC&q=Kinshasa+second+largest+French+city&pg=PA7#v=snippet&q=Kinshasa%20second%20largest%20French%20city&f=false |url-status=live }}
A third factor is simply a demographic one. At least one in ten Congolese live in Kinshasa. With its population exceeding eleven million, it is the second-largest city in sub-Saharan Africa (after Lagos). It is also the second-largest French-speaking city in the world, according to Paris (even though only a small percentage of Kinois speak French correctly),</ref> Although [[Lingala]] is widely used as a spoken language, French is the language of street signs, posters, newspapers, government documents, schools; it dominates plays, television, and the press, and it is used in vertical relationships among people of different social classes. People of the same class, however, speak the Congolese languages ([[Kongo language|Kikongo]], [[Lingala]], [[Tshiluba]] or [[Swahili language|Swahili]]) among themselves.<ref name="Manning">{{Cite book |last=Manning |first=Patrick |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LwzFF2FnbzMC&q=Kinshasa+second+largest+francophone+city&pg=PA189 |title=Francophone sub-Saharan Africa: Democracy and Dependence, 1985–1995 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1998 |isbn=9780521645195 |location=London and New York |page=189 |access-date=31 May 2009}}{{Dead link|date=May 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

While the culture is dominated by the Francophonie, a complex multilingualism is present in Kinshasa. Many in the francophonie of the 1980s labelled Zaïre as the second-largest francophone country, and Kinshasa as the second-largest francophone city. Yet Zaïre seemed unlikely to escape a complex multilingualism. Lingala was the language of music, of presidential addresses, of daily life in government and in Kinshasa. But if Lingala was the spoken language of Kinshasa, it made little progress as a written language. French was the written language of the city, as seen in street signs, posters, newspapers and in government documents. French dominated plays and television as well as the press; French was the language of the national anthem and even for the doctrine of authenticity. Zairian researchers found French to be used in vertical relationships among people of uneven rank; people of equal rank, no matter how high, tended to speak Zairian languages among themselves. Given these limits, French might have lost its place to another of the leading languages of Zaïre – Lingala, Tshiluba, or [[Swahili language|Swahili]] – except that teaching of these languages also suffered from limitations on its growth.</ref> Kinshasa hosted the 14th [[Organisation internationale de la Francophonie|Francophonie]] Summit in October 2012.<ref>{{Cite web |title=XIVe Sommet de la Francophonie |url=http://www.francophonie.org/XIVe-Sommet-de-la-Francophonie,36849.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120619065536/http://www.francophonie.org/XIVe-Sommet-de-la-Francophonie,36849.html |archive-date=19 June 2012 |access-date=25 June 2012 |publisher=[[Organisation internationale de la Francophonie|OIF]]}}</ref>

== Government and politics ==
[[File:Kinshasa, tour de l'échangeur de Limete - 20090705.jpg|thumb|upright|Statue of Lumumba, and behind it the [[Limete Tower]]]]
The head of Kinshasa ''ville-province'' has the title of [[List of Governors of Kinshasa|Gouverneur]]. {{ill|Daniel Bumba|fr}} has been governor since 21 June 2024.<ref>{{cite news |title=Kinshasa : Daniel Bumba a pris officiellement les commandes de la ville |url=https://actualite.cd/2024/06/21/kinshasa-daniel-bumba-pris-officiellement-les-commandes-de-la-ville |access-date=21 June 2024 |work=Actualite.cd |date=21 June 2024 |language=fr}}</ref> Each commune has its own [[Burgomaster|Bourgmestre]].<ref name=Flouriot2013 />

Although political power in the DRC is fragmented, Kinshasa as the national capital represents the official center of sovereignty, and thus of access to international organizations and financing, and of political powers such as the right to issue [[Democratic Republic of the Congo passport|passports]].<ref name=Trapido2016 /> Kinshasa is also the [[primate city]] of the DRC with a population several times larger than the next-largest city, [[Lubumbashi]].<ref>Pain (1984), p. 56.</ref><ref name=ChirisaEtAl2017 />

The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, known by its French acronym [[MONUSCO]] (formerly MONUC) has its headquarters in Kinshasa. In 2016, the UN placed more peacekeepers on active duty in Kinshasa in response to the unrest directed against Kabila, at that time.<ref>"[https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/UN-beefs-up-peacekeeping-force-in-DR-Congo-capital/2558-3422076-f1xlb8/index.html UN beefs up peacekeeping force in DR Congo capital] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171013105417/https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/UN-beefs-up-peacekeeping-force-in-DR-Congo-capital/2558-3422076-f1xlb8/index.html |date=13 October 2017 }}", ''East African'' / AFP, 19 October 2016.</ref> Critics, including recently{{when|date=January 2018}} the [[United States Ambassador to the United Nations|US ambassador to the UN]],<ref>"[https://www.voanews.com/a/us-ambassador-nikki-haley-says-united-nation-aiding-corrupt-congo-government/3786736.html US Ambassador: UN Aiding 'Corrupt' Government in Congo] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170531213125/http://www.voanews.com/a/us-ambassador-nikki-haley-says-united-nation-aiding-corrupt-congo-government/3786736.html |date=31 May 2017 }}", ''VOA News'', 29 March 2017.</ref> have accused the peacekeeping mission of supporting a corrupt government.<ref>Terry M. Mays, ''Historical Dictionary of Multinational Peacekeeping'', Third Edition; Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 2011; p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=pVR1vPCXObsC&pg=PA330 330].</ref><ref>"[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/africa/3773629.stm UN troops open fire in Kinshasa] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180110000905/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/africa/3773629.stm |date=10 January 2018 }}", ''BBC'', 3 June 2004.</ref>

Other non-governmental organizations play significant roles in local [[governance]].<ref>Inge Wagemakers, Oracle Makangu Diki, & Tom De Herdt, "[http://www.ua.ac.be/objs/00280289.pdf Lutte Foncière dans la Ville: Gouvernance de la terre agricole urbaine à Kinshasa] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170918104109/http://www.ua.ac.be/objs/00280289.pdf |date=18 September 2017 }}"; ''L’Afrique des grands lacs: Annuaire 2009–2010''.</ref> Since 2016, the Belgian development agency (''Coopération technique belge''; CTB) has sponsored the ''Programme d'Appui aux Initiatives de Développement Communautaire'' (Paideco), a 6-million-euro program aimed at economic development. It began work in [[Kimbanseke]], a hill commune with population verging on one million.<ref>Inge Wagemakers & Jean-Nicholas BCH, "[http://www.cairn.info/revue-politique-africaine-2013-1-page-113.htm Les Défis de l’Intervention: Programme d'aide internationale et dynamiques de gouvernance locale dans le Kinshasa périurbain] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180518200011/https://www.cairn.info/revue-politique-africaine-2013-1-page-113.htm |date=18 May 2018 }}"; ''[[Politique africaine]]'' 2013/1 no. 129; [[doi:10.3917/polaf.129.0113]].</ref>

==Economy==
{{See also|Economy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo}}[[File:Marsavco-Biggest FMCG Company of DRC & Central Africa, Part of RAWJI Group-Largest Group in DRC.jpg|thumb|right|Marsavco]]

