Matadi is a major city of 300,000 in Western DRC, located on the banks of River Congo. It is the country's chief sea port and the capital of the Bas-Congo province.
Founded in 1879 by Sir Henry Morton Stanley, Matadi has a strategic position along the Congo river as it's the last navigable port before the impassable Livingstone Falls. It's the gateway to the world for Democratic Republic of Congo and the country's largest port.
There's no scheduled flights to Matadi, but the small, unpaved, Matadi Tshimpi Airport can handle small charter flights.
Travelling by road is possible as national road N1 between Kinshasa and the Atlantic port of Banana passes through Matadi. The road is generally in acceptable condition with many paved sections, however there are rough parts which requires a 4x4 vehicle. It's recommended to make inquirers before travelling. Matadi is also the site of the only bridge across Congo river proper. Matadi is next to the border with Angola and it's possible to travel by road from Northern Angola. The nearest city across the border is M'banza-Kongo, while the distance is just over 120 km the state of roads make the journey challenging.
A better option might be travelling by rail. Passenger trains are once again running to Matadi from the capital Kinshasa. Trains are semi-modern with first-class seats and a dining car. There are departures 1-2 times a week and with a journey time of just seven hours it is one of the faster train services in central Africa.
There are many possibilities like the usage of boda-boda, taxi, bus, and as well railway transport which cross the city.
Citizens around the city uses mostly their local language Kituba (Kikongo), Lingala, Tshibula, and Swahili language and some have a quite understanding of French and Portuguese.
2nd-order administrative division
Primary administrative division