The capital of Zaire. The city of Kinshasa. Democratic Republic of the Congo

The capital of the Republic of Zaire, renamed in 1997 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is today one of the largest cities in Africa and is called Kinshasa. However, the modern name was given to the capital only after the country gained independence.

Congo on the map of Africa

The country, located in the central part of the African continent, is second only to Algeria, and in number is on the fourth line after Nigeria, Ethiopia and Egypt. The country has a long and ambiguous history full of wars and internal conflicts.

It all began two thousand years before our era, when the tribes of Bantu farmers began to move from the north to the interior of the continent, crowding the indigenous people of the pygmies, which eventually became only a small minority that was marginalized on the periphery of the country's public and political life.

However, for many centuries the history of the Congo did not know the stable state formations, and only in the XlV century in the middle reaches of the great African river Congo emerged the same kingdom, which was the main blow from the collision with the Portuguese colonizers in the XV century. For nearly four centuries, local rulers willingly sold their subjects to Europeans, who, in turn, transported African slaves to North America.

Colonial period

Despite the fact that the whole of Africa and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have suffered rather badly from the immoderation of the colonial authorities and the greed of the traffickers, do not underestimate the positive influence of certain individuals on the development of African states.

The position of the territory known today as the Republic of the Congo differed from other colonial possessions, because it had never formally been a colony of any European state, but for a long time was privately owned by a Belgian monarch, by whose name the capital of Zaire was named. The first settlement on the territory of the modern crowded capital was called Leopoldville - in honor of the Belgian King Leopold.

Foundation of the city

The first stone in the foundation of the new capital of Zaire was laid by the well-known British researcher of Africa, journalist and traveler Henry Morton Stanley, who founded a trading post on the riverbank, from which the consecutive development of the central part of the continent, until then poorly studied.

Liberation movement and Afrikanization

Since its foundation in 1881 and until liberation from the oppression of the Belgian crown in June 1960, the capital of Zaire was called Leopoldville, but with the coming to power of the dictator Mobutu, it was renamed. The reason for the renaming was the struggle against the colonial heritage, including linguistic ones, developed by the tyrant: the Dutch language, quite common in Zaire, was deliberately ousted by the authorities. So Kinshasa - the capital of the newly created state - acquired its present name, which passed to it from one of the villages that fell into the city line.

The first years of independence did not bring prosperity and peace to the country. The short-term rule of the democratically elected President Kasavubu resulted in his overthrow. With the financial support of the United States, General Mabutu dismissed the head of state. Kinshasa - the capital of the Congo - has become a kind of apple of discord between the US and the USSR, which sought to gain control over the rich deposits of minerals, including uranium. And we must admit that in this competition the Americans won an obvious victory.

Rapid growth and poverty

Until 1966, the capital of Zaire was called Leopoldville, but it was renamed Kinshasa after the proclamation of the Afrikanization policy. Although the location of the city on the river gives certain advantages in the form of access to the river transport route, but strong differences in heights and thresholds make it possible to practice navigation only on a limited stretch of the river.

To overcome this restriction from the coast to the capital began to pull the railway, which ultimately contributed to the grandiose industrial growth. Following the railway, the construction of an oil pipeline began, which was completed in 1914.

Congo on the map of Africa is one of the important places, so when in the early 1990s a political crisis broke out in the country, most African states took part in its resolution to some extent.

One river - two capitals

The capital of Zaire is not the only city on the banks of the Congo. On the opposite bank in relation to Kinshasa is the capital of the neighboring state. The Democratic Republic of the Congo borders on the state, whose official name is the Republic of the Congo. Residents of the two capitals can look at neighbors through a fairly wide river, over which, unfortunately, there is no bridge linking two large settlements.

Modern Kinshasa, the capital of one of the poorest states in the world, is a pretty impressive sight. Striking is the contrast between rich business neighborhoods and slum areas, whose inhabitants are deprived of access to basic urban amenities. Many townspeople do not even have the opportunity to regularly use clean water.

The city's slums are the main source of many urban problems, such as crime and epidemics. The capital of Zaire regularly tops the rankings of the most dangerous cities in Africa. Street crime makes the city almost unsuitable for independent travelers and significantly raises prices for housing. Unfortunately, looting and robbery, rape and kidnapping have become quite common in Kinshasa. Housing in safe areas is sometimes more expensive than in Europe, and hotels are fenced with high fences and turn into ghetto-like sorts for white aliens.

Social sphere of the city

Despite the huge reserves of expensive and sought-after minerals on the market, it is not necessary to talk about the wealth of the country. Corruption, post-colonial problems and terrible administration are bringing a lot of trouble to citizens.

As in any major city, there are universities and foreign higher schools in Kinshasa. There is the Academy of Arts, there is a medical institute, the National Pedagogical University and even the Catholic University.

The health sector is represented by several dozens of hospitals and medical centers. As in many other African countries, international charities are extremely active in the Congo, which fund the provision of medical assistance to local residents.

Kinshasa - the capital of a new state

The political crisis resolved in the country in 2005, with the adoption of a new constitution. According to the new basic law, the country's territory is divided into eleven provinces. The capital has a special place in the administrative division - it is both a city and an independent region.

In the urban agglomeration of Kinshasa live about eight million people, but in reality no one knows exactly how many people live in the dimensionless slums surrounding the city and serve as a kind of belt separating the capital from the rural areas bordering it.

And yet, despite poverty and huge social problems, many natives of Kinshasa have made great strides in international sports and show business.