=== Mining sector and export growth ===
In 2022, Kinshasa's GDP exceeded initial expectations by expanding 8.5%, as reported by the [[International Monetary Fund]] (IMF). The [[Mining industry of the Democratic Republic of the Congo|mining industry]] in the DRC has been instrumental in maintaining a positive economic outlook, even amidst the [[COVID-19 pandemic]]. [[Raw material]] exports, particularly [[cobalt]] and [[copper]], have experienced historically high prices, resulting in substantial investment in the industry. Parenthetically, production has increased, and Covid-related restrictions have eased, leading to sustained economic growth.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-02-15 |title=IMF revises Congo's 2022 growth up to 8.5%, rebel conflict a concern |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/congos-gdp-growth-revised-up-85-2022-imf-2023-02-15/ |access-date=2023-07-02 |archive-date=2 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230702222242/https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/congos-gdp-growth-revised-up-85-2022-imf-2023-02-15/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=IMF Staff Concludes Visit to the Democratic Republic of the Congo |url=https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2023/02/15/pr2341-imf-staff-concludes-visit-to-the-democratic-republic-of-the-congo |access-date=2023-07-02 |website=IMF |language=en |archive-date=2 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230702222244/https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2023/02/15/pr2341-imf-staff-concludes-visit-to-the-democratic-republic-of-the-congo |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Fiscal performance and debt sustainability ===
Despite facing external challenges, including the repercussions of the [[Russo-Ukrainian War]], the DRC has shown [[Fiscal sustainability|fiscal stability]]. In 2022, tax performance exceeded projections, showcasing improved revenue generation. However, increased expenditures related to security concerns and internal arrears resulted in a deterioration of the overall budget balance. Nevertheless, the DRC's debt risk remains moderate, with public debt at 24.7% of GDP. The approval of the third review of the IMF program reflects the satisfactory performance of the country's reform efforts.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news |date=April 27, 2023 |title=La situation économique de la RD Congo en 2022 – Perspectives 2023 |work=Direction générale du Trésor |url=https://www.tresor.economie.gouv.fr/Pays/CD/l-economie-de-la-rd-congo |access-date=2023-07-02 |archive-date=2 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230702222245/https://www.tresor.economie.gouv.fr/Pays/CD/l-economie-de-la-rd-congo |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":1" />

=== Companies, foreign exchange reserves, international support ===
{{Multiple image
| total_width       = 200
| image1            = Hôtel du gouvernement(Kinshasa).jpg
| caption1          = In front of [[Hôtel du Gouvernement|Government Hall]] located on [[Boulevard du 30 Juin|Boulevard Du 30 Juin]]
| image2            = La beauté de notre ville Kinshasa.jpg
| caption2          = [[Gombe, Kinshasa|Gombe]] is Kinshasa's fastest-growing commune and is a [[central business district]]
| image3            = Secretary Blinken Holds a Meet and Greet With Employees and Families From U.S. Embassy Kinshasa (52277604655).jpg
| caption3          = Employees and families from the US Embassy in Kinshasa
| direction         = vertical
}}
Big manufacturing companies such as Marsavco S.A., All Pack Industries and Angel Cosmetics are located in the center of town (Gombe) in Kinshasa.

There are many other industries, such as [[Trust Merchant Bank]], located in the heart of the city. Food processing is a major industry, and construction and other service industries also play a significant role in the economy.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Kinshasa – national capital, Democratic Republic of the Congo |encyclopedia=britannica.com |url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/318863/Kinshasa |access-date=25 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141012111432/https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/318863/Kinshasa |archive-date=12 October 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Although home to only 13% of the DRC's population, Kinshasa accounts for 85% of the [[Economy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo|Congolese economy]] as measured by gross domestic product.<ref name="ChirisaEtAl2017">Innocent Chirisa, Abraham Rajab Matamanda, & Liaison Mukarwi, "Desired and Achieved Urbanisation in Africa: In Search of Appropriate Tooling for a Sustainable Transformation”; in Umar Benna & Indo Benna, eds., ''Urbanization and Its Impact on Socio-Economic Growth in Developing Regions''; IGI Global, 2017, {{ISBN|9781522526605}}; pp. [https://books.google.com/books?id=qfYoDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA101 101]–102.</ref> A 2004 investigation found 70% of inhabitants employed informally, 17% in the public sector, 9% in the formal private sector, and 3% other, of a total 976,000 workers. Most new jobs are classified as informal.<ref name=Flouriot2013 /> By the end of 2022, Kinshasa's [[foreign exchange reserves]] had seen a significant improvement, soaring past $4.5 billion. The DRC benefits from support and partnerships with several global organizations and financial institutions, including the IMF, [[World Bank]], [[African Development Bank]], [[European Union]], [[China]] and [[France]].<ref name=":2" />

The [[People's Republic of China]] has been heavily [[China–Democratic Republic of the Congo relations|involved in the Congo]] since the 1970s, when they financed the construction of the [[Palais du Peuple (Kinshasa)|Palais du Peuple]] and backed the government against rebels in the [[Shaba I|Shaba war]]. In 2007–2008 China and Congo signed an agreement for an $8.5&nbsp;billion loan for infrastructure development.<ref>Emizet Francois Kisangani, Scott F. Bobb, "China, People's Republic of, Relations with"; ''Historical Dictionary of the Democratic Republic of the Congo'', Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 2010; pp. [https://books.google.com/books?id=FvAWPTaRvFYC&pg=PA74 74] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230401095511/https://books.google.com/books?id=FvAWPTaRvFYC&pg=PA74 |date=1 April 2023 }}–75.</ref> [[Chinese people in the DRC|Chinese entrepreneurs]] are gaining an increasing share of local marketplaces in Kinshasa, displacing in the process formerly successful Congolese, West African, Indian, and Lebanese merchants.<ref>Nuah M. Makungo, "[https://www.researchgate.net/publication/258339820_Is_The_Democratic_Republic_of_Congo_DRC_being_Globalized_by_China Is the Democratic Republic of Congo being Globalized by China? The Case of Small Commerce at Kinshasa Central Market] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180517153734/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/258339820_Is_The_Democratic_Republic_of_Congo_DRC_being_Globalized_by_China |date=17 May 2018 }}", ''Quarterly Journal of Chinese Studies'' 2(1), 2012.</ref>

Mean household spending in 2005 was the equivalent of US$2,150, amounting to $1 per day per person. The median household spending was $1,555, 66 cents per person per day. Among the poor, more than half of this spending goes to food, especially bread and cereal.<ref name=Flouriot2013 />

==Education==
[[File:Parc de L'Université de Kinshasa 2.jpg|thumb|238x238px|Park of the [[University of Kinshasa]], below, the Administrative Building]]
Kinshasa is home to several education institutes, covering a wide range of disciplines, including [[civil engineering]], [[nursing]], and [[journalism]]. The city is also home to three large universities and an arts school:
* Académie de Design (AD)
* Institut Supérieur d'Architecture et Urbanisme
* [[Pan-African University of the Congo]]
* [[University of Kinshasa]]
* [[Université Libre de Kinshasa]]
* {{Interlanguage link|Université catholique du Congo|fr}}
* [[Congo Protestant University]]
* [[Université Chretienne de Kinshasa]]
* [[Université Pédagogique Nationale|National Pedagogy University]]
* [[National Institute of Arts, Kinshasa|National Institute of Arts]]
* Institut Supérieur de Publicité et Médias
* Centre for Health Training (CEFA)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cefacongo.org |url=http://www.cefacongo.org/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725151811/http://www.cefacongo.org/index.html |archive-date=25 July 2011 |access-date=14 March 2011 |publisher=Cefacongo.org |df=dmy-all}}</ref>

