Congo
Image of Kinshasa and Brazzaville, taken by NASA; the Congo River is visible in the center of the photograph
Length	4,380 km
Elevation of the source	m
Average discharge	41,800 m³/s
Area watershed	3,680,000 km²
Origin
Mouth	Atlantic Ocean
Basin countries	Dem. Rep. of the Congo, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo

The Congo is the largest river in Western Central Africa. Its overall length of 4,380 km (2,720 mi) makes it the second longest in Africa (after the Nile). If the Chambeshi River is taken as the source, the overall length increases to 4,670 km (2900 mi). The river and its tributaries flow through the second largest rain forest area in the world, only the Amazon Rainforest being (much) larger. The river also has the second-largest flow in the world, behind the Amazon, and the second-largest watershed of any river, again trailing the Amazon and slightly ahead of the Mississippi. The Congo also gives its name to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo, both countries lying along its banks, and to the ancient Kingdom of Kongo. Between 1971 and 1997 the government of then-Zaire called it the Zaire River. Image of Kinshasa and Brazzaville, taken by NASA File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image of Kinshasa and Brazzaville, taken by NASA File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... In general English usage, length (symbol: l) is but one particular instance of distance – an objects length is how long the object is – but in the physical sciences and engineering, the word length is in some contexts used synonymously with distance. Height is vertical distance; width (or breadth) is... A kilometre (American spelling: kilometer) (symbol: km) is a unit of length equal to 1000 metres (from the Greek words khilia = thousand and metro = count/measure). ... Elevation has several related meanings: Geography The elevation of a geographic location is its height above mean sea level (or possibly some other fixed point). ... metre or meter, see meter (disambiguation) The metre is the basic unit of length in the International System of Units. ... In hydrology, the discharge of a river is the amount of water transported by it in a certain amount of time. ... The cubic metre (symbol m³) is the SI derived unit of volume. ... This article is about the unit of time. ... For the term related to television programmes, see watershed (television). ... Square kilometre (US spelling: Square kilometer), symbol km², is an SI unit of surface area. ... The Atlantic Ocean is Earths second-largest ocean, covering approximately one-fifth of its surface. ... For the term related to television programmes, see watershed (television). ... The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a nation in central Africa and the third largest country on the continent. ... The Central African Republic is a land-locked country in central Africa. ... The Republic of the Congo, also known as Middle Congo, Congo-Brazzaville, and Congo (but not to be confused with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, formerly Zaire, which was also at one time known as the Republic of the Congo), is a former French colony of west-central Africa. ... For the Second World War frigate class, see River class frigate The Murray River in Australia A waterfall on the Ova da Fedoz, Switzerland A river is a large natural waterway. ... A kilometre (American spelling: kilometer) (symbol: km) is a unit of length equal to 1000 metres (from the Greek words khilia = thousand and metro = count/measure). ... A mile is any of several units of distance, or, in physics terminology, of length. ... There is also Nile, a death metal band from South Carolina, USA. The Nile in Egypt Length 6 695 km Elevation of the source 1 134 m Average discharge 2 830 m³/s Area watershed 3 400 000 km² Origin Africa Mouth the Mediterranean Basin countries Uganda - Sudan - Egypt The... The Chambeshi River is a river in Zambia. ... A tributary (or affluent or confluent) is a contributory stream, a river that does not reach the sea, but joins another major river (a parent river), to which it contributes its waters, swelling its discharge. ... A rainforest is a forested biome with high annual rainfall. ... A river in the Amazon rainforest The Amazon is a rainforest in South America. ... Length 6,296 km Elevation of the source 5,597 m Average discharge 219,000 m³/ s Area watershed 6,915,000 km² Origin Nevado Mismi Mouth Atlantic Ocean Basin countries Brazil (62. ... For the term related to television programmes, see watershed (television). ... Length 6,296 km Elevation of the source 5,597 m Average discharge 219,000 m³/ s Area watershed 6,915,000 km² Origin Nevado Mismi Mouth Atlantic Ocean Basin countries Brazil (62. ... Length 6,270 km Elevation of the source 450 m Average discharge 16,200 m³/s Area watershed 2,980,000 km² Origin Lake Itasca Mouth Gulf of Mexico Basin countries United States (98. ... The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a nation in central Africa and the third largest country on the continent. ... The Republic of the Congo, also known as Middle Congo, Congo-Brazzaville, and Congo (but not to be confused with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, formerly Zaire, which was also at one time known as the Republic of the Congo), is a former French colony of west-central Africa. ... The Kongo Empire was an African kingdom located in southwest Africa in what are now northern Angola, Cabinda, Republic of the Congo, and the western portion of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. ... Zaire was the name of the Second Republic of Democratic Republic of the Congo between 1971 and 1997. ...

