Kisangani

Goma is the capital and largest city of the North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is located in the east of the country on the northern shore of Lake Kivu and shares borders with the Bukumu Chiefdom to the north, Rwanda to the east and the Masisi Territory to the west. The city lies in the Albertine Rift, the western branch of the East African Rift, and is only 13–18 km (8.1–11.2 mi) south of the active volcano Mount Nyiragongo. With an approximate area of 75.72 km2 (29.24 sq mi), the city had a population of 782,000 people in 2024, with an additional 500,000 displaced people. Goma is administratively divided into two communes: Goma and Karisimbi, which are further subdivided into 18 quarters (quartiers).

Kananga, formerly known as Luluabourg or Luluaburg, is the capital city of the Kasai-Central Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and was the capital of the former Kasaï-Occidental Province. It is the fourth most populous urban area in the country, with an estimated population of 1,524,000 in 2021. The city lies near the Lulua River, a tributary of the Kasai River and the Ilebo-Lubumbashi railway. An important commercial and administrative centre, it is home to a museum and to Kananga Airport.

Kinshasa (; French: [kinʃasa]; Lingala: Kinsásá), formerly named Léopoldville (Dutch: Leopoldstad) from 1881 to 1966, is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kinshasa is one of the world's fastest-growing megacities, with an estimated population of 18.5 million in 2026. It is the most densely populated city in the DRC, the third-most populous city and third-largest metropolitan area in Africa, the world's seventh-most populous city proper (the most populous outside of China), and the fourth-most populous capital city in the world. It is the leading economic, political, and cultural center of the DRC, housing several industries including manufacturing, telecommunications, banking, and entertainment. The city also hosts some of the DRC's significant institutional buildings, such as the People's Palace, Palace of the Nation, Constitutional Court, Court of Cassation, Council of State, African Union City, Marble Palace, Government House, Kinshasa Financial Center, and other national departments and agencies.

Lubumbashi (UK: LOO-buum-BASH-ee, US: LOO-boom-BAH-shee), formerly Élisabethville (French: [elizabɛtvil]; Dutch: Elisabethstad [eːˈlisaːbɛtstɑt] ), is the second-largest city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, located in the southeasternmost part of the country, near the border with Zambia. The capital and principal city of the Haut-Katanga Province, Lubumbashi is the center of mining in the region, acting as a hub for many of the country's largest mining companies. No definite population figures are available, but the population of the city's urban area is estimated to be around 2,584,000 in 2021.

Mbuji-Mayi (known until end-1962 as Bakwanga) is a city and the capital of Kasai-Oriental Province in the south-central Democratic Republic of Congo. It is thought to be the second largest city in the country, after the capital Kinshasa and ahead of Lubumbashi, Kisangani and Kananga, though its exact population is not known. Estimates range from a 2010 CIA World Factbook estimated population of 1,480,000 to as many as 3,500,000 estimated by the United Nations in 2008. Mbuji-Mayi lies in Luba country on the Mbuji-Mayi River. The name Mbuji-Mayi comes from the local language, Tshiluba, and translates as "Goat-Water," a name deriving from the great number of goats in the region.

Tshikapa is the capital city of Kasaï Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The city is located 60 km (37 mi) north of the Angolan border and 189 km (117 mi) west of Kananga at the confluence of the Tshikapa and Kasai rivers. According to records published by the Utrecht University library, the population of the city grew from 38,900 in 1970 to 180,900 in 1994. However, the Congo wars and the Kamwina Nsapu rebellion triggered waves of internal displacement, with many residents fleeing violence or relocating temporarily. The World Population Review estimates the 2025 population of Tshikapa and its urban agglomeration at 1,185,920.