Zaire

1971 establishments in Zaire1997 disestablishments in AfricaFormer countries in AfricaMilitary dictatorshipsOne-party states ... and 6 more

Source attributionStates and territories disestablished in 1997States and territories established in 1971Totalitarian statesUse British English from October 2017Zaire

Zaire (, also UK: ), officially the Republic of Zaire (French: République du Zaïre, [ʁepyblik dy zaiʁ]), was a Congolese state from 1965 to 1997 in Central Africa that was previously and is now again known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Zaire was, by area, the third-largest country in Africa (after Sudan and Algeria), and the 11th-largest country (12th largest from 1991-1997) in the world. With a population of over 23 million inhabitants, Zaire was the most populous officially Francophone country in Africa, as well as one of the most populous in Africa. The country was a one-party totalitarian military dictatorship, run by Mobutu Sese Seko and his ruling Popular Movement of the Revolution party. Zaire was established following Mobutu's seizure of power in a military coup in 1965, following five years of political upheaval following independence from Belgium known as the Congo Crisis. Zaire had a strongly centralist constitution, and foreign assets were nationalized. The period is sometimes referred to as the Second Congolese Republic. A wider campaign of Authenticité, ridding the country of the influences from the colonial era of the Belgian Congo, was also launched under Mobutu's direction. Weakened by the termination of American support after the end of the Cold War, Mobutu was forced to declare a new republic in 1990 to cope with demands for change. By the time of its downfall, Zaire was characterised by widespread cronyism, corruption and economic mismanagement. Zaire collapsed in the 1990s, amid the destabilization of the eastern parts of the country in the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide and growing ethnic violence. In 1996, Laurent-Désiré Kabila, the head of the Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo (AFDL) militia, led a popular rebellion against Mobutu. With rebel forces successfully making gains westward, Mobutu fled the country, leaving Kabila's forces in charge as the country restored its name to the Democratic Republic of the Congo the following year. Mobutu would go on to die less than four months later while in exile in Morocco.

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Zaire
Boulevard Lumumba, Tshuenge

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Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude	Longitude
N -4.4 °	E 15.4 °

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Address

Boulevard Lumumba

Boulevard Lumumba
Tshuenge
Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
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Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville)

The Republic of the Congo (French: République du Congo) was a sovereign state in Central Africa, created with the independence of the Belgian Congo in 1960. From 1960 to 1966, the country was also known as Congo-Léopoldville (after its capital) to distinguish it from its northwestern neighbor, which is also called the Republic of the Congo, alternatively known as "Congo-Brazzaville". In 1964, the state's official name was changed to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but the two countries continued to be distinguished by their capitals; with the renaming of Léopoldville as Kinshasa in 1966, it became also known as Congo-Kinshasa. After Joseph Désiré Mobutu, commander-in-chief of the national army, seized control of the government, the Democratic Republic of the Congo became the Republic of Zaire in 1971. It would again become the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1997. The period between 1960 and 1964 is referred to as the First Congolese Republic.

2007 Africa One Antonov An-26 crash

The 2007 Africa One Antonov An-26 crash occurred when a twin engine Antonov An-26, belonging to the Congolese air carrier Africa One, crashed and burned shortly after takeoff from N'djili Airport in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo on 4 October 2007. The flight left N'djili at 10:43 local time bound for Tshikapa, a distance of 650 kilometres (400 mi; 350 nmi) to the east.

Ndjili, Kinshasa

Ndjili or N'Djili is a municipality (commune) in the Tshangu district of Kinshasa, the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is named after the Ndjili River, which forms its western boundary.

Tshangu District

Tshangu is an area of the capital city of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, comprising five of the city-province's twenty-four administrative divisions—the communes of Kimbanseke, Maluku, Masina, Ndjili and Nsele. It is one of the four so-called districts of Kinshasa. These were the administrative divisions of Kinshasa during much of the Mobutu years (1965-1997) and around which a number of government systems and services are still organized. For instance, Tshangu makes up an eighteen-member National Assembly constituency designated as Kinshasa IV. However, these districts are not part of Congo's territorial organization.

Masina, Kinshasa

Masina is a municipality (commune) in the Tshangu district of Kinshasa, the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.It is bordered by the Pool Malebo in the north and Boulevard Lumbumba to the south. Masina shelters within it the Marché de la Liberté "M’Zee Laurent-Désiré Kabila”, one of the largest markets of Kinshasa, which was built under the presidency of Laurent-Désiré Kabila to repay the inhabitants of the district of Tshangu who had resisted the rebels in August 1998.The area is known by the nickname "Chine Populaire" ("People's China").

Kimbanseke

Kimbanseke is a municipality (commune) in the Tshangu district of Kinshasa, the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.It is situated in the southeast of Kinshasa. Settlement in this hilled area is relatively new.

Matete

Matete is one of the 24 communes that are the administrative divisions of Kinshasa, the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Matete Market

The Matete Market (French: Marché de Matete), also known as Matete Municipal Market (Marché Municipal de Matete), is a marketplace located in Matete, Kinshasa. Situated in the southern part of the city on a marshy alluvial plain, it is the third-largest market in Kinshasa and a vital economic center for the surrounding area. The market features a diverse range of sales facilities, categorized into four types based on their level of equipment and the income levels of the businesses operating within them. These include enclosed shops and store, semi-open pavilions supported by structural posts, vendor tables, and rudimentary open-air setups at ground level.

Kisenso

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Limete Tower

The Limete Tower (also known as French: Tour de l'Échangeur; "Interchange Tower" or French: Tour des Héros nationaux du Congo; "Tower of the National Heroes of Congo") is a tower located in the commune of Limete in Kinshasa, the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Université Libre de Kinshasa

The Université Libre de Kinshasa (French; lit. 'Free University of Kinshasa', known as ULK) is a private university in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. It was established on 15 October 1988. It was the first private secular university in the DRC.

Ndjili River

The Ndjili River is a river that flows from the south through the capital city of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where it joins the Congo River. It separates the districts of Tshangu and Mont Amba. The river gives its name to the Ndjili commune and to the Ndjili International Airport.