Location and length of the Congo River. Interesting facts about the Congo River

The majority of Congo rivers are not very long and the local “queen”, of course, is the Congo River. Other rivers of the republic are much shorter and are most often its tributaries.

Congo

Congo – main river all Central Africa. The mouth of the water artery was opened in 1482. The person who first entered the waters of the Congo was the Portuguese Dien Kar. His main activity was trade, and the river was just an assistant in establishing commercial relations with the Kingdom of Kongo. By the way, the basis of the entire economy at that time was the slave trade. The upper course of the river was studied only in 1871.

There is still some disagreement about the source of the river: some geographers believe that the Lualaba River gave birth to the Congo; others are sure that the source is the Chambesi River.

The Congo is the only river in the world that crosses the equator twice. And that is why the level of local waters is kept at the same level throughout the year. Congo Basin - place of growth equatorial forests. Due to high humidity, local flora such as ebony and mahogany, as well as oak trees, can reach a height of 60 meters.

Attractions:

• Livingston Falls, located near the city of Kinshasa;
• Stanley Falls;
• national parks;
• city ​​of Kinshasa.

Aruvimi

The Aruvimi is one of the major tributaries of the Congo, with a total length of 1,300 kilometers. The river originates in the Blue Mountains, west of Lake Albert.

The river is suitable for travel only in its lower reaches, since there are many waterfalls and rapids upstream. G. Stanley became a researcher of the Aruvimi channel.

Ubangi

The Ubangi is the largest tributary of the Congo. The river is navigable throughout the year, starting from the city of Bangui, and right up to its confluence with the Congo. The rights of the pioneer explorer of its basin belong to the German botanist Georg August Schweinfurt.

In the waters of Ubangi you can find elephant fish. The length of the fish is relatively small (up to 35 cm), but it received this name because of its long lower lip, somewhat reminiscent of an elephant’s trunk. To navigate in muddy river water, fish use electrical organs located at the end of their tail.

The river basin is a place known to all diamond miners. And since the Congolese government is unable to control illegal mining, huge number stones are exported from here illegally.

Attractions:

• waterfalls (Gozbangi, Ngolo, Elefan, Buali) and Azande rapids;
• city ​​of Bangui;
• Zemongo Nature Reserve.

L Estuary (T)(B) Atlantic Ocean Height 0 m Coordinates 6°04′45″ S w. 12°27′00″ E. d. HGIOL Location Water system Atlantic Ocean Countries

• Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Republic of the Congo Republic of the Congo
• Central African Republic
• Zambia Zambia
• Angola Angola

source

mouth

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Congo (Zaire, Lualaba) - a river in Central Africa, mainly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (partially flows along its borders with the Republic of Congo and Angola), the deepest and second longest river in Africa, the second most water-rich river in the world after the Amazon. The upper reaches (above the city of Kisangani) are called Lualaba. The only major river that crosses the equator twice. The basin area is from 3457 to 3820 thousand km². Length - 4374 km. The annual flow is 1318.2 km³, which is more than 5 times less than the annual flow of the Amazon.

Geography [ | ]

river basin

Congo is the most full-flowing river African continent. The Congo Basin covers almost all of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as most of the Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic, eastern Zambia, northern Angola, and smaller areas in the territories of Cameroon and Tanzania. Average water flows in the lower reaches of the Congo (near Boma): annual - 39 thousand m³/sec, in the month of the highest water (December) - 60 thousand m³/sec, in the month of the lowest water (July) - 29 thousand m³ /sec; absolute extreme flow rates - from 23 to 75 thousand m³/sec. The average annual flow is 1230 km³ (according to other sources, 1453 km³). Huge masses of water carried by the Congo into the ocean desalinate it 75 km from the coast. The solid flow of the Congo in the estuary area is about 50 million tons per year.

Economic use[ | ]

Hydropower resources[ | ]

Compared to other rivers in the world, Congo has one of the largest hydropower reserves, estimated at 390 GW. The latter is explained a large number water carried by the river, and a significant drop in the bed along its entire length up to the mouth. Other large rivers in their lower reaches they are flat and flow in lowlands. On Congo Several large hydroelectric power stations were built - Nzila, Nseke (at Lualaba), Inga (at Livingston Falls). In total, about 40 hydroelectric power plants have been built in the Congo Basin.

