Tshangu is one of the most populated and deprived districts of the Congolese capital, which is often confronted with public health precariousness. The district is made up of five municipalities, including:
- Masina, which takes its name from the customary Chief Mansi;
- Kimbanseke, Mbesio which can be divided into two words, Mbe (“expanse” or “land”) and Nsio (“flat”);
- Makulu, whose name derives from a kind of mangrove tree growing along the Mongala River in the Equator;
- N’djili;
- Nsele.