Primary and secondary schools:
* [[Lycée Prince de Liège]] (primary and secondary education, [[French Community of Belgium]] curriculum)
* Prins van Luikschool Kinshasa (primary education, [[Flanders]] curriculum)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Onze school |url=https://wordpress.pls-rdc.com/onze-school/ |access-date=2020-05-16 |publisher=Prins van Luikschool Kinshasa |archive-date=2 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200802210609/https://wordpress.pls-rdc.com/onze-school/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
*[[Lycée Français René Descartes Kinshasa|Lycée Français René Descartes]] (primary and secondary education, French curriculum)
* [[The American School of Kinshasa]]
* Allhadeff School<ref>{{Cite web |title=Collection_Congo_ Art: School Alhadeff |url=http://www.collectioncongo-art.nl/school_Alhadeff.html |access-date=2023-12-11 |website=www.collectioncongo-art.nl |archive-date=11 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231211170254/http://www.collectioncongo-art.nl/school_Alhadeff.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

The education system in DRC is plagued by low coverage, low quality and poor educational infrastructure, especially in rural areas. According to USAID (2018), 3.5 million children of primary school age are out of school, and 44% of those who do attend school started only after age six. Various statistical estimates by UNESCO, (2013) regarding secondary and tertiary education also reveal the difficulties facing the country. In DRC it is difficult to get a reliable estimate on the actual proportion of the population who can read and write, however, according to data from UIS (2016), the literacy rate of the population of 15 years and older in the country, is estimated to 77.04%. This rate is 88.5% for men and 66.5% for women. There is also a shortage of reading material, and certainly no culture of reading for pleasure.<ref>[https://www.uil.unesco.org/en/litbase/congo-literacy-project-democratic-republic-congo] UNESCO :The Congo Literacy Project (The Democratic Republic of Congo)</ref>

==Health and medicine==
[[File:Monkole Neonato.jpg|thumb|166x166px|Monkole Hospital, Kinshasa]]
There are twenty hospitals in Kinshasa, plus various medical centers and polyclinics.<ref>[http://www.afdevinfo.com/htmlreports/org/org_55841.html "Provincial Health Division of Kinshasa"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110414194221/http://www.afdevinfo.com/htmlreports/org/org_55841.html |date=14 April 2011 }} ''African Development Information Services''</ref>

== Culture ==
[[File:National Museum of RD Congo 01.jpg|thumb|[[National Museum of the Democratic Republic of Congo]], Kinshasa]]
{{See also|Académie des Beaux-Arts (Kinshasa)|Orchestre Symphonique Kimbanguiste|La Sape}}
Located in Kinshasa are the [[National Museum of the Democratic Republic of Congo|National Museum]] and the [[Académie des Beaux-Arts (Kinshasa)|Kinshasa Fine Arts Academy]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Cybriwsky |first=Roman Adrian |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qb6NAQAAQBAJ&dq=Kinshasa++National+Museum+and+the+Kinshasa+Fine+Arts+Academy&pg=PA145 |title=Capital Cities around the World: An Encyclopedia of Geography, History, and Culture: An Encyclopedia of Geography, History, and Culture |date=2013-05-23 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-61069-248-9 |language=en |access-date=28 November 2022 |archive-date=1 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230401095509/https://books.google.com/books?id=qb6NAQAAQBAJ&dq=Kinshasa++National+Museum+and+the+Kinshasa+Fine+Arts+Academy&pg=PA145 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Kinshasa has a flourishing music scene which, since the 1960s, has operated under the patronage of the city's elite.<ref name=Trapido2016 /> The [[Orchestre Symphonique Kimbanguiste]], formed in 1994, began using improved musical instruments and has since grown in means and reputation.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Morgan |first1=Andy |title=The scratch orchestra of Kinshasa |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/may/09/scratch-orchestra-of-kinshasa-congo |access-date=22 June 2023 |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=9 May 2013 |archive-date=22 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230622163920/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/may/09/scratch-orchestra-of-kinshasa-congo |url-status=live }}</ref>

A pop culture ideal type in Kinshasa is the ''mikiliste'', a fashionable person with money who has traveled to Europe. Adrien Mombele, a.k.a. Stervos Niarcos, and musician [[Papa Wemba]] were early exemplars of the mikiliste style.<ref name=Trapido2016 /> [[La Sape]], a linked cultural trend also described as [[dandy]]ism, involves wearing flamboyant clothing.<ref>''[https://www.cnn.com/2012/02/13/world/africa/congo-dandy-sapeur/index.html CNN ] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240511153411/https://www.cnn.com/2012/02/13/world/africa/congo-dandy-sapeur/index.html |date=11 May 2024 }}'', Dedicated followers of fashion: Congo’s designer dandies
Mark Tutton, CNN 13 February 2012</ref>

Many Kinois have a negative view of the city, expressing nostalgia for the rural way of life, and a stronger association with the Congolese nation than with Kinshasa.<ref name="Freund2012">Bill Freund, "City and Nation in an African Context: National Identity in Kinshasa”; ''Journal of Urban History'' 38(5), 2012; [[doi:10.1177/0096144212449141]].</ref>

== Places of worship ==
<gallery mode="" widths="200" heights="180">
File: Preĝejo de Sankta Anna en Kinŝaso 01.jpg |Église Sainte-Anne de Kinshasa ([[Catholic Church in the Democratic Republic of the Congo]])
File: Église Francophone CBCO Kintambo.jpg| Église Francophone CBCO Kintambo ([[Baptist Community of Congo]])
File:Eglise Saint Léopold.jpg | Eglise Saint Léopold à Ngaliema, Kinshasa
</gallery>

Among the [[places of worship]], which are predominantly [[Christianity|Christian]] churches and temples: [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kinshasa]] ([[Catholic Church]]), [[Kimbanguist Church]], [[Baptist Community of Congo]] ([[Baptist World Alliance]]), [[Baptist Community of the Congo River]] ([[Baptist World Alliance]]), [[The Salvation Army]], [[Assemblies of God]], [[Province of the Anglican Church of the Congo]] ([[Anglican Communion]]), [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] which has a temple and over 100 congregations in Kinshasa, [[Presbyterian Community in Congo]] ([[World Communion of Reformed Churches]]).<ref>J. Gordon Melton, Martin Baumann, ‘‘Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices’’, ABC-CLIO, USA, 2010, p. 777</ref> There are also [[Islam|Muslim]] mosques. A Baha'i House of Worship is in construction.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.bahai-rdc.org/les-travaux-de-construction-de-la-maison-dadoration-nationale-en-bonne-progression/ |title=Les travaux de construction de la Maison d'Adoration Nationale en bonne progression ! |date=20 May 2021 |access-date=28 May 2021 |archive-date=13 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210613091220/https://www.bahai-rdc.org/les-travaux-de-construction-de-la-maison-dadoration-nationale-en-bonne-progression/ |url-status=live }}</ref> A Jewish synagogue, operated by the Chabad world movement, exists.[https://www.chabad.org/jewish-centers/location/1-267/Kinshasa-Democratic-Republic-of-the-Congo]

==Media==
{{see also|List of television stations in Kinshasa}}
[[File:ACP (Agence Congolaise de Presse).jpg|thumb|Office of the Agence Congolaise de Presse (ACP)]]
Press freedom is very low in the DRC, especially in Kinshasa. State run channels report little political news. Journalism is strictly controlled, with DRC scoring only 48.55% on the Press Freedom Index, in 2023.<ref>[Statistica: Africa Press Freedom 
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1221101/press-freedom-index-in-africa-by-country/ {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230922194844/https://www.statista.com/statistics/1221101/press-freedom-index-in-africa-by-country/ |date=22 September 2023 }}]</ref>
Nevertheless, Kinshasa is home to several media outlets, including radio and [[List of television stations in Kinshasa|television stations]], including state-run [[Radio-Télévision nationale congolaise]] (RTNC) and privately run Digital Congo and Raga TV. 

