Provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Provinces de la République démocratique du Congo  (French)
Also known as: Mikoa ya Jamhuri ya Kidemokrasia ya Kongo  (Swahili) Bitúká bya Kongó-Kinsásá  (Lingala)
Category	Unitary State
Location	Democratic Republic of the Congo
Number	26 provinces (1 is a city-province)
Populations	1,138,000 (Bas-Uele) – 11,575,000 (Kinshasa)
Areas	9,481 km2 (3,661 sq mi) (Kasaï-Oriental) – 199,567 km2 (77,053 sq mi) (Tshopo)
Government	Provincial government
Subdivisions	Territory

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There are currently twenty-five provinces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.^[1] The capital, Kinshasa city, is administratively equivalent to a province.^[2][3]

List[]

Map	Province	Capital	Area in km2 (sq mi)	Population*	Previous province	Time zone	Map
1	Kinshasa	Kinshasa	9,965 (3,848)	11,575,000	Kinshasa[4]	UTC+1
2	Kongo Central	Matadi	53,929 (20,822)	5,575,000	Bas-Congo[4]	UTC+1
3	Kwango	Kenge	89,974 (34,739)	1,994,036	Bandundu	UTC+1
4	Kwilu	Bandundu	78,219 (30,201)	5,174,718	Bandundu	UTC+1
5	Mai-Ndombe	Inongo	127,465 (49,215)	1,768,327	Bandundu	UTC+1
6	Kasaï	Tshikapa	95,631 (36,923)	3,199,891	Kasaï-Occidental	UTC+2
7	Kasaï-Central	Kananga	59,111 (22,823)	2,976,806	Kasaï-Occidental	UTC+2
8	Kasaï-Oriental	Mbuji-Mayi	9,481 (3,661)	2,702,430	Kasaï-Oriental	UTC+2
9	Lomami	Kabinda	56,010 (21,630)	2,048,839	Kasaï-Oriental	UTC+2
10	Sankuru	Lusambo	105,000 (41,000)	1,374,239	Kasaï-Oriental	UTC+2
11	Maniema	Kindu	132,520 (51,170)	2,333,000	Maniema[4]	UTC+2
12	South Kivu	Bukavu	65,070 (25,120)	5,772,000	South Kivu[4]	UTC+2
13	North Kivu	Goma	59,483 (22,967)	6,655,000	North Kivu[4]	UTC+2
14	Ituri	Bunia	65,658 (25,351)	4,241,236	Orientale	UTC+2
15	Haut-Uele	Isiro	89,683 (34,627)	1,920,867	Orientale	UTC+2
16	Tshopo	Kisangani	199,567 (77,053)	2,614,630	Orientale	UTC+2
17	Bas-Uele	Buta	148,331 (57,271)	1,093,845	Orientale	UTC+2
18	Nord-Ubangi	Gbadolite	56,644 (21,870)	1,482,076	Équateur	UTC+1
19	Mongala	Lisala	58,141 (22,448)	1,793,564	Équateur	UTC+1
20	Sud-Ubangi	Gemena	51,648 (19,941)	2,744,345	Équateur	UTC+1
21	Équateur	Mbandaka	103,902 (40,117)	1,626,606	Équateur	UTC+1
22	Tshuapa	Boende	132,940 (51,330)	1,316,855	Équateur	UTC+1
23	Tanganyika	Kalemie	134,940 (52,100)	2,482,001	Katanga	UTC+2
24	Haut-Lomami	Kamina	108,204 (41,778)	2,540,127	Katanga	UTC+2
25	Lualaba	Kolwezi	121,308 (46,837)	1,677,288	Katanga	UTC+2
26	Haut-Katanga	Lubumbashi	132,425 (51,130)	3,960,945	Katanga	UTC+2

* Population estimates are based on the number of registered voters in 2005, assuming that they represent 33% of the total population in each province.

History[]

When Belgium annexed the Belgian Congo as a colony in November 1908, it was initially organised into 22 districts. Ten western districts were administered directly by the main colonial government, while the eastern part of the colony was administered under two vice-governments: eight northeastern districts formed Orientale Province, and four southeastern districts formed Katanga. In 1919, the colony was organised into four provinces:

• Congo-Kasaï (five southwestern districts),
• Équateur (five northwestern districts),
• Orientale Province and Katanga (previous vice-governments).^[2]

In 1932, the colony was reorganised into six provinces. Initially they were named after their capital cities, but in 1947 regional names were adopted.^[2]

The Belgian Congo became an independent country in 1960, named Republic of the Congo. By 1963, the country was organised into 21 provinces (informally called provincettes) plus the capital city of Léopoldville, similar to the original 22 districts under colonial rule. In 1966, the 21 provincettes were grouped into eight provinces, and the capital city was renamed Kinshasa.^[2]

In 1971, the country was renamed Zaire, and three provinces were also renamed. In 1975, the capital city of Kinshasa obtained the status of a province. In 1988, the province of Kivu was split into three. In 1997, the country was renamed Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the three provinces that had been renamed in 1971 either retook their previous name or took another.^[2]

Article 2 of the Constitution of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, adopted in 2006, specifies a territorial organisation into 26 provinces,^[5] again resembling the previous provincettes and original colonial districts. The reorganisation was scheduled to take effect within three years of the new constitution's promulgation, however progress was slow.^[6] In October 2007 the Minister for Decentralisation, Denis Kalume Numbi, presented a bill for decentralisation in the National Assembly. The subsequent debate turned up a variety of issues that first had to be addressed with changes to related laws.^[7] In an October 2010 conclave of the ruling AMP coalition, it was proposed to revise Article 226, which calls for the creation of 26 provinces out of the current 11, in order to allow more time for the transition.^[8] On 9 January 2015 the National Assembly passed a law on the new administrative divisions of the country, according to which new provinces should be installed in period of 12 months.^[9][10]

Maps[]

• 

  Districts of the Belgian Congo in 1914

• 

  Provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 1997–2015

• 

  Provinces since 2015 (officially formed in 2006)

Approximate correspondence between historical and current provinces[]

See also[]

• History of the administrative divisions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (in French)
• List of provincial governors of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Lists of provincial governors of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
• List of provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo by Human Development Index
• Districts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Districts of the Belgian Congo
• Territories of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
• ISO 3166-2:CD

References[]

Bibliography[]

• Gwillim Law (1999). "Democratic Republic of the Congo". Administrative Subdivisions of Countries: A Comprehensive World Reference, 1900 through 1998. US: McFarland & Company. pp. 92–94. ISBN 0786407298.
•  [fr] (2009). "Les nouvelles provinces de la République Démocratique du Congo: construction territoriale et ethnicités".  [fr] (in French). 7 (7). doi:10.4000/espacepolitique.1296 – via Revues.org.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)