Kinshasa

Kinshasa

Formerly known as Léopoldville, Kinshasa is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Kinshasa was once the site of fishing and trading villages along the Congo River and is now one of the fastest growing megacities in the world. Kinshasa is one of the country's 26 provinces. Since the administrative boundaries of the city-province cover a large area, more than 90 percent of it is rural, with a small but growing urban area on the western side. After Cairo and Lagos, Kinshasa is Africa's third largest metropolitan area and the world's largest nominally francophone urban area, where French is the language of government, education, media, public services and high-end commerce. The city lies opposite the capital of the neighboring Republic of Congo, Brazzaville. Although the width of the river at this point is between 2 and 3 km, the two cities are the second closest pair of capitals in the world after the Vatican City and Rome. Kinshasa is home to many parks and gardens. Nsele Valley Park is the city's largest urban park. The Parc Présidentiel - Mont Ngaliema Park, located along the Congo River, has lakes, pools and fountains. The park also has a mini zoo with a variety of fauna. Jardin Zoologique is a zoo in the heart of Kinshasa. It houses a wide variety of mammal, reptile and bird species, providing an educational and entertaining experience. The Jardin Botanique de Kinshasa is located in the commune of Gombe, and the Parc Reptilarium Serpents du Congo is a serpentarium in Kinshasa.