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Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

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Kinshasa
Kaśka Glanc

It is a capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the biggest town In central Africa. It is located on the southern shore of Malebo (used to known as Stanley Pool also), which is a huge pool of the Congo River, about 400 km from the Atlantic Ocean. It is a very important hub centre, with big international airport. It is also an industry centre.

History
Sir Henry Morton Stanley ? a British explorer and globetrotter came here in 1877. Earlier there were two villages: Kintambo and Kinshasa. In 1881 Stanley bought the rights to Kintambo and to honour his king Leopold II he changed the name into Leopoldville. In 1898 a railway between Leopoldville and a sea port of Matadi was opened. The railway didn?t cross Inga Rapids ? Livingstones Waterfalls, which enabled quick development of the city. In 1926 Leopoldville became an administrative centre of Belgian Congo. After gaining independence in 1960 the population rose rapidly from 400 000 to more than 3 million in 1990. The name of the city was changed one more time in 1966 and it has been known as Kinshasa since then.

What to see and visit
The city centre used to be attractive and modern, but now it is badly damaged. A lot of shops, hotels, restaurants have been closed due to the unstable political situation in the country. But still there is a colourful old market and The National Museum. The Academy of Fine Arts and The Zaire University are located in Kinshasa as well.

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