Kinshasa

American  

[kin-shah-suh, kin-shah-suh] / kɪnˈʃɑ sə, ˈkɪn ʃɑ sə /

noun

1. a port in and capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in the northwestern part, on the Congo (Zaire) River.

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Kinshasa British  

/ -ˈʃɑːsə, kɪnˈʃɑːzə /

noun

1. Former name (until 1966): Léopoldville.  the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaïre), on the River Congo opposite Brazzaville: became capital of the Belgian Congo in 1929 and of Zaïre in 1960; university (1954). Pop: 5 717 000 (2005 est)

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Example Sentences

The Ministry of Communication said a temporary reception system had been set up, while facilities to accommodate arrivals had been selected in the capital, Kinshasa.

From BBC • Apr. 6, 2026

Long queues of cars and motorcycles have built up at petrol stations in DR Congo's sprawling capital Kinshasa over fears of shortages and price hikes after Iran's blockade of a crucial shipping conduit.

From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026

Noella Amisi, a nurse in Goma, rushed out for baby formula, sugar and other groceries as soon as she received a $30 mobile-money transfer from her husband in government-held Kinshasa, Congo’s capital city.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 16, 2026

Kinshasa on Sunday urged "the international community to fully grasp the scale of this tragedy" which it blamed on "armed occupation and an organised system of looting" by the Rwanda-backed militia.

From Barron's • Feb. 1, 2026

It was taken on October 13, 1976, by Frederick A. Murphy, then of the Centers for Disease Control—on the same day that Nurse Mayinga wandered around Kinshasa.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston