Chief river port of the Democratic Republic of Congo on the south bank of the Congo River, 115 km/70 mi from its mouth, linked by rail with the capital Kinshasa; population (2004 est) 245,900. Matadi is the distribution point for all the country's oil products (except fuel oil), which are pumped via a 350 km/217 mi pipeline to Kinshasa.
Blue represents the black population and links with Africa. Red stands for those of mixed race. The original blue and red flag was based on the French tricolour. Effective date: 25 February 1986.