Several national radio stations, including La Voix du Congo, which is operated by RTNC, [[MONUC|UN]]-backed [[Radio Okapi]] are based in Kinshasa, as well as numerous local stations. The BBC is also available in Kinshasa on 92.6 FM.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Democratic Republic of Congo country profile – Media |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/country_profiles/1076399.stm#media |url-status=live |access-date=15 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110224051127/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/country_profiles/1076399.stm#media |archive-date=24 February 2011}}</ref>

The state-controlled Agence Congolaise de Presse news agency is based in Kinshasa, as well as several daily and weekly newspapers and news websites, including ''[[L'Avenir (Democratic Republic of the Congo newspaper)|L'Avenir]]'' (daily), ''[[La Conscience]]'', ''[[LeCongolais]]'' (online), ''[[L'Observateur]]'' (daily), ''[[Le Phare (newspaper)|Le Phare]]'', ''[[Le Potentiel]]'', and ''[[Le Soft]]''.<ref>"[http://www-sul.stanford.edu/depts/ssrg/africa/congok/congoknews.html Countries: Democatric Republic of the Congo: News]" ([https://web.archive.org/web/20131213055112/http://www-sul.stanford.edu/depts/ssrg/africa/congok/congoknews.html Archive]).{{sic}} [[Stanford University]] Libraries & Academic Information Resources. Retrieved on 28 April 2014.</ref>

Most of the media use French and Lingala to a large extent; very few use the other national languages.

== Sports ==

[[File:Stade des martyrs 0332 Kinshasa (8756673901).jpg|thumb|The exterior of the Stade des Martyrs, the largest sports venue by capacity in DR Congo]]

[[Sports]], especially [[association football|football]] and [[martial arts]] are popular in Kinshasa. The city is home to the country's national stadium, the [[Stade des Martyrs]] (Stadium of the Martyrs). The [[AS Vita Club|Vita Club]], [[DC Motema Pembe|Daring Club Motema Pembe]] and [[AS Dragons (Kinshasa)|AS Dragons]] frequently draws large crowds, enthusiastic and sometimes rowdy, to the Stade des Martyrs. [[Dojo]]s are popular and their owners influential.<ref name=Trapido2016 />

In 1974, Kinshasa hosted [[The Rumble in the Jungle]] boxing match between [[Muhammad Ali]] and [[George Foreman]], in which Ali defeated Foreman, to regain the World [[Heavyweight]] title.

==Buildings and institutions==
[[File:Palais du peuple de la RDC.jpg|thumb|The People's Palace, seat of the Congolese parliament]]

Kinshasa is home to the [[Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo]] including:

* the [[Palais de la Nation (Kinshasa)|Palais de la Nation]], home of the [[President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo|President]], in Gombe;
* the [[Palais du Peuple (Kinshasa)|Palais du Peuple]], meeting place of both houses of Parliament, [[Senate (Democratic Republic of the Congo)|Senate]] and [[National Assembly (Democratic Republic of the Congo)|National Assembly]], in [[Lingwala]];
* the [[Palais de Justice (Kinshasa)|Palais de Justice]], in Gombe;
* the [[Cité de l'OUA]], built for the [[Organization of African Unity]] in the 1970s and now serving government functions, in [[Ngaliema]].

The [[Central Bank of the Congo]] has its headquarters on Boulevard Colonel Tshatshi, across the street from the Mausoleum of Laurent Kabila and the presidential palace.

Notable features of the city include the Gecamines Commercial Building (formerly SOZACOM) and [[Hotel Memling]]; [[L'ONATRA]], the building of the Ministry of Transport; the central market; the [[Limete Tower]].

== Infrastructure and housing ==
[[File:2013 Boulevard du 30 Juin Kinshasa 8756682965.jpg|thumb|Road of Kinshasa City]]

The city's infrastructure for [[Tap water|running water]] and electricity is generally in bad shape.<ref>Nzuzi (2008), p. 14.</ref> The [[electric power distribution|electrical network]] is in disrepair to the extent that prolonged and periodic [[power outage|blackouts]] are normal, and exposed [[electrical wiring|lines]] sometimes electrify pools of rainwater.<ref name=Trapido2016 /><ref name=Flouriot2013 />

[[Regideso]], the national public company with primary responsibility for water supply in the Congo, serves Kinshasa only incompletely, and without uniform quality. Other areas are served by decentralized ''Associations des Usagers des Réseau d'Eau Potable'' (ASUREPs).<ref name="Bédécarrats2016" /> Gombe uses water at a high rate (306 liters per day per inhabitant) compared to other communes (from 71 L/d/i in Kintambo down to 2 L/d/i in Kimbanseke).<ref name="Flouriot2013" />

The city is estimated to produce 6,300 m<sup>3</sup> of trash and 1,300 m<sup>3</sup> of industrial waste per day, with little to no capacity for disposal.<ref name="Flouriot2013" />

The housing market has seen rising prices and [[Renting|rent]]s since the 1980s. Houses and apartments in the central area are expensive, with houses selling for a million dollars and apartments going for $5000 per month. High prices have spread outward from the central area as owners and renters move out of the most expensive part of the city. [[Gated communities]] and shopping malls, built with foreign capital and technical expertise, began to appear in 2006. [[Urban renewal]] projects have led in some cases to violent conflict and displacement.<ref name=Trapido2016 /><ref>Aurélie Fontaine, "Housing: Kinshasa is for the rich”; ''Africa Report'' 5 May 2015.</ref> The high prices leave incoming refugees with few options for settlement besides illegal [[shantytown]]s such as Pakadjuma.<ref name=Iazzolino2016 />

In 2005, 55% of households had televisions and 43% had mobile phones. 11% had refrigerators and 5% had cars.<ref name=Flouriot2013 />

==Transport==
[[File:Boulevard du 30 juin, Kinshasa.jpg|thumb|The [[Boulevard du 30 Juin]] provides an artery to the business district in [[La Gombe|Gombe, Kinshasa]].]]

