Where is Matadi, Kongo Central located?

Matadi is located in Kongo Central, DR Congo, at approximate coordinates -5.8257°, 13.4609°.

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Matadi

Kongo Centralcity

Featured view

Matadi

Founded

1879

Air quality index

51Moderate

Elevation355 m

Land area110 km²

Coordinates-5.83°, 13.46°

Demographic figures from INS DRC. Overview below cites Wikipedia and may reference a different year.

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City facts

Founded

1879

Elevation

355 m

Area

110 km²

Facts from Wikidata (CC0).

Overview

Matadi is the chief sea port of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the capital of the Kongo Central province, adjacent to the border with Angola. It had a population of 245,862 (2004). Matadi is situated on the left bank of the Congo River, 148 km (92 mi) from the mouth and 8 km (5.0 mi) below the last navigable point before the rapids that make the river impassable for a long stretch upriver.

History & geography

History

Matadi was near the site of the state of Vungu, which was first mentioned in 1535 and was said to be destroyed in 1624. Matadi itself was founded by Sir Henry Morton Stanley in 1879. It was strategically important because it was the last navigable port going upstream on the Congo River; it became the furthest inland port in the Congo Free State. The construction of the Matadi–Kinshasa Railway (built between 1890 and 1898) made it possible to transport goods from deeper within Congo's interior to the port of Matadi, stimulating the city to become an important trading center. Portuguese and French West-African commercial interests influenced the city's architecture and urban design, which borrowed from the neighboring colonies in Angola and the Congo-Brazzaville.

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Excerpted from the corresponding Wikipedia article (CC BY-SA).