| Congo River | | Congo River near Maluku | | Mouth | Atlantic Ocean | | Basin countries | Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo | | Length | 4,700 km (2,922 mi) | | Avg. discharge | 41,800 m³/s (1,476,376 ft³/s) | | Basin area | 3,680,000 km² (1,420,848 mi²) | The Congo River (for a time known as Zaire River) is the largest river in Western Central Africa. Its overall length of 4,700 km (2,922 miles) makes it the second longest in Africa (after the Nile). The river and its tributaries flow through the second largest rain forest area in the world,[1] second only to the Amazon Rainforest in South America. 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; its watershed is slightly larger than that of the Mississippi River. Because large sections of the river basin lie above and below the equator, its flow is stable, as there is always at least one river experiencing a rainy season.[2] The Congo gets its name from the ancient Kingdom of Kongo which inhabited the lands at the mouth of the river. The Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo, both countries lying along the river's banks, are named after it. Between 1971 and 1997 the government of then-Zaire called it the Zaire River. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 754 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1248 × 993 pixel, file size: 242 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ...
This page is about the geography and history of the island group in Indonesia — for the political entities encompassing the islands, see Maluku (Indonesian province) and North Maluku. ...
A drainage basin is the area within the drainage basin divide (blue outline), and drains the surface runoff and river discharge (green lines) of a contiguous area. ...
In hydrology, the discharge of a river is the volume of water transported by it in a certain amount of time. ...
For other uses, see River (disambiguation). ...
A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ...
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A mile is a unit of length, usually used to measure distance, in a number of different systems, including Imperial units, United States customary units and Norwegian/Swedish mil. ...
The Nile (Arabic: , transliteration: , Ancient Egyptian iteru, Coptic piaro or phiaro) is a major north-flowing river in Africa, generally regarded as the longest river in the world. ...
This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
A rainforest is a forested biome with high annual rainfall. ...
Map of the Amazon rainforest ecoregions as delineated by the WWF. Yellow line encloses the Amazon rainforest. ...
This article is about the river. ...
A drainage basin is the area within the drainage basin divide (blue outline), and drains the surface runoff and river discharge (green lines) of a contiguous area. ...
For the river in Canada, see Mississippi River (Ontario). ...
World map showing the equator in red In tourist areas, the equator is often marked on the sides of roads The equator marked as it crosses Ilhéu das Rolas, in São Tomé and PrÃncipe. ...
The Kingdom of Congo (now usually rendered as Kingdom of Kongo to maintain distinction from the present-day Congo nations) The Kingdom of Kongo (c. ...
Year 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. ...
For the band, see 1997 (band). ...
The sources of the Congo are in the highlands and mountains of the East African Rift, as well as Lake Tanganyika and Lake Mweru, which feed the Lualaba River, which then becomes the Congo below Boyoma Falls. The Chambeshi River in Zambia is generally taken as the source of the Congo in line with the accepted practice worldwide of using the longest tributary, as with the Nile River. The term highland is used in geography for any elevated mountainous plateau. ...
For other uses, see Mountain (disambiguation). ...
Northern section of the Great Rift Valley. ...
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 headstream 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 Chambeshi River is a river in Zambia. ...
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 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, where 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. ...
Mbandaka, formerly known as Coquilhatville is a city on the Congo River in the Democratic Republic of Congo, lying near the confluence of the Congo and Ruki Rivers. ...
The Ubangi River (also Oubangi) is a major tributary of the Congo River in central Africa. ...
Image of Pool Malebo, as well as the cities of Kinshasa and Brazzaville, taken by NASA 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 or, before 1960, also Leopoldstad) is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. ...
Kinshasa - Wikipedia /**/ @import /w/skins-1. ...
This article is about the city named Brazzaville. ...
This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...
Livingstone Falls, named for David Livingstone, is a rapids of the lower Congo River in west equatorial Africa below Malebo Pool. ...
The suburbs of Matadi Matadi is a port in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the capital of the province Bas-Congo. ...
The port town of Boma (1984 pop. ...
Muanda is a seaside resort lying on the Atlantic Ocean coast of the Democratic Republic of Congo at the mouth of the Congo River. ...
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Headline text
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History of exploration The mouth of the Congo was visited in 1482 by the Portuguese Diogo Cão, and in 1816 by a British expedition under James Kingston Tuckey 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. ...
1816 was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...
The HMS Congo was the first steam-powered warship built for the British Royal Navy, though it must be recorded that she was not very successful as such. ...
James Kingston Tuckey (1776-1816) was a British explorer who, in 1816, attempted to find the source of the River Congo in the HMS Congo. ...
Sir Henry Morton Stanley, also known in the Congo as Bula Matari (Breaker of Rocks or, alternatively, Sledge Hammer) , born John Rowlands (January 28, 1841 – May 10, 1904), was a journalist and explorer famous for his exploration of Africa and his search for David Livingstone. ...
