View source for Place:Kinshasa

{{short description|Capital and the largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Kinshasa
| official_name      = ''Ville de Kinshasa''
| settlement_type    = Capital city and Province
| image_skyline      = {{multiple image
 |perrow             = 1/2/2/2
 |border             = infobox
 |total_width        = 290
 |caption_align      = center
 | image1            = Le nouveau Centre financier de Kinshasa.jpg
 | caption1          = Kinshasa Financial Center
 | image2            = La ville de Kinshasa.jpg
 | caption2          = Downtown Kinshasa
 | image3            = Kinshasa by night (23769991270).jpg
 | caption3          = Boulevard du 30 Juin
 | image4            = Palais de la nation Kinshasa (8756656913).jpg
 | caption4          = Palais du Peuple
 | image5            = Parc de la Vallée de la Nsele.jpg
 | caption5          = Parc de la Vallee de La Nsele
 | 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
 }}
| 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#Earth
| 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  = Province
| established_title  = Founded
| established_date   = 1881 (as Leopoldville)
| seat_type          = City hall
| seat               = La Gombe
| parts_type         = Communes
| parts_style        = coll
| p1                 = Bandalungwa
| p2                 = Barumbu
| p3                 = Bumbu
| p4                 = Gombe (formerly Kalina)
| p5                 = Kalamu
| p6                 = Kasa-Vubu
| p7                 = Kimbanseke
| p8                 = Kinshasa
| p9                 = Kintambo
| p10                = Kisenso
| p11                = Lemba
| p12                = Limete
| p13                = Lingwala
| p14                = Makala
| p15                = Maluku
| p16                = Masina
| p17                = Matete
| p18                = Mont Ngafula
| p19                = Ndjili
| p20                = Ngaba
| p21                = Ngaliema
| p22                = Ngiri-Ngiri
| p23                = Nsele
| p24                = Selembao
| government_type    = Provincial assembly
| governing_body     = Provincial Assembly of Kinshasa
| leader_title       = Governor
| leader_name        = Gentiny Ngobila Mbaka
| leader_title1      = Vice-governor
| leader_name1       = Néron Mbungu
| 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 = [[Social:National language|Language]]
| population_blank1  = French and Lingala
| population_note    = 
| postal_code        = 
| area_code          = 243 + 9
| blank_name_sec1    = [[Engineering:Human Development Index|HDI]] (2019)
| blank_info_sec1    = 0.577<ref name="GlobalDataLab">{{Cite web |title=Sub-national HDI – Area Database – Global Data Lab |url=https://hdi.globaldatalab.org/areadata/shdi/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180923120638/https://hdi.globaldatalab.org/areadata/shdi/ |archive-date=23 September 2018 |access-date=2021-07-27 |website=hdi.globaldatalab.org |language=en}}</ref><br />{{color|#fc0|medium}}1st
| 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]]
| utc_offset         = +1
| coor_pinpoint      = 
| registration_plate_type = License Plate Code
| registration_plate = {{flagicon|Democratic Republic of the Congo}} CGO / '''01'''
| website            = 
}}

'''Kinshasa''' ({{IPAc-en|k|ɪ|n|ˈ|ʃ|ɑː|s|ə}}; {{IPA-fr|kinʃasa|lang}}; {{lang-ln|Kinsásá}}), formerly named '''Léopoldville''' before June 30, 1966, is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Once a site of fishing and trading villages along the Congo River, Kinshasa is now one of the world's fastest-growing megacities. With an estimated population of 16 million residents, it's the most densely populated city in the DRC and the most populous city in Africa. It is Africa's third-largest metropolitan area and the leading economic, 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> Kinshasa houses 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 }}</ref> banking, and [[Philosophy:Entertainment|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 Palais du Peuple, Palais de la Nation, Court of Cassation, Constitutional Court, Cité de l'Union Africaine, Palais de Marbre, Stade des Martyrs, Immeuble du Gouvernement, Kinshasa Financial Center, and multiple federal departments and agencies.<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>

