The Democratic Republic of the Congo is divided into 26 provinces, which constitute the primary level of subnational administration in the country's two-tier governance system. These provinces serve as the principal administrative units responsible for implementing national policies, delivering public services, and managing regional development initiatives. Provincial governments exercise authority over matters including education, healthcare, infrastructure development, and local security within their territories. Each province is headed by a governor and maintains its own assembly, which handles budgetary decisions and provincial legislation in accordance with the national constitution. The provinces vary significantly in population, geographic size, and economic resources, ranging from densely populated urban provinces like Kinshasa to vast, sparsely inhabited regions in the interior. This administrative structure was established following the 2006 constitution, which decentralized power and increased the number of provinces from the previous 11 to the current 26.