The city-province has 5000&nbsp;km of roadways, 10% of which are paved. The [[Boulevard du 30 Juin]] (Boulevard of 30 June) links the main areas of the central district of the city. Other roads also converge on Gombe. The east–west road network linking the more distant neighborhoods is weak and thus transit through much of the city is difficult.<ref name=Flouriot2013 /> The quality of roads has improved somewhat, developed in part with loans from China, since 2000.<ref name=Trapido2016 />

The public bus company for Kinshasa, created in 2003, is Transco (Transport au Congo).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Trans urbain kinshasa |url=https://transurbainkinshasa.wordpress.com |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130819051539/http://transurbainkinshasa.wordpress.com/ |archive-date=19 August 2013 |access-date=13 August 2019}}</ref>

Several companies operate registered taxis and taxi-buses, identifiable by their yellow color. 
In addition, an Uber-style, mobile phone, app-based, taxi hailing service was introduced in 2023.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://yango.com/en_cd/city/kinshasa/ | title=Request a ride in Kinshasa via the Yango app! | access-date=11 May 2024 | archive-date=11 May 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240511151102/https://yango.com/en_cd/city/kinshasa/ | url-status=live }}</ref>

===Air===
The city has two airports: [[N'djili Airport]] (FIH) is the main airport with connections to other African countries as well as to Istanbul, Brussels, Paris and some other destinations. [[N'Dolo Airport]], located close to downtown, is used for domestic flights only with small turboprop aircraft. Several international airlines serve Ndjili Airport including [[Kenya Airways]], [[South African Airways]], [[Ethiopian Airlines]], [[Brussels Airlines]], [[Air France]] and [[Turkish Airlines]]. An average of ten international flights depart each day from N'djili Airport.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.flightera.net/airport/Kinshasa/FZAA?mode=departure#flights |title=Flightera.net |date=21 August 2022 |access-date=10 November 2019 |archive-date=1 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230401101503/https://www.flightera.net/airport/Kinshasa/FZAA?mode=departure#flights |url-status=live }}</ref> A small number of airlines provide domestic service from Kinshasa, for example [[Congo Airways]] and [[flyCAA|CAA]]. Both offer scheduled flights from Kinshasa to a limited number of cities inside DR Congo.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.aeroport-kinshasa.com/en/index_en.php |title=N'djili Airport website |access-date=11 November 2019 |archive-date=27 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191027073223/https://www.aeroport-kinshasa.com/en/index_en.php |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Rail===
{{See also|Railways in the Democratic Republic of the Congo}}
{{Refimprove section|date=December 2024}}
{{Update|section|date=November 2022}}

[[File:Kinshasa train station (21237028852).jpg|thumb|A memorial at [[Gare de l'Est, Kinshasa|Kinshasa train station]] remembering those who died during the construction of the railroad]]

The [[Matadi–Kinshasa Railway]]<ref>{{cite web |title=DRC Unveils $956 Million Plan to Modernize Matadi-Kinshasa Railway – Efficacy News |url=https://efficacynews.africa/2024/02/21/drc-unveils-956-million-plan-to-modernize-matadi-kinshasa-railway/ |website=efficacynews.africa |access-date=22 December 2024 |date=21 February 2024}}</ref> connects Kinshasa with [[Matadi]], Congo's Atlantic port. The line reopened in September 2015 after around a decade without regular service. There is an intermittent service, with a poor safety record.

According to the [[Société commerciale des transports et des ports|Société Commerciale des Transports et des Ports]] (SCTP), the Matadi-Kinshasa Railway (CFMK) has the highest transport of goods in import, 8 746 tonnes in January, 11,318 tonnes in February 10,032 tonnes in March, 7,244 tonnes in April, 5,024 tonnes in March and 7,745 tonnes in June. The monthly tonnage of exported goods reached only 1,000 tonnes in the month of March 2018. In January some 284 tonnes of goods were exported from the ports of Boma and Matadi, via the railway, and 711 tonnes in February, then 1,058 tonnes in March, 684 tonnes in April, 818 tonnes in May and 853 tonnes in June.

The monthly statistics for passenger traffic are as follows: 2,294 persons in January, 1,836 in February, 2065 in March, 2,660 in April, 1,952 in May and 2,660 in June.

The line connecting the port of Matadi to Kinshasa is 366&nbsp;km long. Its distance has been since 3111 of 3112 feet or 42 inches (lane capped 1,067 meter): This railway belongs, in fact, to the [[Société nationale des chemins de fer du Congo|National Railway Company of the Congo]] (''Société nationale des chemins de fer du Congo''; SNCC). It is only exploited by the SCTP, formerly ONATRA, according to an agreement signed by the two companies.

This line lost large shares of the market, following its lamentable state, insecurity on the rails (some trains are attacked), and the rehabilitation of the road along the rails in 2000. According to Congolese sources, an agreement with a Chinese construction company was signed in 2006, according to which this Chinese company will finance the renovation of the track, the rolling stock, the communication channels for the signaling, and the electrical power source. The ex-ONATRA has, in fact, opted for an aggressive commercial policy to revive the rails.

On June 30, 2018, the SCTP received two locomotives and 50 wagons from the African firm ARSS (African-Rolling Stock Solution).

In 2017, some 2.2 million tonnes of cement were produced by the two new start-up companies, PPC Barnet and Kongo Cement Factory (CIMKO). The SCTP did indeed transport part of this production to Kinshasa but the exact quantity was not communicated by the railway department of the company, the former DG Kimbembe Mazunga had communicated an agreed protocol of agreements with the cement manufacturers of Kongo-Central for the transport of their productions.

===External transport===
Kinshasa is the major [[river port]] of the Congo. The port, called 'Le Beach Ngobila' extends for about {{cvt|7|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} along the river, comprising scores of [[quay]]s and [[jetty|jetties]] with hundreds of boats and barges tied up. Ferries cross the river to [[Brazzaville]], a distance of about {{cvt|4|km|mi|0|abbr=on}}. River transport also connects to dozens of ports upstream, such as [[Kisangani]] and [[Bangui]].

There are road and [[Matadi-Kinshasa Railway|rail]] links to [[Matadi]], the [[sea port]] in the Congo estuary {{cvt|150|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} from the Atlantic Ocean.

There are no rail links from Kinshasa further inland, and road connections to much of the rest of the country are few and in poor condition, although there has been a road built to the city of Kikwit (around 500&nbsp;km away) that has been in operation since 2015 or so. It was recently extended to the small city of Tshikapa.

==Social issues==
[[File:Kinshasa by night (23769991270).jpg|thumb|Downtown Kinshasa at night]]

===Crime and punishment===
Since the [[Second Congo War]], the city has been striving to recover from disorder, with many youth gangs living and operating from Kinshasa's poorer areas.<ref>Jonny Hong, "Gang crime threatens the future of Congo's capital", ''Reuters'', 19 June 2013.</ref> The U.S. State Department in 2010 informed travelers that Kinshasa and other major Congolese cities are generally safe for daytime travel, but to beware of robbers, especially in traffic jams and in areas near hotels and stores.<ref>{{Cite web |title=U.S. Dept. of State – Congo, Democratic Republic of the Country Specific Information |url=https://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1104.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101219124428/http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1104.html |archive-date=19 December 2010 |access-date=15 December 2010 |publisher=United States Department of State}}</ref>

Some sources say that Kinshasa is extremely dangerous, with one source giving a homicide rate of 112 per 100,000 people per year.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bruce Baker |title=Nonstate Policing: Expanding the Scope for Tackling Africa's Urban Violence |url=http://africacenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/AfricaBrief-7.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111005100432/http://africacenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/AfricaBrief-7.pdf |archive-date=5 October 2011 |access-date=17 August 2018 |website=Africacenter.org}}</ref> Another source cites a homicide rate of 12.3 per 100,000.<ref name="ElechiMorris2010">O. Oko Elechi and Angela R. Morris, “Congo, Democratic Republic of the (Congo-Kinshasa)”; in Mahesh K. Nalla & Graeme R. Newman (eds.), ''Crime and Punishment around the World'', Volume 1: Africa and the Middle East; Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO, 2010; pp. [https://books.google.com/books?id=2uK6bR9byVIC&pg=PA53 53]–56.</ref> By some accounts, crime in Kinshasa is not so rampant, due to relatively good relations among residents and perhaps to the severity with which even petty crime is punished.<ref name=Trapido2016 />