The river's largest hydroelectric power station is Inga, located about 200 km southwest of Kinshasa. The Inga project was launched in the early 1970s with the construction of the first dam. To date, only two dams have been built, “Inga I” (French Barrage Inga I) and “Inga II” (French Barrage Inga II), which operate fourteen turbines. Projects "Inga III" (French Barrage Inga III) and "Grand Inga" (French Barrage Grand Inga, English Grand Inga Dam) are at the design stage. If the Grand Inga project is implemented, its capacity will be more than twice that of the Three Gorges hydroelectric station in China. There are concerns that the construction of these new dams could lead to the extinction of many fish species that are endemic to the river.

Shipping [ | ]

The total length of shipping routes along the rivers and lakes of the Congo Basin is about 20 thousand km. Most of the navigable sections of the rivers are concentrated in the Congo Trench, where they form a single extensive system of waterways, which, however, is separated from the ocean by the Livingston Falls in the lower Congo. The river itself has 4 main navigable sections: - (645 km), Kindu - Ubundu (300 km), Kisangani - Kinshasa (1742 km), Matadi - mouth (138 km); the last section, the so-called offshore pool, is accessible to ocean-going vessels. Navigable areas of the Congo are interconnected railways. The main river and lake ports in the Congo Basin: in the Congo - Kinshasa, Brazzaville, Mbandaka, Kisangani, Ubundu, Kindu, Kabalo,; on the Ubangi-Bangi River; on the Kasai-Ilebo River; on Lake Tanganyika - Kalima, Kigoma, Bujumbura; on Lake Kivu-Bukavu. In the lower reaches of the Congo there are the seaports of Matadi, Boma, Banana.

Fishing [ | ]

The rivers and lakes of the Congo Basin are rich in fish - about 1000 species, many of which are of commercial importance:

The continent “Without Cold,” as the ancient Greeks called Africa, ranks second in size after Eurasia and is home to abundant and deep rivers on Earth. One of them was water artery, flowing in the heart of Africa - the Congo River. She acquired many honorary titles:

• the most deep river in the world (up to 230 meters);
• the deepest after the Amazon;
• the most long river continent after the Nile;
• the only stream in the world that crosses the equator twice.

The pioneer of the famous river in the 15th century was the explorer of the “black continent” Diogo Can, a native of Portugal.

Geographical description

The river flows through Central Africa and spills over the territory Democratic Republic Congo and forms a miraculous border between the republic and Angola.

Evidence regarding the origins of the Congo is mixed. Today there are two options for the origin of the river:

1. The starting point is considered to be the waters of the Chambesi River between lakes Nyasa and Tanganyika at an altitude of one and a half thousand;
2. The source of the Congo is the Lualaba River, which originates on the eastern plateau of the Republic of Congo.

The river makes its way through mountain ranges and plateaus for more than 4,700 km before reaching the Atlantic Ocean. The current of the Congo is usually divided into upper, middle and lower:

• in the upper reaches of the Congo, water rushes rapidly through narrow crevices, forming waterfalls and overflows;
• on the flat part of Africa, the water flow overflows and creates a wide valley with many lakes and channels;
• The South Guinea Upland slows down the path of the river in its lower reaches, confining the turbulent flow in a gorge no more than 220 m wide and about 230 m deep. This circumstance determines the special characteristics of the river as the deepest on the planet. Here, on a threshold 270 meters high, a drop of water flow occurs, known throughout the world - it is called Livingston Falls. Seventy drops and waterfalls decorate the landscape along this section of the stream.

A deep river flows into Atlantic Ocean near the village of Banana and forms a flooded mouth - an estuary, expanding to 11 km. The current of the Congo in ocean waters is felt 17 km from the junction of the fresh and salt elements.

The most significant tributaries of the Congo River are:

• Right: tributary of the Congo - Aruvimi, Ubangi, Sanga;
• From left: Lulonga, Ruki, Kasai, Lomami.

