Kinshasa

Kinshasa, Congo
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2007-11-13-Kinshasa.jpg
Author: Irene2005


Kinshasa is the capital and largest city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is located on the southern bank of the Congo River, within sight of Brazzaville on the opposite bank.

The city of Kinshasa holds a provincial status. It covers 9,965 sq km (3,848 sq mi), some 60% of which are rural areas outside the urban core. The population of Kinshasa is close to ten million people (2012 estimate). It is the second biggest city in Central Africa after Lagos, and the third biggest on the continent after Cairo and Lagos. Although most of the native of Kinshasa are not ethnic French, the city is regarded as the largest French-speaking city outside of Paris, as French is the language here for administration and commerce.

Congo River in Kinshasa
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fleuve_Congo_Kinshasa_8.JPG
Author: Serein


The site of Kinshasa was founded by Welsh explorer Henry Morton Stanley in 1881. He named it Léopoldville, in honor of King Leopold II of Belgium, who owned the territory as his private property. It developed as a river port, the first navigable port on the Congo River above Livingstone Falls.

In 1966, after a coup staged by Joseph-Désiré Mobutu the preceding year, L&eaucte;opoldville was renamed Kinshasa, after the village of Kinchassa that was once located in the area. Under Mobutu, Kinshasa grew rapidly, receiving an influx of refugees from the strive-torn countryside as well as squatters looking to make a better living in the city. As a result, Lingala became the predominant language spoken in Kinshasa, although the natives of the area are the Bateke and Bahumbu people.

Mobutu's excesses eventually led to his downfall. Kinshasa however continued to flourish as the cultural and intellectural center for Central Africa.

Port of Kinshasa
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Port_de_Kinshasa01.jpg
Author: Vberger

Visiting Kinshasa

Kinshasa International Airport (FIH), also called the N'djili Airport, receives flights from Abidjan, Addis Ababa, Bamako, Brazzaville, Brussels, Casablanca, Cotonou, Douala, Entebbe, Goma, Istanbul, Johannesburg, Kananga, Kigali, Kindu, Kisangani, Lomé, Luanda, Lubumbashi, Lusaka, Mbandaka, Nairobi, Paris, Pointe-Noire and Tripoli. Note that though the situation has improved somewhat, the airport has a reputation for corrupt officials. To enter the country, you need to show a vaccination certificate for yellow fever. Avoid any "helpful people" wanting to carry your luggage.

Places of Interest in Kinshasa

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Dear visitor, thank you so much for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye and my hobby is to find out about places, write about them and share the information with you on this website. I have been writing this site since 5 January 2003. Originally (from 2003 until 2009, the site was called AsiaExplorers. I changed the name to Penang Travel Tips in 2009, even though I describe more than just Penang but everywhere I go (I often need to tell people that "Penang Travel Tips" is not just information about Penang, but information written in Penang), especially places in Malaysia and Singapore, and in all the years since 2003, I have described over 20,000 places.

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