While the military and National Police operate their own jails in Kinshasa, the main detention facility under the jurisdiction of the local courts is the Kinshasa Penitentiary and Re-education center in Makala. This prison houses much more than its nominal capacity of 1,000 inmates. In 2024, the population of Makala Prison was reported at 15,000.<ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdjwknzy20xo] BBC News - 'Hell behind bars' - life in DR Congo's most notorious jail</ref>
The Congolese military intelligence organization, Détection Militaire des Activités Anti-Patrie ([[DEMIAP]]) operates the Ouagadougou prison in [[Kintambo]] commune with notorious cruelty.<ref name=ElechiMorris2010 /><ref>''[http://acjr.org.za/resource-centre/Prisons%20in%20the%20DRC.pdf Prisons in the Democratic Republic of Congo] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170918175258/http://acjr.org.za/resource-centre/Prisons%20in%20the%20DRC.pdf |date=18 September 2017 }}'', ed. Ryan Nelson, Refugee Documentation Center, Ireland; May 2002.</ref>

===Street children===
In the 2010s, street children or "Shegués", often orphaned, are subject to abuse by the police and military.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Manson |first=Katrina |date=22 July 2010 |title=Congo's children battle witchcraft accusations |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE66L2TB20100722?sp=true |access-date=14 March 2011 |archive-date=1 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201201063814/https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE66L2TB20100722?sp=true |url-status=live }}</ref> Of the estimated 20,000 children living on Kinshasa's streets, almost a quarter are beggars, some are street vendors and about a third have some kind of employment.<ref>{{Cite web |date=8 July 2009 |title=Street Children in Kinshasa |url=http://africaaction.typepad.com/justafrica/2009/07/african-street-children-kinshasa-drc.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811051604/http://africaaction.typepad.com/justafrica/2009/07/african-street-children-kinshasa-drc.html |archive-date=11 August 2011 |access-date=14 March 2011 |publisher=Africa Action}}</ref> Some have fled from physically abusive families, notably step-parents, others were expelled from their families as they were believed to be witches,<ref>{{Cite web |title=A night on the streets with Kinshasa's 'child witches' |url=http://www.warchild.org.uk/our_projects/democratic_republic_of_congo/blog/child-witches-in-kinshasa |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110212202739/http://www.warchild.org.uk/our_projects/democratic_republic_of_congo/blog/child-witches-in-kinshasa |archive-date=12 February 2011 |access-date=14 March 2011 |publisher=War Child UK – Warchild.org.uk}}</ref> and have become outcasts.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Danballuff – Children of Congo: From War to Witches(video) |url=http://www.gvnet.com/streetchildren/Congo.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724075658/http://www.gvnet.com/streetchildren/Congo.htm |archive-date=24 July 2011 |access-date=14 March 2011 |publisher=Gvnet.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=1 June 2007 |title=Africa Feature: Around 20,000 street children wander in Kinshasa |url=http://english.people.com.cn/200706/01/eng20070601_379840.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121017203028/http://english.people.com.cn/200706/01/eng20070601_379840.html |archive-date=17 October 2012 |access-date=14 March 2011 |publisher=English.people.com.cn}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Prevalence, Abuse & Exploitation of Street Children |url=http://www.gvnet.com/streetchildren/Congo.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724075658/http://www.gvnet.com/streetchildren/Congo.htm |archive-date=24 July 2011 |access-date=14 March 2011 |publisher=Gvnet.com}}</ref> 

Street children are mainly boys,<ref>{{Cite web |title=At the centre – Street Childrens |url=http://streetchildrenofkinshasa.com/whatwedo/meeting-the-street-children-2/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160402122101/http://streetchildrenofkinshasa.com/whatwedo/meeting-the-street-children-2/ |archive-date=2 April 2016 |access-date=21 March 2016 |website=streetchildrenofkinshasa.com}}</ref> but the percentage of girls is increasing according to UNICEF. Ndako ya Biso provides support for street children, including overnight accommodation for girls.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ross |first=Aaron |date=13 March 2016 |title=Beaten and discarded, Congo street children are strangers to mining boom |work=reuters.com |url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-congodemocratic-streetchildren-idUKKCN0WF09C |url-status=dead |access-date=21 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160314192348/http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-congodemocratic-streetchildren-idUKKCN0WF09C |archive-date=14 March 2016}}</ref> There are also second generation street children.<ref>{{Cite web |title=What Future? Street Children in the Democratic Republic of Congo: IV. Background |url=https://www.hrw.org/reports/2006/drc0406/4.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160404023125/https://www.hrw.org/reports/2006/drc0406/4.htm |archive-date=4 April 2016 |access-date=21 March 2016 |website=hrw.org}}</ref>

These children have been the object of considerable outside study.<ref>Camille Dugrand, “Subvertir l’ordre? Les ambivalences de l’expression politique des Shégués de Kinshasa”; ''Revue Tiers Monde'' 4(228), 2016; [[doi:10.3917/rtm.228.0045]]. "Figures incontournables de l’urbanité kinoise, les Shégués ont fait l’objet de plusieurs travaux scientifiques (Biaya, 1997, 2000; De Boeck, 2000, 2005; Geenen, 2009)."</ref>

==Notable people==
{{main|List of people from Kinshasa}}

==International relations ==
Kinshasa is [[Twin towns and sister cities|twinned]] with:

* {{flagicon|CGO}} [[Brazzaville]], Republic of Congo
* {{flagicon|Belgium}} [[City of Brussels|Brussels]], Belgium<ref>{{cite web |title=Brussels |url=https://efus.eu/about-us/brussels/ |website=efus.eu |date=21 January 2012 |publisher=European Forum for Urban Security |access-date=2022-02-15 |archive-date=8 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210808183020/https://efus.eu/about-us/brussels/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|RSA}} [[Johannesburg]], South Africa

* {{flagicon|TUR}} [[Ankara]], Turkey, since 2005<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sister Cities of Ankara |url=http://www.ankara.bel.tr/en/foreign-relations-department/sister-cities-of-ankara#.V649oGVvfxt |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160609230147/http://www.ankara.bel.tr/en/foreign-relations-department/sister-cities-of-ankara#.V649oGVvfxt |archive-date=9 June 2016 |access-date=17 August 2018 |website=Ankara.bel.tr}}</ref>