Geographically covering 9,965 square kilometers, Kinshasa stretches along the southern shores of the Pool Malebo, forming an expansive crescent across flat, low-lying terrain at an average altitude of about 300 meters.<ref name=":3" /> Situated between latitudes 4° and 5° and longitudes East 15° and 16°32, Kinshasa shares its borders with the Mai-Ndombe Province, Kwilu Province, and 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 Province. Across the river sits [[Place:Brazzaville|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 26 provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and is administratively divided into 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= |isbn=978-1-6655-1262-6 |location=Bloomington, Indiana, United States |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 Francophone urban area globally, with [[Social:French language|French]] being the language of government, education, media, public services and high-end commerce, while [[Social:Lingala|Lingala]] is used as a lingua franca in the street. The city's inhabitants are popularly known as ''Kinois'', with the term "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 Kinshasa site has historically been inhabited by Bantus (Teke, {{interlanguage link|Humbu people|lt=Humbu|fr|Humbu}}) for centuries and was known as ''Nshasa'' before transforming into a commercial hub during the 18th and 19th 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 [[Biography:Mobutu Sese Seko|Mobutu Sese Seko]]'s ''Zairianisation'' campaign as a tribute to ''Nshasa'' village.<ref name=":3" />

The National Museum of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is DRC's most prominent and central museum, housing a collection of [[Art|art]], [[Social:Artifact (archaeology)|artifacts]], historical objects, and modern work of arts. The College of Advanced Studies in Strategy and Defense is the highest military institution in DRC and Central Africa. The [[Organization:Université Pédagogique Nationale|National Pedagogical University]] is DRC's first pedagogical university and one of Africa's top pedagogical universities. N'Djili International Airport is the largest airport in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and ranks 37th, in Africa, in terms of passengers carried, with 12 international flights per day.<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> Kinshasa is the "cradle of Congolese rumba".<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 and houses a plethora of [[Earth:Fauna|fauna]] and [[Earth:Flora|flora]]. According to the 2016 annual ranking, Kinshasa is the most expensive city in Africa, 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>

== Etymology ==
The origin of the name ''Kinshasa'' is rooted in multiple theories proposed by scholars. Paul Raymaekers, an anthropologist and [[Social:Ethnology|ethnologist]], suggests that the name derives from the combination of the 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, while "''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 Province) and [[Earth:Atlantic Ocean|South Atlantic Ocean]] exchanged salt for goods like [[Chemistry:Iron|iron]], [[Social: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 Bateke 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, "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 [[Finance:Barter|bartering]] 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 [[Finance:Broker|brokers]] traded ivory and slaves from the Banunu slave traders, often mistaken for the Yanzi, for European trade items brought by the Zombo and 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 [[Earth:Africa|Africa]] from Zanzibar to Boma in 1874–1877 when he mentioned visiting "the king of Nshasa" on March 14, 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, United States |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==
[[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 the city that is now 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 King Leopold II of the Belgians, who would eventually seize control of most of the Congo basin as the [[Social:Congo Free State|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 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 in the Congo estuary.<ref name="britannica.com" /> The town, nicknamed "Léo" or "Leopold", became a commercial center and grew rapidly during the colonial period.

After gaining its independence on 30 June 1960, following riots in 1959, the Republic of the Congo 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 |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 [[Biology:Rwanda|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, [[Biography:Mobutu Sese Seko|Joseph-Désiré Mobutu]] seized power in the Congo. He initiated a policy of "Authenticity", attempting to renativize the names of people and places in the country. On May 2, 1966, the government announced that the nation's major cities would be restored to their pre-colonial names, effective on June 30, 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 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 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 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 which involved barricades 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]]

Kinshasa is a city of sharp contrasts, with affluent residential and commercial areas and three universities alongside sprawling slums. It is located along the south bank of the Congo River, downstream on the Pool Malebo<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> and directly opposite the city of Brazzaville, capital of the Republic of the Congo. The Congo River is the second longest river in Africa after the Nile and has the continent's greatest [[Physics:Discharge (hydrology)|discharge]]. As a [[Earth:Waterway|waterway]] it provides a means of transport for much of the [[Place:Congo Basin|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 |work={{wipe|The New York Times}} |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/19/business/worldbusiness/19iht-rnrghydro.1.6204822.html |url-status=live |access-date=15 December 2010 |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}}</ref>

The older and wealthier part of the city (''ville basse'') is located on a flat area of [[Earth:Alluvium|alluvial sand and clay]] near the river, while many newer areas are found on the [[Earth: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. [[Engineering:Urban planning|City plans]] of the 1920s–1950s featured a ''[[Social: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 [[Engineering:Urban structure|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 [[Engineering:Slum|slum]]s, built in unsafe conditions with inadequate infrastructure.<ref name=ChirisaEtAl2017 /> Nevertheless, spontaneously developed areas have in many cases extended the grid street plan of the original city.<ref name=Flouriot2013 />

===Administrative divisions===
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 (municipalities), which in turn are divided into 369 quarters and 21 embedded groupings.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Commission Électorale Nationale Indépendante |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, 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.

