| Masina | |
| Official Name: | Commune de Masina |
| Nickname: | Chine Populaire |
| Type: | Commune |
| Image Map1: | Democratic Republic of the Congo (26 provinces) - Kinshasa.svg |
| Map Caption1: | Kinshasa city-province on map of DR Congo |
| Mapsize1: | 270 |
| Coordinates: | -4.3631°N 15.395°W |
| Coordinates Footnotes: | [1] |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | City-Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | Kinshasa |
| Area Total Km2: | 69.7 |
| Population As Of: | 2004 est. |
| Population Total: | 485167 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
Masina is a municipality (commune) in the Tshangu District of Kinshasa, the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[2]
It is bordered by the Pool Malebo in the north and Boulevard Lumbumba to the south.
Masina shelters within it the Marché de la Liberté "M’Zee Laurent-Désiré Kabila”, one of the largest markets of Kinshasa, which was built under the presidency of Laurent-Désiré Kabila to repay the inhabitants of the district of Tshangu who had resisted the rebels in August 1998.[3]
The area is known by the nickname "Chine Populaire" ("People's China").
Masina, together with the communes of Ndjili and Kimbanseke, belong to the district of Tshangu 20 km east of central Kinshasa.[4]
Most of the municipality is occupied by a wetland bordering the Pool Malebo, which explains the low population density relative of the municipality. The urban area, stretching along Boulevard Lumumba, however, reaches population densities comparable to those of other municipalities in the heart of Kinshasa (about 50,000 inhabitants per km).
