What is the capital of DR Congo?

Kinshasa spreads along the southern shore of Pool Malebo on the Congo River, directly across the water from Brazzaville; the two form the world's closest pair of capital cities, separated by about four kilometres of unbridged river.

Kinshasa is the capital and seat of government of DR Congo, a role it has held since 1923. DR Congo itself has an estimated population of 112,832,473 (2025).

Kinshasa is also the largest city in DR Congo, which is the usual arrangement, though it is far from universal: see the countries where capital and largest city differ.

The city was established in 1881 as Leopoldville by the explorer Henry Morton Stanley, and was renamed Kinshasa on 30 June 1966.

Kinshasa has been the capital of DR Congo since 1923, a royal decree of 1923 made Leopoldville the capital of the Belgian Congo in place of Boma, and the city remained the capital at independence in 1960.

Boma, near the mouth of the Congo River, served as the capital of the colonial Congo before the role passed to Leopoldville, today's Kinshasa, in the 1920s.

Kinshasa is among the most populous cities in Africa and is the largest nominally French-speaking urban area in the world.

It was designated a UNESCO City of Music in 2015.

City facts sourced from Wikipedia: Kinshasa.

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