{{col-begin}}
[[File:Kinshasa Districts Communes and Quarters (2021).svg|center|Kinshasa Districts Communes and Quarters (2021)]]
{{col-break}}

* Funa District
** Bandalungwa
** Bumbu
** Kalamu
** Kasa-Vubu
** Makala
** Ngiri-Ngiri
** Selembao
{{col-break}}
* Lukunga District
** Barumbu
** Gombe
** Kinshasa
** Kintambo
** Lingwala
** Mont Ngafula
** Ngaliema
{{col-break}}
* Mont Amba District
** Kisenso
** Lemba
** Limete
** Matete
** Ngaba
{{col-break}}
* Tshangu District
** Kimbanseke
** Maluku
** Masina
** Ndjili (N'Djili)
** Nsele (N'Sele)
{{col-end}}


===Climate===
Under the [[Earth:Köppen climate classification|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 [[Astronomy:Equator|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 activities. It features picnic areas, 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 – Mont Ngaliema, situated along the Congo River, is a park in Kinshasa. The park offers [[Earth:Pond|pond]]s, [[Earth:Swimming pool|pools]], and [[Chemistry:Fountain|fountain]]s, while the theater of greenery and amphitheater serve as venues for cultural performances. The park’s mini zoo has a diverse array of animals.
* Jardin Zoologique, located in the heart of Gombe commune, is a [[Biology:Zoo|zoo]] in Kinshasa. The zoo houses a wide variety of [[Biology:Mammal|mammal]]s, [[Biology:Reptile|reptile]]s, and [[Biology:Bird|bird]]s, offering an educational and entertaining experience.<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>
* Jardin Botanique de Kinshasa, situated in Gombe, is a [[Biology:Botanical garden|botanical garden]] that showcases the city’s botanical treasures. The botanical garden houses an array of [[Biology:Plant|plant]]s and [[Biology: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 [[Social:Orphan|orphan]]ed [[Biology:Bonobo|bonobo]]s. Situated at the Petites Chutes de la Lukaya, it provides a safe and nurturing environment for [[Biology:Endangered species|endangered]] [[Biology:Primate|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==
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: Kinshasa French vocabulary). Kinshasa is the largest officially Francophone city in the world, albeit that the vast majority of people either cannot speak French, or struggle in speaking 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 [[Social:Lingala|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 (Kikongo, [[Social:Lingala|Lingala]], Tshiluba or [[Social: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 [[Social:Swahili language|Swahili]] – except that teaching of these languages also suffered from limitations on its growth.</ref> Kinshasa hosted the 14th 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=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 Gouverneur. {{ill|Gentiny Ngobila|lt=Gentiny Ngobila Mbaka|fr}} has been governor since 2019.<ref>{{Cite news |date=5 May 2019 |title=Kinshasa : la lutte contre l'insécurité et l'insalubrité, priorités de Gentiny Ngobila |work=Radio Okapi |agency=ACP |url=https://www.radiookapi.net/2019/05/08/actualite/politique/kinshasa-la-lutte-contre-linsecurite-et-linsalubrite-priorites-de |url-status=live |access-date=11 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190511215019/https://www.radiookapi.net/2019/05/08/actualite/politique/kinshasa-la-lutte-contre-linsecurite-et-linsalubrite-priorites-de |archive-date=11 May 2019}}</ref> Each commune has its own 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 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 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 [[Philosophy:Governance|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 [[Organization:International Monetary Fund|International Monetary Fund]] (IMF). The mining industry in the DRC has been instrumental in maintaining a positive economic outlook, even amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. [[Chemistry:Raw material|Raw material]] exports, particularly [[Chemistry:Cobalt|cobalt]] and [[Chemistry:Copper|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 war in Ukraine, the DRC has shown [[Finance: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 currently relatively low at 24.7% of GDP. The approval of the 3rd 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 ===
Big manufacturing companies such as Marsavco S.A., All Pack Industries and Angel Cosmetics are located in the center of town (Gombe) in Kinshasa.[[File:Hôtel du gouvernement(Kinshasa).jpg|left|thumb|In front of Government Hall located on Boulevard du 30 Juin in Kinshasa, August 2018]]
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 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 [[Finance:Foreign exchange reserves|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, [[Organization:World Bank|World Bank]], African Development Bank, [[Social:European Union|European Union]], {{wipe|China}} and {{wipe|France}}.<ref name=":2" />

