Provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
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.
List of Governors of Kinshasa
The city of Kinshasa has had a different status under each of the different regimes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kinshasa was alternatively a commune, a city, a region, and a city-province hybrid. Consequently, the political leaders of the city have born different titles between 1960 and this day.