To begin with, several streams of approximately equal size unite to form the Upon leaving the Chenal, the Congo divides into two branches, forming
Stanley Falls gives way to the Middle Congo, a thousand-mile stretch of navigable river, nine miles wide in some areas. Wildlife is abundant along the river, which itself harbors more than two hundred species of fish. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.The Congo basin is the most clearly distinguished of the various geographic depressions situated between the The central part of the Congo basin—often called the From its sources to its mouth, the Congo River system has three contrasting sections—the upper Congo, middle Congo, and lower Congo. The Congo River (also known as Zaire River) is the largest river in Africa. Its flow is relatively stable because part of its watershed is always in the zone of rain.
From November 1874 to August 1877, he'd trekked across 6,500 miles (10,460 km) of the Congo.
By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica.Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Its overall length of 2,900 miles (4,667 kilometers) makes it the second-longest in Africa (after the Nile).It is the fifth-longest river in the world, draining a basin of nearly 1.5 million square miles.
The river and its tributaries flow through the second-largest The Congo River is named after the ancient Kingdom of Kongo, which inhabited the lands at the mouth of the river at the time of European discovery. When the length of the Chambeshi is included, the Congo River has a length of 2,920 miles, which makes it the 9th longest river in the world. Stanley was an experienced candidate. In 1999, the World Commission on Water for the Twenty-First Century found that the Congo was one of the world's cleanest rivers, in part due to the lack of industrial development along its shores until that time.However, the situation is changing. The upper reaches are characterized by three features—confluences, lakes, and waterfalls or rapids.
A pipeline was proposed to connect a natural gas production source with the refining infrastructure on opposite sides of the Congo River seabed canyon.
The Congo River discharges at an average rate of 1.4 million cubic feet per second, giving it yet another distinction: the second largest river in the world by measure of discharge volume . This also makes the river the 9th longest in the world. With the total length of 4,700 kilometers, it ranks as the second longest river in Africa and the 9th longest river in the world. Hundreds of Africans on the … Congo River - Congo River - Physical features: The expression “Congo basin,” strictly speaking, refers to the hydrographic basin. INTERSECTION MEETS IN THE MIDDLE AT RECORD LENGTH. It stretches for approximately 2,922 miles (4703 kilometers). (Even today, he's the only known Westerner to have travelled to the entire length of the Congo River.) Along this quiet stretch of river is the The river then flows into Livingstone Falls, a series of rapids and cataracts 220 miles long. I once spent ten days on a river boat going up from Kinshasa to Lisala. Congo River facts on depth, length, and conditions all contribute to the way the river is used. It’s these gas-powered beasts, though, that are polluting the Congo River fast and furiously. This is not only vast but is also covered with a dense and ramified network of tributaries, subtributaries, and small rivers—with the exception of the sandy plateaus in the southwest. Large stretches of it are navigable.
Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Though trade in goods was the initial impetus for the Europeans, they quickly discovered that the The sources of the Congo River are in the highlands and mountains of the The Congo River begins peacefully in the savannas just south of Because the watershed of the Congo drains from both the Northern and Southern Hemisphere, it does not have the great seasonal fluctuations in water level as other great rivers.
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, second only to the Amazon Rainforest in South America.. About 150 miles from Lake Mweru is Lake Tanganyika and the border of Tanzania. Barges can be seen carrying both goods like wood and fuel, and people. The river forms the vast majority of the border between Zaire and also the Republic of Congo and drains greater than 1, 600, 000 square miles of land.
The Francisco José de Lacerda, a Portuguese explorer, reached the Several other European explorers traveled up the Congo's tributaries in the 1880s, mapping out ten thousand miles of navigable waterways that were linked together.