The People's Republic of China has been heavily involved in the Congo since the 1970s, when they financed the construction of the Palais du Peuple and backed the government against rebels in the 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 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 higher-level education institutes, covering a wide range of disciplines, including [[Engineering:Civil engineering|civil engineering]], [[Medicine:Nursing|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
* Université Panafricaine du Congo (UPC)
* [[Organization:University of Kinshasa|University of Kinshasa]]
* [[Organization:Université Libre de Kinshasa|Université Libre de Kinshasa]]
* Congo Protestant University
* Université Chretienne de Kinshasa
* [[Organization:Université Pédagogique Nationale|National Pedagogy University]]
* 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 (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>

In 2005, 93% of children over six attended school and 70% of people over 15 were literate in French.{{citation needed|date=December 2023}}
The primary and secondary education is up to form six.

==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>

Since 1991, Monkole Hospital is operating as a non-profit health institution collaborating with the Health Department as district hospital in Kinshasa. Directed by Pr Léon Tshilolo, [[Medicine:Pediatrics|paediatrician]] and [[Medicine:Hematology|haematologist]], Monkole Hospital opened a 150-bed building in 2012 with improved clinical services as laboratory, diagnostic radiology, [[Medicine:Intensive care medicine|intensive care]], neonatal unit, family medicine, [[Medicine:Emergency department|emergencies unit]] and a larger [[Medicine:Surgery|surgical]] area.

== Culture ==
[[File:National Museum of RD Congo 01.jpg|thumb|National Museum of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kinshasa]]
Located in Kinshasa are the National Museum and the [[Organization: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 is the home to much of the Congo's intelligentsia, including a political class which developed during the Mobutu era.<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>

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={{wipe|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 [[Philosophy:Dandy|dandy]]ism, involves wearing flamboyant clothing.{{citation needed|date=July 2021}}

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 />

== Places of worship ==
<gallery mode="" widths="180px" heights="150px">
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 [[Religion:Christianity|Christian]] churches and temples: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kinshasa ([[Organization:Catholic Church|Catholic Church]]), Kimbanguist Church, Baptist Community of Congo ([[Organization:Baptist World Alliance|Baptist World Alliance]]), Baptist Community of the Congo River ([[Organization:Baptist World Alliance|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 [[Religion:Islam|Muslim]] mosques. A Baha'i House of Worship is currently under 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>

==Media==
[[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%, 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 television stations, including state-run Radio-Télévision nationale congolaise (RTNC) and privately run Digital Congo and Raga TV. The private channel RTGA is also based in Kinshasa.

Several national radio stations, including La Voix du Congo, which is operated by RTNC, MONUC-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'' (daily), ''La Conscience'', ''LeCongolais'' (online),''L'Observateur'' (daily), ''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}} [[Organization:Stanford University|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 ==
Sports, especially 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 Vita Club, Daring Club Motema Pembe and AS Dragons frequently draws large crowds, enthusiastic and sometimes rowdy, to the Stade des Martyrs. Dojos 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==
Kinshasa is home to the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo including: 
* the Palais de la Nation, home of the President, in Gombe;
* the Palais du Peuple, meeting place of both houses of Parliament, Senate and National Assembly, in Lingwala;
* the 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.
[[File:Palais du peuple de la RDC.jpg|thumb|The People's Palace, seat of the Congolese parliament|left]]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.

The quartier Matonge is known regionally for its nightlife.

Notable features of the city include the Gecamines Commercial Building (formerly SOZACOM) and Hotel Memling skyscrapers; L'ONATRA, the impressive building of the Ministry of Transport; the central market; the Limete Tower. The face of Kinshasa is changing as new buildings are being built on the Boulevard du 30 Juin: Crown Tower (on Batetela) and Congofutur Tower.

== Infrastructure and housing ==
thumb|Road of Kinshasa City
The city's infrastructure for running water and electricity is generally in bad shape.<ref>Nzuzi (2008), p. 14.</ref> The [[Engineering:Electric power distribution|electrical network]] is in disrepair to the extent that prolonged and periodic [[Engineering:Power outage|blackouts]] are normal, and exposed [[Engineering: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 not with uniformly perfect 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.<ref name="Flouriot2013" />

The housing market has seen rising prices and [[Finance: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 shantytowns 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 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.

===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 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===
[[File:Kinshasa train station (21237028852).jpg|thumb|A memorial at Kinshasa train station remembering those who died during the construction of the railroad]]
The Matadi–Kinshasa Railway 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 (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 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 quays and [[Engineering:Jetty|jetties]] with hundreds of boats and barges tied up. Ferries cross the river to [[Place:Brazzaville|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 [[Place:Bangui|Bangui]].