The sources of the Congo are in the highlands and mountains of the East Africa Rift, as well as Lake Tanganyika and Lake Mweru, which feed the Lualaba River, which then becomes the Congo below Boyoma Falls. The term highland is used in geography for any elevated mountainous plateau. ... Mount Cook, a mountain in New Zealand A mountain is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain in a limited area. ... Northern section of the Great Rift Valley. ... Fishermen on Lake Tanganyika Lake Tanganyika is a large lake in central Africa (3° 20 to 8° 48 South and from 29° 5 to 31° 15 East). ... Lake Mweru is a lake located on the border between Zambia and Democratic Republic of the Congo, about 150 km west of the southern end of Lake Tanganyika. ... The Lualaba is the largest tributary of the Congo River, running from the vicinity of Lubumbashi north to Kisangani, where the Congo officially begins. ... Boyoma Falls, formerly known as Stanley Falls, consists of seven cataracts extending over 100 km on the Lualaba River near Kisangani (formerly Stanleyville) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. ...

The Congo flows generally west from Kisangani just below the falls, then gradually bends southwest, passing by Mbandaka, joining with the Ubangi River, and running into the Pool Malebo (Stanley Pool). Kinshasa (formerly Léopoldville) and Brazzaville are on opposite sides of the river at the Pool, then the river narrows and falls through a number of cataracts in deep canyons (collectively known as the Livingstone Falls), running by Matadi and Boma, and into the sea at the small town of Muanda. Kisangani, formerly Stanleyville, (population 500,000) is a city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Central Africa. ... The Ubangi River (also Oubangi) is a major tributary of the Congo River in central Africa. ... The Pool Malebo (formerly Stanley Pool, also seen as Malebo Pool), is a lake-like widening in the lower reaches of the Congo River. ... The Pool Malebo (formerly Stanley Pool, also seen as Malebo Pool), is a lake-like widening in the lower reaches of the Congo River. ... Kinshasa (formerly Léopoldville) is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. ... Categories: Africa geography stubs | Capitals in Africa | Cities in the Republic of the Congo ... Cataract is also used to mean a waterfall or where the flow of a river changes dramatically. ... Livingstone Falls, named for David Livingstone, is a rapids of the lower Congo River in west equatorial Africa below Malebo Pool. ... Matadi is a port in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the capital of the province Bas-Congo. ...

The mouth of the Congo was visited in 1482 by the Portuguese Diogo Cão, and in 1816 a British expedition went up as far as Isangila. Henry Morton Stanley was the first European to navigate along the river's length and report that the Lualaba was not a source of the Nile as had been suggested. Events Portuguese fortify Fort Elmina on the Gold Coast Tizoc rules the Aztecs Diogo Cão, a Portuguese navigator, becomes the first European to sail up the Congo. ... The pillar bearing the arms of Portugal erected by Cão at Cape St. ... Events March 25 - Friedrich Karl Ludwig, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck dies and is succeeded by the later Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, his son and founder of the Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg. ... Sir Henry Morton Stanley (January 29, 1841-May 10, 1904) was a 19th century Welsh-born journalist and explorer famous for his exploration of Africa and his search for David Livingstone. ... World map showing location of Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is geologically and geographically a peninsula, forming the westernmost part of Eurasia. ...

