Kinshasa, formerly Léopoldville, is the capital and the largest city of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Kinshasa is a city with a population of more than 7 million in 2004. It is the third largest city in Africa after Lagos and Cairo. It is often considered the second largest francophone city in the world after Paris. Lingala is the most widely spoken language in Kinshasa. French is the second.

The city was founded as a trading post by the English Henry Morton Stanley in 1881 and named   Léopoldville in honour of King Léopold II of Belgium, who controlled the vast territory that is nowthe Democratic Republic of the Congo, as a colony. Kinshasa is officially nicknamed “Kin la Belle” (Kinshasa the Beautiful), but since the collapse of public services and neglect some of its residentsve ironically changed the nickname into “Kin la Poubelle” (Kinshasa the dustbin).