For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ...
Lake Victoria, as seen from space Lake Victoria or Victoria Nyanza is one of the Great Lakes of Africa. ...
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Economic importance Although the Livingstone Falls prevent access from the sea, nearly the entire Congo is readily navigable in sections, especially between Kinshasa and Kisangani. Railways now bypass the three major falls, and much of the trade of central Africa passes along the river, including copper, palm oil (as kernels), sugar, coffee, and cotton. The river is also potentially valuable for hydroelectric power, and the Inga Dams below Pool Malebo are first to exploit the river. A river or canal is Navigatable if the water is deep and wide enough, and not flowing too fast. ...
For other uses, see Copper (disambiguation). ...
Palm oil from Ghana with its natural dark color visible, 2 litres Palm oil block Palm oil is a form of edible vegetable oil obtained from the fruit of the oil palm tree. ...
Magnification of grains of sugar, showing their monoclinic hemihedral crystalline structure. ...
A cup of coffee. ...
Cotton ready for harvest. ...
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. ...
Inga II on a 100 Congolese Francs bill The Inga Dams are hydroelectric dams on the largest waterfalls in the world, Inga falls, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. ...
In February 2005, South Africa's state-owned power company, Eskom, announced a proposal to increase the capacity of the Inga dramatically through improvements and the construction of a new hydroelectric dam. The project would bring the maximum output of the facility to 40 GW, twice that of China's Three Gorges Dam. [3] Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...
A government corporation or government-owned corporation is a legal entity created by a government to exercise some of the powers of the government. ...
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. ...
Relative position of the Three Gorges Dam . ...
Geological history In the Mesozoic before continental drift opened the South Atlantic Ocean, the Congo was the upper part of a river roughly 12,000 km (7,500 miles) long which flowed west across the parts of Gondwanaland which are now Africa and South America: see Longest rivers#Amazon-Congo. The Mesozoic Era is one of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic eon. ...
Plates in the crust of the earth, according to the plate tectonics theory Continental drift refers to the movement of the Earths continents relative to each other. ...
For other uses, see Atlantic (disambiguation) The Atlantic Ocean is Earths second-largest ocean, covering approximately one-fifth of its surface. ...
This article is about the ancient supercontinent of Gondwana. ...
A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ...
South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ...
This is a list of rivers by length. ...
Tributaries
 Course and Watershed of the Congo River with countries marked
 Course and Watershed of the Congo River with topography shading. Sorted in order from the mouth heading upstream. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1150x956, 212 KB) Other versions Image:CongoLualaba_watershed_plain. ...
Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1150x956, 212 KB) Other versions Image:CongoLualaba_watershed_plain. ...
Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1150x956, 767 KB) Other versions Image:CongoLualaba_watershed_plain. ...
Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1150x956, 767 KB) Other versions Image:CongoLualaba_watershed_plain. ...
The Inkisi River is a large south bank tributary of the Congo River. ...
The Kasai River is a river in central Africa. ...
The Fimi River is a river in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. ...
Kwango River entering Kasai River, seen from space (false color). ...
Sankuru River (upper right) entering Kasai River, seen from space. ...
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 Uele River is a river in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. ...
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 Luvua River is a river in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. ...
The Luapula River is a river in central Africa. ...
The Chambeshi River is a river in Zambia. ...
See also 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. ...
River in Madagascar relatively free of sediment load An hydrological transport model is a mathematical model used to simulate river or stream flow and calculate water quality parameters. ...
A portage railway is a short and possibly isolated section of railway used to bypass a section of unnavigable river or between two water bodies which are not directly connected. ...
Congo River, beyond darkness is a 2005 film Thierry Michel examining the Congo River in Africa. ...
References - ^ The Rainforest Foundation (2006-06-21). A fresh step towards the first indigenous rights law in Republic of Congo.
- ^ http://rainforests.mongabay.com/congo/congo_river.html
- ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/congo/story/0,12292,1425023,00.html
The Rainforest Foundation is an UK charity dedicated to campaigning for the preservation of the rainforest and the rights of the indigenous people living there. ...
Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
is the 172nd day of the year (173rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Further reading - Tim Butcher: Blood River - A Journey To Africa's Broken Heart, 2007. ISBN 0-701-17981-3
- H. Winternitz, East Along the Equator: A Journey up the Congo and into Zaire (1987)
Tim Butcher, (born 1967 in Warwickshire, UK) is an English journalist and author. ...
External links - Bibliography on Water Resources and International Law See Congo (or Zaïre) River. Peace Palace Library
- Information and a map of the Congo's watershed
- Map of the Congo River basin at Water Resources eAtlas
Coordinates: 6°04′45″S, 12°27′00″E Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...
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