Nearly the entire Congo is readily navigable, and with railways now bypassing the three major falls, much of the trade of central Africa passes along it, including copper, palm oil (as kernels), sugar, coffee, and cotton. The river is also potentially valuable for hydroelectric power, and the Inga facility below Pool Malebo is the first to exploit the river. In February 2005 South Africa's state-owned power company, Eskom, announced a proposal to drastically increase the capacity of the Inga facility through improvements and the construction of a new hydroelectric dam. The project would bring the maximum output of the facility to 40 GW, double that of China's Three Gorges Dam. [1]  (http://www.guardian.co.uk/congo/story/0,12292,1425023,00.html) This is the top-level page of WikiProject trains Rail tracks Rail transport refers to the land transport of passengers and goods along railways or railroads. ... General Name, Symbol, Number copper, Cu, 29 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11 , 4, d Density, Hardness 8920 kg/m3, 3. ... Palm oil is a form of edible vegetable oil obtained from the fruit of the Oil palm tree. ... This article deals with sugar as food and as an important, widely traded commodity; the word also has other uses; see Sugar (disambiguation) A sugar is a form of carbohydrate; the most commonly used sugar is a white crystalline solid, sucrose; used to alter the flavor and properties (mouthfeel, perservation... Coffee beans and a cup of coffee Coffee as a drink, usually served hot, is prepared from the roasted seeds (beans) of the coffee plant. ... Cotton is a soft fibre that grows around the seeds of the cotton plant, a shrub native to the tropical and subtropical regions of both the Old World and the New World. ... Hydroelectric dam diagram The waters of Llyn Stwlan, the upper reservoir of the Ffestiniog Pumped-Storage Scheme in north Wales, can just be glimpsed on the right. ... Nationalization is the act of taking assets into state ownership. ... Eskom is a South African electricity public utility company. ... Hydroelectric dam diagram The waters of Llyn Stwlan, the upper reservoir of the Ffestiniog Pumped-Storage Scheme in north Wales, can just be glimpsed on the right. ... The Great Wall of China, stretching over 6,700 km, was erected beginning in the 3rd century BC to guard the north from raids by men on horses. ... The Three Gorges Dam (Chinese: 三峡大坝; pinyin: Sānxiá Dàbà) spans the Yangtze at Sandouping, Yichang, Hubei province, China. ...

Tributaries

Sorted in order from the mouth heading upstream.

• Inkisi
  • Zadi
• Nsele (south side of Pool Malebo)
• Bombo
• Kasai (between Fimi and Congo, known as Kwa)
  • Fimi
  • Kwango
  • Sankuru
• Likouala
• Sangha
• Ubangi
  • Giri
  • Mbomou
  • Uele
• Ruki
  • Busira
  • Momboyo
• Lulonga
• Mongala
  • Ebola
• Itimbiri
• Aruwimi
  • Ituri
• Lomami
• Lindi
• Tshopo
• Lualaba
  • Lowa
  • Ulindi
  • Luama
  • Lukuga
  • Lufira
  • Lubudi
  • Luvua

The Kasai River is a river in central Africa. ... The Fimi River is a river in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. ... The Sangha River, a river in central Africa, is a tributary of the Congo River. ... The Ubangi River (also Oubangi) is a major tributary of the Congo River in central Africa. ... The Mbomou River (sometimes transliterated Bomu) is a river that forms part of the boundary between the Central African Republic (CAR) and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). ... The Uele River is a river in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. ... The Ebola River in northern Democratic Republic of the Congo, is the headstream of the Mongala River (a tributary of the Zaire River, formerly named the Congo River, now renamed the Congo). ... The Aruwimi River is a tributary of the Congo River, located to the north and east of the Congo. ... The Aruwimi River is a tributary of the Congo River, located to the north and east of the Congo. ... The Lomami River is a major tributary of the Congo River in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. ... The Lualaba is the largest tributary of the Congo River, running from the vicinity of Lubumbashi north to Kisangani, where the Congo officially begins. ... The Luvua River is a river in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. ...

References

• H. Winternitz, East Along the Equator: A Journey up the Congo and into Zaire (1987)

External links

• Information and a map of the Congo's watershed (http://earthtrends.wri.org/maps_spatial/maps_detail_static.cfm?map_select=289&theme=2)