Kinshasa
Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, lies in the west of the country on the Congo River, just across from Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of the Congo. With a population of 17.1 million, it is Africa's second-largest city. Founded in 1881 as Léopoldville, it became the capital in 1926. The city is divided into 24 communes, of which Gombe is the administrative centre. Kinshasa faces social challenges, yet it remains an important cultural and political centre.
