Kinshasa (commune)

Kinshasa
Commune de Kinshasa
Commune

Commune on a map of Kinshasa (city-province)

Kinshasa on a map of the DRC
Coordinates: 04°19′24″S 15°18′29″E / 4.32333°S 15.30806°E / -4.32333; 15.30806Coordinates: 04°19′24″S 15°18′29″E / 4.32333°S 15.30806°E / -4.32333; 15.30806[1]
Country Democratic Republic of the Congo
Province Kinshasa
District mont ngafula
Area
 • Total 2.87 km2 (1.11 sq mi)
Population (2004 est.)
 • Total 164,857
 • Density 57,000/km2 (150,000/sq mi)

Kinshasa is a municipality (commune) in the Lukunga district of the city of Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[2] It is situated in the east of the city, south of Gombe and the Boulevard du 30 Juin.

History

Kinshassa Station, by the Stanley Pool (1885)
Kinshassa village (1912)

Originally founded and inhabited by the Teke people or Humbu people, the fishing village of Kinshassa, also spelled Kinchassa, was located at the river Congo before the arrival of the European colonialists. The word nshasa translates as "marsh". Henry Morton Stanley founded the station next to it after signing a treaty with the Teke chief Ntsuvila in the later half of the 19th century. It was linked by steam boat with other stations along the river and the Stanley Pool. With the foundation and expansion of neighbouring Léopoldville Station, the place became with Barumbu and Lingwala part of the city in the beginning of the 20th century.

In the 1940s it became linked to the historic heart of Léopoldville, now located at Kintambo, from the boulevard du 30‑Juin. With the Africanization program initiated by President Mobutu in 1966, the name of the entire city was changed into Kinshasa, based on this original village.

The district is now home to several institutions of the city of Kinshasa, such as the Grand Market of Kinshasa, the Somba Zikita Market, and the zoological garden.

Demographics

Historical population of Kinshasa (commune)
Year19671970198420032004
Population56,64173,82674,708159,430164,857

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo". Google Maps. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  2. ↑ "Géographie de Kinshasa (Geography of Kinshasa)" (in French). Ville de Kinshasa (City of Kinshasa). Retrieved 20 August 2011.

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