Kongo Central

Kongo Central Province du Kongo Central (French) Kizunga kia Kongo dia Kati (Kikongo)
Province
Top-left: Bakongo masks, Top-right: Kimbanguist Temple in Nkamba, Bottom-left: Governor Building in Matadi, Bottom-right: Inga 2 Dam
Flag Seal
Coordinates: 05°49′S 13°29′E / 5.817°S 13.483°E / -5.817; 13.483
Country	DR Congo
Capital and largest city	Matadi
Government
• Body	Provincial Assembly of Kongo Central
• Governor	Grâce Bilolo [fr]
Area
• Total	53,920 km2 (20,820 sq mi)
Population  (2024)
• Total	6,923,500
• Density	128.4/km2 (332.6/sq mi)
Ethnic groups
• Native:	BaKongo
Time zone	UTC+1 (West Africa Time)
ISO 3166 code	CD-BC
License Plate Code	CGO / 10
Official language	French
National languages	Kikongo ya Leta, lingala
HDI (2023)	0.521low
Non-national language	Kikongo

Kongo Central (Kongo: Kongo dia Kati), 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 territory of the current province was a district known as Bas-Congo (as in "Lower Congo River") 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 to the west. It borders the city-province of Kinshasa to the north-east, the province of 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. The entire province has a tropical savanna climate by the Köppen-Geiger climate classification.

The lower Congo River traverses the province from the north-east to the south-west. It is navigable from the Atlantic Ocean to the port city of Matadi after which there are a series of rapids that make it unnavigable until the Malebo Pool.

Administration

The provincial capital is Matadi, with Boma being the other official city. The remainder of the province is administratively divided into ten territories, the most of any province:

Administrative division	Type	Map
Boma	City
Matadi	City
Kasangulu	Territory
Kimvula	Territory
Lukula	Territory
Luozi	Territory
Madimba	Territory
Mbanza-Ngungu	Territory
Moanda	Territory
Seke-Banza	Territory
Songololo	Territory
Tshela	Territory

Before 2015 these territories were divisions of the Bas-Fleuve, Cataractes and Lukaya districts; except for Moanda, which was attached to Boma (a city/district hybrid).

Demographics

Notable people from Kongo Central

• Afonso I of Kongo, the sixth ruler of the Kingdom of Kongo.
• Kudianga Bayokisa, teacher and politician
• Zamenga Batukezanga, writer, was born in Kongo Central.
• Paul Panda Farnana, first Congolese with Belgian diploma of higher education.
• Thomas Kanza, Congolese diplomat. He was one of the first Congolese nationals to graduate from a university.
• Sophie Kanza, first Congolese woman to obtain a university degree; politician and sociologist.
• Joseph Kasa-Vubu, Democratic Republic of the Congo first president.
• Simon Kimbangu, founder of Christian new religious movement Kimbanguism.
• Ray Lema, France-based pianist, guitarist, and songwriter.
• François Luambo Luanzo Makiadi, virtuoso Congolese Rumba guitarist and singer.
• Ne Muanda Nsemi, Bundu dia Kongo leader.

Citations

General and cited references

• Gillet, J. (1927). Catalogue des plantes du jardin d'essais de la mission de Kisantu. Brussels. 166 pp.
• Kibungu Kembelo, A. O. (2004). Plantes medicinales du Bas-Congo et leurs usages. DFID. 197 pp.
• Latham, P. (2003) Edible Caterpillars and Their Food Plants in Bas-Congo. Mystole Publications. ISBN 0954301277, 60 pp.
• Latham, P. (2004). Useful Plants of Bas-Congo Province. DFID. ISBN 0954669835, 320 pp.
• Latham, P. (2008). Les chenilles comestibles et leurs plantes nourricières dans la province du Bas-Congo DFID. ISBN 9780955420863, 44 pp.
• Latham, P. et Konda ku Mbuta, A. (2010). Plantes utiles du Bas-Congo. Mystole Publications. ISBN 9780955420818, 372 pp.
• Latham, P. et Konda ku Mbuta, A. (2011). Some Honeybee Plants of Bas-Congo Province. DFID. ISBN 9780955420894, 248 pp.
• Latham, P. & Konda ku Mbuta, A. (2014). Useful plants of Bas-Congo province. ISBN 9780955420870, 553 pp.
• Pauwels, L. (1993). Nzayilu N'ti – guide des arbres et arbustes de la région de Kinshasa – Brazzaville. Meise. ISBN 9072619102, 495 pp.

External links

• Media related to Kongo Central at Wikimedia Commons