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.
Yellow symbolizes the golden land of South America. Red stands for courage and the blood of the freedom fighters. Blue represents the ocean separating South America from Spain. Effective date: 17 February 1954.