There are road and 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.

==Social issues==

===Crime and punishment===
Since the Second Congo War, the city has been striving to recover from disorder, with many youth gangs hailing from Kinshasa's slums.<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 Malaka. This prison houses more than double its nominal capacity of 1,000 inmates. 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>

By 2017 the population of Malaka prison was reported at 7,000–8,000. Of these, 3,600–4,600 escaped in a jailbreak in May 2017.<ref>Laurent Larcher, "[http://www.la-croix.com/Monde/Afrique/milliers-detenus-sevadent-prison-Kinshasa-RD-Congo-2017-05-18-1200848222 Des milliers de détenus s’évadent de la prison de Kinshasa en RD-Congo] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170704121920/http://www.la-croix.com/Monde/Afrique/milliers-detenus-sevadent-prison-Kinshasa-RD-Congo-2017-05-18-1200848222 |date=4 July 2017 }}", ''La Croix'', 18 May 2017.</ref><ref>"[http://www.rfi.fr/afrique/20170518-evasion-prison-malaka-rdc-plus-4600-detenus-fuite Evasion à la prison de Makala en RDC: plus de 4600 détenus seraient en fuite] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170705153340/http://www.rfi.fr/afrique/20170518-evasion-prison-malaka-rdc-plus-4600-detenus-fuite |date=5 July 2017 }}", ''RFI'', 18 May 2017.</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> Previously a significant number were civil war orphans.

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=live |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>

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

==Notable people==

==International relations ==
Kinshasa is twinned with:

* {{flagicon|CGO}} [[Place:Brazzaville|Brazzaville]], Republic of Congo
* {{flagicon|Belgium}} [[Place: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}} [[Place:Johannesburg|Johannesburg]], South Africa
* {{flagicon|TUR}} [[Place:Ankara|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 distinct mix of [[Social:Culture|culture]], [[History:History|history]], and lively [[Astronomy:Atmosphere|atmosphere]], Kinshasa has become a muse for [[Engineering:Filmmaking|filmmakers]], musicians, writers, and artists seeking to capture its unparalleled essence.<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 representations ===
[[File:Foreman tira golpe a clay.jpg|thumb|Foreman trying to punch Ali, October 1974]]
Kinshasa has been immortalized in various films, most notably in the critically acclaimed ''When We Were Kings'' (1996). This documentary chronicles the historic ''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 offer a gritty and visceral portrayal of the city's underworld, showcasing the tension between [[Philosophy:Corruption|corruption]], 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 ''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>

=== Literary depictions ===
Throughout history, authors have depicted the essence of Kinshasa in their [[Social:Writing|writing]], delving into its diverse cultural fabric, [[History:History|storied past]], and the [[Social:Personal narrative|personal narrative]]s of its residents. Fiston Mwanza Mujila's ''Tram 83'' depicts the city's nightlife while exploring themes of [[Philosophy:Postcolonialism|postcolonial]] [[Social:Identity (social science)|identity]] and the struggle for social and [[Social: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 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|Congolese band Zaïko Langa Langa performing in Kinshasa, in 1971]]
The music scene of Kinshasa has also made a significant impact on [[Social:Popular culture|popular culture]]. Congolese rumba, a genre born in the city during the 1930s, continues to resonate globally. Artists like Franco Luambo Makiadi, Syran Mbenza, Le Grand Kallé, Nico Kasanda, Tabu Ley Rochereau, M’bilia Bel, Madilu System, Papa Noel Nedule, Vicky Longomba, Awilo Longomba, Pépé Kallé, Kanda Bongo Man, Nyboma Mwan'dido, General Defao, Papa Wemba, Koffi Olomide, Werrason, Abeti Masikini, Lokua Kanza, Fally Ipupa, and Ferré Gola have played a key role in popularizing Congolese music on the international stage, infusing their compositions with Kinshasa's pulsating rhythms 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.vice.com/en/article/kzwbq9/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. Murals and graffiti, adorned with 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 ====
[[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, [[Social:Self-expression values|self-expression]], and [[Social:Identity (social science)|identity]] for the ''sapeurs'' of Kinshasa. It has gained 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 ===
[[Company:WWE|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>{{cite web |url=https://www.cagesideseats.com/platform/amp/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>{{cite web |url=https://www.cagesideseats.com/platform/amp/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>

==See also==
* [[Engineering:Traffic robots in Kinshasa|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: [[Company:L'Harmattan|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==
* [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
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[[Category:Capitals in Africa]]

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