Congo River
by Joe Dorish on 26/02/09 at 5:30 am
The Congo River is the 8th longest river in the World.
The Congo River is located on the continent of Africa and is the 2nd longest river in Africa after the Nile. At 2,922 miles the Congo is also the 8th longest river in the world. Fueled by the 2nd largest rain forest in the world the Congo River has the 2nd largest drainage basin in the world trailing only the Amazon River (which is fueled by the world’s largest rain forest, the Amazon Rainforest).
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The source of the Congo is the Lualaba River which draws its waters from the highlands and mountains of the East African Rift and from Lake Tanganyika and Lake Mweru.
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Once below Boyoma Falls the Lualaba becomes the Congo River. The Chambeshi River in Zambia is also a major source of the Congo.
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The upper portion of the Congo is known for a 75-mile long canyon of rapids often referred to as the “Gates of Hell.” It then flows through the Lualaba rainforest and then the upper Congo abruptly ends with a 60-mile stretch of rapids called Stanley Falls.
The middle Congo is a 1,000 mile stretch of navigable water that sometimes reaches 9 miles wide. The river then flows into a series of rapids and cataracts 220 miles long known as Livingstone Falls.
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The Congo River then flows roughly one hundred more navigable miles to the small town of Muanda where it enters the Atlantic Ocean.
Central African Republic, Cameroon, Angola, Zambia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon are all countries which the Congo River basin drains.
Tremendous amounts of wildlife can be found in the Congo River basin including hippos, manatees, water snakes, crocodiles, tortoises, pigs, elephants, buffalo, antelopes, zebras, gazelles, and giraffes.
Over 200 species of fish live in the Congo. In addition, insects such as mosquitoes and gnats are prevalent in the hot, humid conditions.
Commercially the river is fished and used for the irrigation and transportation of goods like wood, peanuts, cotton, tobacco, and sugarcane crops which all flourish in the hot equator conditions. The Congo mainly remains undeveloped for hydroelectric power because of the political instability of many of the African nations involved with the river.
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