Matadi

Matadi is a city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is the capital of the Kongo Central province. The city is located on the Congo River, some 80 km below the rapids known as the Livingstone Falls. It is the country's main port.

The city has a population of some 1.5 million, making it the second largest city in the DRC after the capital, Kinshasa. The city is home to the country's largest market, the Marché Central.

Matadi was founded as a military post by the Belgian colonial authorities in 1879. It soon became a major transport hub, with the construction of a railway line linking it to the Atlantic coast in 1901. The city's importance as a commercial and transport center has continued to grow in the post-independence period.