==In popular culture==
With its mix of [[culture]], [[history]], and lively [[atmosphere]], Kinshasa has become a focus for [[Filmmaking|filmmakers]], [[musician]]s, [[writer]]s, and [[artist]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Congolese Culture |url=https://friendsofthecongo.org/congolese-culture/ |access-date=2023-07-01 |website=Friends of the Congo |language=en-US |archive-date=28 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230728145758/https://friendsofthecongo.org/congolese-culture/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Cinematic and TV representations ===
[[File:Foreman tira golpe a clay.jpg|thumb|[[George Foreman|Foreman]] trying to punch [[Muhammad Ali|Ali]], October 1974]]
Kinshasa has been represented in various films, most notably in the  film ''[[When We Were Kings]]'' (1996). This documentary chronicles the historic [[The Rumble in the Jungle|''Rumble in the Jungle'']] boxing match between [[Muhammad Ali]] and [[George Foreman]], held in Kinshasa in 1974. The film showcases the electrifying atmosphere of the city during the momentous event.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ali |first=Muhammad |date=1999-10-24 |title=Muhammad Ali Remembers the Rumble in the Jungle |url=https://www.newsweek.com/muhammad-ali-remembers-rumble-jungle-167950 |access-date=2023-07-01 |website=Newsweek |language=en |archive-date=1 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230701160219/https://www.newsweek.com/muhammad-ali-remembers-rumble-jungle-167950 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Yocum |first=Thomas |date=2014-10-15 |title=Forty years on from the Rumble in the Jungle, Kinshasa is a city of chaos |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2014/oct/15/-sp-forty-years-rumble-in-the-jungle-kinshasa-muhammad-ali-george-foreman |access-date=2023-07-01 |issn=0261-3077 |archive-date=3 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210903121039/https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2014/oct/15/-sp-forty-years-rumble-in-the-jungle-kinshasa-muhammad-ali-george-foreman |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Erenberg |first=Lewis A. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i9SWDwAAQBAJ |title=The Rumble in the Jungle: Muhammad Ali and George Foreman on the Global Stage |publisher=University of Chicago Press |date=May 22, 2019 |isbn=9780226059570 |location=Chicago, United States |language=English |access-date=10 July 2023 |archive-date=8 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230908053208/https://books.google.com/books?id=i9SWDwAAQBAJ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In ''[[Viva Riva!]]'' (2010), directed by [[Djo Tunda Wa Munga]], the film offers a gritty portrayal of the city's underworld, showing the tension between [[corruption]], [[Ambition (character trait)|ambition]], and [[survival]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Catsoulis |first=Jeannette |date=2011-06-09 |title='Viva Riva!' |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/10/movies/viva-riva.html |access-date=2023-07-01 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=4 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211104185542/https://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/10/movies/viva-riva.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Kinshasa's social complexities are explored in [[Félicité (2017 film)|''Félicité'']] (2017), directed by [[Alain Gomis]]. The film explores themes of pliability, community, and the power of music in the face of adversity. The film portrayed the essence of Kinshasa, depicting its vivacious music scene and the struggles faced by its inhabitants with sensitivity and authenticity.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bradshaw |first=Peter |date=2017-11-09 |title=Félicité review – gritty story of Kinshasa bar singer |language=en-GB |work=the Guardian |url=http://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/nov/09/felicite-review-gritty-story-of-kinshasa-bar-singer |access-date=2023-07-01 |issn=0261-3077 |archive-date=2 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230702061019/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/nov/09/felicite-review-gritty-story-of-kinshasa-bar-singer |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2019, [[The Widow (TV series)]] was released on Amazon Prime and the UK's ITV network. The mini-series tells the story of a woman searching for her husband in Kinshasa, after believing he'd been killed in a plane crash.<ref>''[https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_widow/s01] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240516094943/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_widow/s01|date=16 May 2024}}'', Rotten Tomatoes Season 1 The Widow 8 July 2019</ref>

=== Literary depictions ===
Throughout history, authors have depicted the essence of Kinshasa in their [[writing]], delving into its diverse [[Textile|cultural fabric]], [[History|storied past]], and the [[personal narrative]]s of its residents. [[Fiston Mwanza Mujila]]'s ''Tram 83'' depicts the city's [[nightlife]] while exploring themes of [[Postcolonialism|postcolonial]] [[Identity (social science)|identity]] and the struggle for [[Social economy|social]] and [[Economic progressivism|economic progress]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mujula |first=Fiston Mwanza |date=2016-01-07 |title=Tram 83, the Congolese novel that's wowing the literary world – extract |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/07/tram-83-congolese-novel-wowing-literary-world-extract |access-date=2023-07-01 |issn=0261-3077 |archive-date=1 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230701160220/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/07/tram-83-congolese-novel-wowing-literary-world-extract |url-status=live }}</ref> Meanwhile, In [[In Koli Jean Bofane|Koli Jean Bofane]]'s novel ''Congo Inc.: Bismarck's Testament'' the city serves as a microcosm of post-colonial Congo, exploring themes of globalization, political corruption, and environmental degradation.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Bofane |first1=In Koli Jean |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt2204p5d |title=Congo Inc.: Bismarck's Testament |last2=De Jager |first2=Marjolijn |date=2018 |publisher=Indiana University Press |doi=10.2307/j.ctt2204p5d |jstor=j.ctt2204p5d |access-date=1 July 2023 |archive-date=1 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230701160219/https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt2204p5d |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Music and dance ===
{{See also|Music of the Democratic Republic of the Congo|Ndombolo|Congolese rumba}}
[[File:Congolese band Zaïko Langa Langa in 1971.jpg|thumb|left|Congolese band [[Zaïko Langa Langa]] performing in Kinshasa, in 1971]]