Characteristics of the Congo River in numbers

The deepest river in the world has a cool character and expresses the amazing power and beauty of the world. The digital information about its geographical parameters is impressive and paints a more complete picture of Congo:

• The total length of water flows is 4,700 km, and taking into account the tributaries of the river - twenty thousand kilometers, which is equal to half the circumference of the Earth;
• the river carries 42,450 cubic meters of water per second into the ocean, giving primacy in this only to the Amazon;
• water flow at the mouth is from 23,000 to 75,000 m³/sec, and the average annual flow is 1,450 km³;
• The river's water saturation remains at the same level throughout the year due to successive rainy seasons. Congo ranks second in the world after its South American sister in terms of basin area - 3,680,000 km²;
• The Congo is not only the deepest river in the world, but also one of the widest - the distance from one bank to the other is 15 kilometers;
• The Congo River has enormous potential for hydroelectric power. Energy reserves are estimated at 390 GW - this impressive figure can eclipse the electricity generation, for example, in Russia in 2007;
• Several thousand cargo ships pass along the river every day, a complex branched system ensures settlements everything you need. The length of shipping routes is about twenty thousand kilometers.

The navigation system includes the entire river basin, making up its branched structure. The total length of the tracks is more than 20 thousand kilometers. Thousands of transport vessels pass along shipping routes every day.

Fauna and flora of the Congo River

The long waterway of Central Africa amazes with the splendor and diversity of fauna and flora: its shores are covered with tropical jungles, in which more than 600 species of trees grow and more than ten thousand classes of animals live.

Despite the mass extermination of animals on the African continent, the fauna of the Congo River basin pleases with many species of wild animals:

• primates – gorillas and other species;
• felines - leopards;
• proboscis - elephants;
• bovids - buffalos.

Variety of birds and reptiles, especially reptiles. IN warm waters There are crocodiles in the Congo.

The Blue Highway of Africa is famous for its unique fishing due to the fact that its character changes along the entire route: at the beginning it is shallow and narrow, then it is stormy and swift, below it is the formation of lakes and a slowly flowing stream.

The water temperature reaches thirty degrees Celsius, which promotes the development of a large number of river microorganisms, which are excellent food for fish.

Here you can catch catfish, mormyrops, Nile perch, but most of all fishermen strive to pull a unique fish out of the water - Tiger Goliath. The Latin name characterizes this creature best - a giant water dog with sharp fangs, a size of up to one and a half meters and a weight of up to seventy kilograms. This “dog” is distinguished by beautiful iridescent silver-golden scales. Its meat tastes similar, according to fishermen, to pike perch.

The vegetation of the Congo forms a powerful block of multi-tiered rain forests with a tree canopy of about 35 meters, with tower trees reaching 60 m. They do not shed their leaves, but are characterized by the presence of an evergreen crown. The Congo jungle is called " lungs of the planet" Basic large trees shocks with its power, unusualness and exotic beauty:
- entandophragm of the Meliev family - tall plant with a powerful thick trunk and a crown similar to a flat roof;
- guarea or mahogany, distinguished by its rare beauty of wood;
- naked maranthes from the Chrysobalanaceae family with fruits hanging in clusters;
- legumes - bicolor parkia and others.

In swampy flooded areas, herbaceous vegetation species predominate, the most numerous of which is papyrus.

The dry sandy valleys of the Congo River are covered with thickets of low-growing trees and cereal grasses.

Congo River on a map of Africa

The map of Africa shows the path that the Congo River makes through the expanses of the equatorial part of the continent: from the East African Plateau to the Atlantic Ocean.

• Thanks to its smooth bend in the central part, it crosses the equator twice, which distinguishes it from all the rivers in the world.
• The river became natural boundary Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) with the country of Congo.
• The largest tributary of the Congo, the Ubangi, continues to delimit African states. He draws the border zone of the DRC and Congo, as well as the Central African Republic.

