History of Kinshasa Timeline

(1881 - Present)

Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, began as a trading post founded by Henry Morton Stanley in 1881 and named Léopoldville after King Leopold II of Belgium. It served as the administrative center of the Belgian Congo, became the capital of independent Congo in 1960 under Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba, and was renamed Kinshasa in 1966. Located on the Congo River opposite Brazzaville, it has grown into one of the world's largest cities, with a population exceeding 15 million people. More Less

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Pre-Colonial Era

Teke traders settle southern Pool Malebo

1700

During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, fishermen and traders from the north Teke installed markets and villages in the southern Pool Malebo and on the board of the Batéké plateau.

Image source: Teke people

Colonial Era

Stanley establishes trading post, names it Léopoldville

1881

The origins of the modern-day city date to 1881 when Henry Morton Stanley established a trading post on a hill close to the shore of Ngaliema Bay on behalf of the International Association of the Congo. He named it Léopoldville in honour of King Leopold II, his patron and subsequently King-Sovereign of the Congo Free State.

Image source: Kinshasa

Congo Free State established with Leopold II as King-Sovereign

1885

King Leopold II, Stanley's patron and the namesake of Léopoldville, became King-Sovereign of the Congo Free State, established in 1885. At this point Léopoldville was not a major administrative centre, as the colonial capital was established at Vivi (1885–86) and later Boma (1886–1923).

Image source: Congo Free State

Matadi–Léopoldville portage railway completed

1898

The completion of a portage railway running from Matadi to Léopoldville in 1898 provided a faster and more efficient alternative route around the rapids and sparked the rapid development of the settlement.

Image source: Matadi–Kinshasa Railway

European population growth in early colonial period

1908 - 1918

Léopoldville's European population rose rapidly, growing from 245 in 1908 to 2,521 by 1914 and remaining at that level through 1918, reflecting the settlement's increasing commercial importance.

Ancestral HIV-1 Group M likely emerged in Léopoldville

1909 - 1930

A University of Oxford team reported in 2014 a high likelihood that the ancestor of HIV-1, Group M, emerged in Léopoldville between 1909 and 1930, making the city significant to the origins of the AIDS pandemic.

Image source: HIV/AIDS

Major urban expansion begins around 1910

1910

Around 1910, Léopoldville began to undergo major expansion with the creation of a geometric city plan and the construction of new buildings including the Banque du Congo Belge and the Hotel A.B.C.

African population growth in the 1920s

1920 - 1924

The African population of Léopoldville grew steadily during the early 1920s, rising from 20,000 in 1920 to 27,000 in 1924 as the city developed into an important urban centre.

Léopoldville becomes capital of Belgian Congo

1926

In 1926, following the Free State's annexation, Léopoldville superseded Boma as the capital of the Belgian Congo and became the seat of the colonial administration and Governor-General, replacing the far smaller town of Boma in the Congo estuary.

City population reaches 48,088

1929

By 1929 the city population was 48,088 including 2,766 Europeans. After a decline at the beginning of the 1930s, the population began to rise again at the same rate.

Population reaches over 300,000 on eve of independence

1959

By 1959, Léopoldville had a population of more than 300,000 including 25,000 Europeans, making it one of the biggest urban centres in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Independence & Mobutu

Massive immigration to the city

1950 - 1967

Between 1950 and 1967, some 367,550 people immigrated to Kinshasa as the city drew people from across the country who came in search of their fortunes or to escape ethnic strife elsewhere.

Urbanized land area expands rapidly

1950 - 1975

Léopoldville-Kinshasa's urbanized land area grew dramatically from 2,331 hectares in 1950 to 5,512 hectares in 1957, 12,863 hectares in 1968, and 17,922 hectares by 1975.

Rapid population growth during the Congo Crisis era

1960 - 1973

The city grew rapidly after independence — 11.6% annually from 1960 to 1967, then 6.43% annually from 1967 to 1973 — continuing to expand throughout the Congo Crisis and under the regime of Joseph-Désiré Mobutu.

Image source: Congo Crisis

Congo independence: Léopoldville becomes national capital

Jun 30, 1960

On independence in 1960, Léopoldville became the capital city of the newly formed Republic of the Congo. Dutch was dropped as an official language and so was the alternative name Leopoldstad.

Image source: First Congolese Republic

Mobutu seizes power in second coup

Nov 24, 1965

In 1965, Mobutu Sese Seko seized power in the Congo in his second coup and initiated a policy of "Africanizing" the names of people and places in the country as part of his retour à l'authenticité programme.

Image source: Mobutu Sese Seko

City renamed Kinshasa under retour à l'authenticité

1966

As an early example of Mobutu's programme of retour à l'authenticité for the removal of foreign and colonial influences, the city was renamed Kinshasa in 1966 for a village named Kinchassa that once stood near the site, after a pre-existing African residential area.

Image source: Authenticité (Zaire)

'Rumble in the Jungle' boxing match hosted

Oct 30, 1974

In 1974, Kinshasa hosted the famous 'Rumble in the Jungle' boxing match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, in which Ali defeated Foreman to regain the World Heavyweight title.

Image source: The Rumble in the Jungle

Modern Kinshasa

Infrastructure deterioration begins after 1980

1980

Corruption and lack of investment led to rapid deterioration of the city's urban infrastructure after 1980, even as Kinshasa continued to expand rapidly in size.

Kabila's forces capture Kinshasa, ending Mobutu rule

May 20, 1997

On May 20, 1997, after the First Congo War, Laurent-Désiré Kabila triumphantly marched with his rebel forces into Kinshasa to take control of the country's capital after Mobutu fled into exile in Morocco.

Image source: First Congo War

Fighting between Bemba and Kabila loyalists

2006

Following the 2006 general elections, Kinshasa was the scene of fighting between loyalists of Jean-Pierre Bemba and Joseph Kabila; 600 people, including untold numbers of civilian bystanders, were killed or wounded.

Image source: Second Congo War

Protests over delayed elections leave dozens dead

Sep 2016 - Dec 2016

The announcement in 2016 that a new election would be delayed two years led to large protests in September and in December which involved barricades in the streets and left dozens of people dead.

Image source: Demographics of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Population nears 13 million, 21st largest city globally

2017

As of 2017, Kinshasa had a population of almost 13 million, making it the 21st largest city in the world and one of Africa's largest metropolitan areas.

Key Facts

The city was founded in 1881 by explorer Henry Morton Stanley as a trading post and was named Léopoldville in honor of Belgian King Leopold II.
During the construction of the Matadi-Kinshasa railway (1890-1898), the city grew rapidly as workers settled there, transforming it into a major commercial hub.
Léopoldville became the capital of independent Congo on June 30, 1960, when the country gained independence from Belgium under Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba.
In 1966, President Mobutu Sese Seko renamed the city Kinshasa, part of his Authenticity campaign replacing colonial names with African ones.
Today, Kinshasa is the largest francophone city in the world, surpassing Paris in population, with over 15 million residents.

Source

This History of Kinshasa timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

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