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Kinshasa
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'''Kinshasa''' is the capital and largest city of the
Democratic Republic of the Congo.
With a population of about 7.5 million (
2005 census), it ties with
Johannesburg for the status of the second largest city in sub-Saharan
Africa, behind
Lagos, and third largest in the whole continent, after Lagos and
Cairo.
{{infobox kinshasa|
governor= Kimbembe Mazunga|
common_name= Kinshasa|
website=
}}
Geography
Kinshasa is a city of sharp contrasts, with posh residential and commercial areas, two universities, and sprawling slums coexisting side by side.
It is located along the southern bank of the
Congo River, directly opposite the city of
Brazzaville, capital of the
Republic of the Congo. Kinshasa is located at {{coor dm|4|16|S|15|17|E|}}.
Image:Kinshasa 2003.jpg left|250px|thumb|The boulevard of 30 June in Kinshasa, April 2003
Major areas of the city include the
Cité de l'OUA, home to the
Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo,
Zone de Matonge, known internationally for its
nightlife, and the residential area of
Gombe. The city has a major
river port at
Beach Ngobila with
ferry ferries to
Brazzaville and
Bangui, a
railway to
Matadi and
N'Djili Airport.
Notable features of the city include the
SOZACOM Building and
Hotel Memling skyscrapers, the central
market, the
Kinshasa Museum and the
Kinshasa Fine Arts Academy. The
Boulevard du 30 Juin links the areas of the city together.
History
The city was founded as a trading post by
Henry Morton Stanley in
1881 and named Léopoldville in honor of King
Léopold II of Belgium, who ruled the vast territory that is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The post flourished as the first navigable port along the Congo River above
Livingstone Falls: at first, all goods arriving at Léopoldville from the interior would have to be carried by porter to the port of
Matadi along the coast. The completion of a railroad in
1898 provided a viable means of transportation along the river's lower reaches and sparked the rapid development of Léopoldville. By 1920, the city was elevated to capital of the Belgian Congo, replacing the seaside town of
Boma.
Image:Brazzaville ISS007-E-6305.jpg 250px|thumb|right|Image of Kinshasa and Brazzaville, taken by NASA
In
1965 Mobutu Sese Seko seized power in the Congo in his second coup and initiated a policy of "Africanizing" the names of people and places in the country. In
1966 Léopoldville was renamed Kinshasa for a village named Kinchassa that once stood near the site. The city grew rapidly under Mobutu, drawing people from across the country who came in search of their fortunes or to escape ethnic strife elsewhere. This inevitably brought about a change to the city's ethnic and linguistic composition as well. Although it is situated in territory that traditionally belongs to the
Bakongo people, the ''lingua franca'' in Kinshasa today is not
Kongo language Kikongo but
Lingala.
Kinshasa suffered greatly due to 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. The city has recently had to fend off rioting soldiers who were protesting the government's inability to pay them.
Media
Image:Boulevard_Lumumba01.jpg right|250px|thumb|The boulevard Lumumba in Masina
Kinshasa is home to a large number of radio and TV stations. The National TV is housed in the city. Its 2 channels reach more or less the entire country. In addition to these stations, there are nearly a dozen terrestrial stations reaching the environs of the city, and sometimes a bit beyond.
External links
-
Rumble In The Jungle - Muhammad Ali Kinshasa, 1974
-
University of Kinshass
See also
{{Commons|Kinshasa}}
*
List of television stations in Africa
{{KinshasaDistricts}}
{{Democratic Republic of the Congo}}
Category:Kinshasa
Category:Capitals in Africa
Category:Cities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Category:Subdivisions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
da:Kinshasa
de:Kinshasa
es:Kinshasa
fr:Kinshasa
gl:Kinshasa
ko:킨샤사
io:Kinshasa
id:Kinshasa
os:КиншаÑ?æ
is:Kinsasa
it:Kinshasa
he:×§×™× ×©×?סה
kg:Kinsasa
lt:Kinšasa
ln:Kinshasa
nl:Kinshasa
ja:ã‚ンシャサ
no:Kinshasa
nn:Kinshasa
pl:Kinszasa
pt:Kinshasa
ru:КиншаÑ?а
scn:Kinshasa
simple:Kinshasa
sk:Kinshasa
fi:Kinshasa
sv:Kinshasa
zh:金�沙
Category:Capitals in Africa
Category:Cities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
fr:Catégorie:Kinshasa
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