Kinshasa

Capital of DR Congo: population, location, elevation, climate and landmarks.

Vue Kinshasa

Vue Kinshasa: Garcia-Pavilion, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

Overview

Kinshasa is the capital of DR Congo. About 16.0 million people live in the city proper, making it the 1st largest city of DR Congo in our atlas.

It lies at 4.33° S, 15.31° E, about 281 m (922 ft) above sea level, and keeps time on the Africa/Kinshasa time zone. It sits inside the tropics.

Location

Red dot: Kinshasa. Green dots: other major cities of DR Congo. Map data: Natural Earth.

Climate

Kinshasa has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen Aw). The warmest month is usually Sep, with average highs near 30°C (86°F); the coolest nights come in Jul at about 18°C (65°F). Around 1,909 mm (75 in) of rain and snow falls in a typical year, most of it in Nov.

28°21°Jan18429°22°Feb18629°22°Mar22929°22°Apr23629°21°May15528°19°Jun1629°18°Jul430°20°Aug2130°21°Sep7829°22°Oct20728°21°Nov31728°21°Dec276mm

Bars: average daily high and low (°C) for each month; blue columns and figures: average precipitation (mm). Gridded 2001-2025 averages from NASA POWER, so mountain and coastal spots can differ from local station records.

Landmarks and places to see

Livingstone Falls
Livingstone FallsWhitewater rapids on the Congo River in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo
Nabemba Tower
Nabemba TowerArchitectural structure
Palace of the Nation
Palace of the NationBuilding in Democratic Republic of the Congo
Stade Tata Raphaël
Stade Tata RaphaëlMulti-purpose stadium in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Stade 24 Novembre
Stade 24 NovembreOldest stadium of Kinshasa
Kinshasa botanical garden
Kinshasa botanical gardenBotanical park located in kinshasa
Tour de l'Échangeur de Limete
Tour de l'Échangeur de LimeteConcrete tower in Kinshasa, DR Congo
Brazzaville Zoo
Brazzaville ZooZoo located in Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo

Popular sights within a few kilometres of the city centre, ranked by how widely they are documented on Wikipedia.

What to eat in DR CongoNational dishes, street food, desserts and drinks on Intercontinental Chef.

Nearby major cities

← DR CongoAll cities

Sources

Text written by Geographical Effect from these sources.

Photo credits
  • Vue Kinshasa: Garcia-Pavilion, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Chutes Livingstone: User:Vberger, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
  • FLEUVE 01: Leon Bilili, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Palais de la nation: Self, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Stade Tata Raphaël lors d'un de l'AS V.CLUB: Yallahbye, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Stade Reine Astrid: United States Army, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
  • BOT 039: Leon Bilili, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • 7EC9FE8E-F3CA-428B-8C99-31B2411Kin: Ilumbu, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Parc Zoologie de Brazzaville 49: Africany, CC0 (Wikimedia Commons)