Zaire Province a vassal state of the Kingdom of Portugal. In 1914, the Kongo monarchy was abolished after Portuguese suppression of several revolts. From 1885, Portuguese Angola included the district of Congo, which was split in 1919 into the districts of Cabinda and Zaire, respectively north and south of the Congo/Zaire River. During the 1961–1974 Angolan War of Independence, a large fraction of the Bakongo fled to the Republic of Zaire. Many of these refugees and their offspring returned after the Alvor Agreement recognised Angolan independence. Historical and cultural monuments include: M'Banza Congo (formerly São Salvador do Congo) is the provincial capital.
Zaire Province national language spoken in the province is Kikongo and the predominant ethnic group in the region is Bakongo. According to preliminary data from the General Census of Population and Housing conducted in May 2014, Zaire Province has currently 567,225 inhabitants, corresponding to 2.3 percent of the Angolan population. In this province, reside 285,333 women and 281,892 men, with 26.1% of the population living in rural areas and the majority, 73.9%, living in urban areas. The data also point to a population density of . Zaire Provincial Government consists of Governor José Joana André, and 3 Deputy Governors. Ângela Maria Botelho