The music scene of Kinshasa has also made a significant impact on [[popular culture]]. [[Congolese rumba]], a genre born in the city during the 1930s, continues to resonate globally. Artists like [[Franco Luambo|Franco Luambo Makiadi]], [[Syran Mbenza]], [[Le Grand Kallé]], [[Nico Kasanda]], [[Tabu Ley Rochereau]], [[M'bilia Bel]], [[Madilu System]], [[Papa Noël Nedule]], [[Vicky Longomba]], [[Awilo Longomba]], [[Pépé Kallé]], [[Kanda Bongo Man]], [[Nyboma|Nyboma Mwan'dido]], [[Defao|General Defao]], [[Papa Wemba]], [[Koffi Olomide]], [[Werrason]], [[Abeti Masikini]], [[Lokua Kanza]], [[Fally Ipupa]], and [[Ferré Gola]] have played a key role in popularizing [[Music of the Democratic Republic of the Congo|Congolese music]] on the international stage, infusing their compositions with Kinshasa's [[Pulse (music)|pulsating]] [[rhythm]]s and infectious energy. The infectious beats of Congolese music have influenced artists across continents, shaping genres like [[soukous]] and influencing international musicians such as [[Paul Simon]] and [[Vampire Weekend]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Deboick |first=Sophia |date=2020-06-08 |title=Heart of smartness – DR Congo's city united in music |url=https://www.theneweuropean.co.uk/brexit-news-sophia-deboick-music-in-kinshasa-congo-81780/ |access-date=2023-07-01 |website=The New European |language=en-GB |archive-date=1 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230701160219/https://www.theneweuropean.co.uk/brexit-news-sophia-deboick-music-in-kinshasa-congo-81780/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-07-06 |title=Kinshasa |url=https://citiesofmusic.net/city/kinshasa/ |access-date=2023-07-01 |website=UNESCO Cities of Music |language=en |archive-date=1 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230701160221/https://citiesofmusic.net/city/kinshasa/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=the congolese musicians making music like you've never heard before |url=https://i-d.co/article/the-congolese-musicians-making-music-like-youve-never-heard-before/ |access-date=2023-07-01 |website=i-d.vice.com |language=en |archive-date=1 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230701160220/https://i-d.vice.com/en/article/kzwbq9/the-congolese-musicians-making-music-like-youve-never-heard-before |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-02-01 |title=On Hearing My Father's Legacy in Vampire Weekend |url=https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/on-hearing-my-fathers-legacy-in-vampire-weekend/ |access-date=2023-07-01 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US |archive-date=1 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230701160219/https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/on-hearing-my-fathers-legacy-in-vampire-weekend/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Visual arts and fashion ===
Kinshasa's [[street art]] scene has gained recognition globally, with talented artists using their creations to express social and political messages. [[Mural]]s and [[graffiti]], adorned with [[Color symbolism|colorful imagery]], can be found throughout the city.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bromwich |first=Kathryn |date=2023-03-25 |title=Rubbish fashion: street art costumes of Kinshasa – in pictures |language=en-GB |work=the Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2023/mar/25/rubbish-fashion-street-art-costumes-of-kinshasa-in-pictures |access-date=2023-07-01 |issn=0261-3077 |archive-date=1 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230701160219/https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2023/mar/25/rubbish-fashion-street-art-costumes-of-kinshasa-in-pictures |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Kinshasa Street Artists |url=https://www.krispannecoucke.org/kinshasa-street-artists |access-date=2023-07-01 |website=Kris Pannecoucke |language=en |archive-date=1 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230701160220/https://www.krispannecoucke.org/kinshasa-street-artists |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-06-29 |title=Kinshasa Shines Brightly at Kin Graff 4: Part I |url=https://www.brooklynstreetart.com/2022/07/13/kinshasa-shines-brightly-at-kin-graff-4-part-i/ |access-date=2023-07-01 |language=en-US |archive-date=1 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230701161722/https://www.brooklynstreetart.com/2022/07/13/kinshasa-shines-brightly-at-kin-graff-4-part-i/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==== La Sape ====
{{Main|La Sape}}
[[File:Justin makangara RDC (22).JPG|thumb|251x251px|A traditional sapeur dressed in an outfit made from pearls in kinshasa, February 2015]]
The [[La Sape]] subculture, characterized by extravagant and dapper fashion choices, has become an emblem of [[Style (form of address)|style]], [[Self-expression values|self-expression]], and [[Identity (social science)|identity]] for the ''[[sapeurs]]'' of Kinshasa. It has gained [[Diplomatic recognition|international recognition]] through the lens of well-known photographers such as [[Daniele Tamagni]]. Tamagni's book ''Gentlemen of Bacongo'' (2009) showcases the impeccable style and distinct personalities of Kinshasa's ''sapeurs'', accentuating their taste in tailored suits, bold hues, and eye-catching accessories.<ref name="lejournalinternational.fr">{{Cite web |title=Le Journal International – Archives |url=https://www.lejournalinternational.fr/La-Sape-an-elegance-that-brought-peace-in-the-midst-of-Congolese-chaos_a1871.html |access-date=2023-07-01 |website=www.lejournalinternational.fr |archive-date=1 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231001022237/https://www.lejournalinternational.fr/La-Sape-an-elegance-that-brought-peace-in-the-midst-of-Congolese-chaos_a1871.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Tamagni |first1=Daniele |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kcZOAQAAIAAJ |title=Gentlemen of Bacongo |last2=Goodwin |first2=Paul |publisher=Trolley |others=Contributors: Paul Goodwin, Paul Smith |year=2009 |location=London, England |isbn=9781904563839 |language=English |access-date=10 July 2023 |archive-date=8 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230908053209/https://books.google.com/books?id=kcZOAQAAIAAJ |url-status=live }}</ref> The city serves as the epicenter of La Sape, with various neighborhoods, communes and districts hosting events like ''le concours'' or ''la fête'' where sapeurs can display their style. La Sape has also inspired popular music and cultural expressions in Kinshasa, with sapeurs often featured in Congolese music videos as symbols of refinement and sophistication. Musicians such as [[Papa Wemba]] have embraced La Sape as an essential part of their artistic identity.<ref name="lejournalinternational.fr"/><ref>{{Cite news |last=Trebay |first=Guy |date=2016-04-27 |title=Papa Wemba's Influential, Cross-Cultural Chic |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/26/fashion/papa-wembas-influential-fashion-style.html |access-date=2023-07-01 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=1 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230701160218/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/26/fashion/papa-wembas-influential-fashion-style.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Douniama |first=Victoire |date=2018-06-25 |title=The Art of La Sape: Fashion Tips from Congo's "Sapeurs" |url=https://theculturetrip.com/africa/congo/articles/the-art-of-la-sape-fashion-tips-from-congos-sapeurs/ |access-date=2023-07-01 |website=Culture Trip |language=en |archive-date=1 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230701160219/https://theculturetrip.com/africa/congo/articles/the-art-of-la-sape-fashion-tips-from-congos-sapeurs/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Martial arts ===
[[WWE]] wrestler [[Shinsuke Nakamura]] uses a running knee strike, called the ''Kinshasa'', as his finisher, a reference to the eponymous city. The move was previously named as ''Bomaye'' (which translated to "kill him") during his time in [[New Japan Pro Wrestling]] but was renamed in 2016 when he was signed with the WWE for trademark reasons.<ref name="cagesideseats.com">{{cite web |url=https://www.cagesideseats.com/wwe/2016/4/2/11353328/the-story-behind-shinsuke-nakamuras-bomaye-becoming-kishasa-in-wwe |title=The story behind Shinsuke Nakamura's Bomaye becoming Kinshasa in WWE |date=2 April 2016 |access-date=28 June 2022 |archive-date=28 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220628124056/https://www.cagesideseats.com/platform/amp/wwe/2016/4/2/11353328/the-story-behind-shinsuke-nakamuras-bomaye-becoming-kishasa-in-wwe |url-status=live }}</ref> Both ''Bomaye'' and ''Kinshasa'' are homages to Nakamura's mentor, [[Antonio Inoki]], who received ''Bomaye'' as a nickname from [[Muhammad Ali]] when Inoki and Ali fought in 1976, with Ali first hearing ''Bomaye'' in Kinshasa during the [[Rumble In The Jungle]].<ref name="cagesideseats.com"/>

==See also==
{{Portal|Democratic Republic of the Congo|Cities}}
* [[Traffic robots in Kinshasa]]
* [[Lake Chad replenishment project]]

=== Films about Kinshasa ===
* ''[[Kinshasa Kids]]''
* ''[[Kinshasa palace]]''
* ''[[Kinshasa Symphony]]''

==References==
{{reflist}}

=== Bibliography ===
* Nzuzi, Francis Lelo (2008). ''Kinshasa: Ville et Environnement''. Paris: [[L'Harmattan]], September 2008. {{ISBN|978-2-296-06080-7}}.
* Pain, Marc (1984). ''[http://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:15877 Kinshasa: la ville et la cité].'' Paris: Orstom, Institut Français de Recherche Scientifique pour le Développement en Coopération.

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikivoyage|Kinshasa}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20011027044821/http://www.kinshasa.cd/ Official website of the city of Kinshasa]
* [http://www.wdl.org/en/item/59 Map of the Belgian Congo] from 1896 includes a map of Kinshasa
* [https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/voices/photo-exhibit-explores-life-urban-now Slideshow of 21 photos of Kinshasa] from 2013 to 2015 on [[Open Society Foundations]] website
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faJ1z7YUQMk Kinshasa: a travers le centre ville, May 2015] – footage from streets of Kinshasa

{{Kinshasa|state=uncollapsed}}
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