Central Congo Province

Central Congo (French: Kongo Central), formerly Lower Congo, is one of the twenty-six provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in accordance with the 2005 Constitution. Its capital is Matadi.

It is the only province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo with access to the Atlantic Ocean. This country only has 0.3 of coastline, making it the state with the least coastline in the world.

History

At the time of independence, the area now encompassed by Central Congo was part of the larger 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 Lower Congo (French: Bas-Congo, meaning "lower Congo River") and was renamed Central Congo after independence.

Under the regime of Mobutu Sese Seko from 1965 to 1997, the Congo River was renamed Zaire. The province was then named Lower Zaire (French: Bas-Zaïre). The name was later reverted to Bas Congo. It was later renamed Congo Central in 2015.

Geography

Central Congo is the only province in the country with an ocean coast; It has a narrow façade on the Atlantic Ocean. It is bordered by the provinces of Kinshasa to the northeast, 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.

In this province is the important geographical feature of the Livingstone Falls, a stretch of waterfalls and waterfalls, with a length of 350 km and a drop of 260 m, which prevent navigation of the lower course of the Congo River.

Administrative divisions

The provincial capital is Matadi. The only other official city is Boma. The rest of the province is divided into the districts of Bas-Fleuve, Cataratas and Mai-Ndombe. The most populated towns in 2010 were: