Kongo Central


Kongo Central, formerly Bas-Congo, is one of the 26 provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Its capital is Matadi.

History

At the time of independence, the area now encompassing Kongo Central was part of the greater province of Léopoldville, along with the capital city of Kinshasa and the districts of Kwango, Kwilu and Mai-Ndombe. Under Belgian colonial rule, the province was known as Bas-Congo and was renamed Kongo Central after independence.
Under the regime of Mobutu Sese Seko from 1965 to 1997, the Congo river was renamed as Zaire. The province was named as Bas-Zaïre. The name was later reverted to Bas-Congo. It was subsequently renamed as Kongo Central in 2015.

Geography

Kongo Central is the only province in the country with an ocean coastline; it has narrow frontage on the Atlantic Ocean. It borders the provinces of Kinshasa to the north-east, Kwango to the east, and the Republic of Angola to the south as well as the Republic of the Congo and Cabinda to the north.

Divisions

The provincial capital is Matadi.
The only other official city is Boma.
The remainder of the province is divided into the districts of Bas-Fleuve, Cataractes and Lukaya.
Towns with their 2010 populations are:
NameDistrictTerritoryPop. 2010Coordinates
Boma––167,326
IngaBas-Fleuve DistrictTshela Territory10,417
InkisiLukaya DistrictKasangulu Territory77,797
KasanguluLukaya DistrictKasangulu Territory30,724
KimpeseCataractes DistrictSongololo Territory53,660
KimvulaLukaya DistrictKimvula Territory
Kinzau-MvueteBas-Fleuve DistrictTshela Territory17,870
LukulaBas-Fleuve DistrictLukula Territory31,394
LuoziCataractes DistrictLuozi Territory13,258
MadimbaLukaya DistrictMadimba Territory
Matadi––291,338
Mbanza-NgunguCataractes DistrictMbanza-Ngungu Territory97,037
Muanda–Muanda Territory86,896
Seke-BanzaBas-Fleuve DistrictSeke-Banza Territory6,015
SongololoCataractes DistrictSongololo Territory12,382
TshelaBas-Fleuve DistrictTshela Territory45,588

Notable residents

Writer Zamenga Batukezanga was born in Kongo Central.