Kisantu is located in Kongo Central Province, along the eastern bank of the Inkisi River, as it flows northwards to empty into the Congo River. On the western bank of the river, is the settlement called Inkisi. Sometimes the metropolitan area is referred to as Inkisi-Kisantu. This is approximately 231 kilometres (144 mi) northeast of the city of Matadi, the provincial headquarters.[2]
Kisantu is located approximately 104 kilometres (65 mi) southwest of the city of Kinshasa, the national capital.[3]
The geographical coordinates of the town are: 05°07'44.0"S, 15°05'05.0"E (Latitude:-5.128889; Longitude:15.084722).[4] The town is located at an average elevation of 404 metres (1,325 ft) above mean sea level.[5]
One of the tourist attractions to he town is the Kisantu Botanical Gardens (French: Jardin Botanique de Kisantu (KISA)).
They were established in 1900 by Father Justin Gillet, a Jesuit priest. Between 2004 and 2008, the gardens were rehabilitated with "the support of the European Union and the National Botanic Garden of Belgium".[6]
The botanical gardens occupy an area that measures approximately 225 hectares (560 acres), bordered to the west by the Inkisi River. There are over 12.5 kilometres (8 mi) of roads and pedestrian pathways within the gardens. The gardens attract researchers, botanists, naturalists, school children and ordinary tourists from inside and outside the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[6]
Kisantu is served by a station on the national railway system. It also has an airport.[7] A good national road (N1), leads north to Kinshasa and southwest to he port city of Matadi.[8]
The legendary DR Congolese saxophonist, composer, bandleader, producer, record label founder, and music-business executive, Verckys Kiamuangana Mateta (19 May 1944 – 13 October 2022), was born in Kisantu.[9]