Environmental issues of the Congo River

The deterioration of the ecological situation in the river basin is explained by several circumstances:

• Congo is a transport route that establishes communication between countries and cities of the “dark continent”;
• Using the resources of the greatest water flow in the economic development of Africa;
• The largest river in the world allows for the development of hydropower in the mainland countries: forty hydroelectric power stations have been built;
• Plants and factories for processing minerals developed on the shores of the Congo: silver, nickel, uranium, copper ore, cobalt and others;
• Settlements along the water stream;
• Kisangani metropolis with a population of one million and the largest river port.

The ecological state of the Congo is determined by several areas:

• pollution of water and surrounding natural areas household and chemical waste from numerous processing plants;
• extermination river inhabitants due to poaching and poisoning from industrial emissions;
• the emergence of swamps in some areas of the river space;
• destruction of the soil layer and loss of soil fertility due to deforestation and human migration to new places.

Congo is a river flowing in the heart of Africa. Its appearance is wild and mysterious, and its history is shrouded in mystery. You can feel all the fantastic power of nature in it. Even a dry description of the Congo River allows you to feel its power. It is 4667 km long and carries 42450 cubic meters into the ocean. water per second, second only to the Amazon. The source of the Congo River is located in the savannas of Zambia, at a height of one and a half kilometers near the settlement of Mumena. In its upper course it flows rapidly through narrow (30-50m) gorges and forms rapids and waterfalls. The Congo (river) got its name from the name of the state that once existed at its mouth.

Long way to flow

After a long winding through the territory of Zambia, the Congo (river) appears on the territory of the Democratic Republic. There it merges with the Lualaba River and, under this name, after 800 km reaches rain forests Then the stream flows directly north and, after traveling a distance of about 1600 km, crosses the equator for the first time. After this, it turns west, describes a giant arc on the territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and turns again, this time to the south. It crosses the equator again, but flows in the opposite direction.

Legends of the African Jungle

Here the Congo flows through wet forests, which represent the most impenetrable jungle in the world. The trees rise to a height of 60 m, and eternal twilight reigns at their roots. Under this swaying green canopy in the suffocatingly humid heat, in dense thickets where a person cannot get through, there is a real hell, inhabited by the most dangerous animals - crocodiles, and boa constrictors, and ants. Anyone here runs the risk of contracting malaria, schistosis, or some other more dangerous disease. Local residents have stories that it is in these suffocating swamps that the Mokele-Mbembe dragon lives. At the beginning of the 20th century, Europeans noticed that there were no hippopotamuses in one of the swampy areas. Local residents reported that there is one there that, being smaller in size than a hippopotamus, nevertheless attacks and kills them. Others, on the contrary, said that he looked like an elephant, only with long neck and a muscular tail. If boats came close to him, he attacked them. But this animal ate plants. It must be said that strange traces of an unusual animal are found here to this day.

Waterfalls and rapids

In the northeastern part of the arc are the Boyoma waterfalls. This is a series of waterfalls and rapids along which over 100 km the river descends to a height of 457 m. From this place, already under the name Congo, the river is navigable and very wide (over 20 km wide) for 1609 km. Beyond the area separating the two capitals, Brazzaville and Kinshasa, are the Livingstone Falls, formed by the South Guinean Highlands. It is 354 km long and contains 32 waterfalls and a series of rapids. From the city of Matadi the stream runs another 160 km and flows into the Atlantic Ocean. But the huge stream does not immediately slow down. On ocean floor it forms the Congo Canal, 800 km long. Its water in this stretch is easily distinguished from the oceanic water by its red-brown hue, which is given by the red soil carried away from the depths of Africa.

The Congo is a river that is located in Equatorial Africa, right in Zaire, Republic of Congo, Angola. It flows into the Atlantic Ocean directly from the city of Banana. According to the water content of the basin itself, it ranks first in Africa and second after the Amazon in the whole world. The length of the river is 4,320 kilometers from the upper reaches of Lualaba, and more than 4,700 kilometers from the upper reaches of Chambesi. The basin area is 3,691,000 square kilometers. The Congo Basin is located within Zaire (more than 60 percent total area), Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, Cameroon, Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zambia, and Angola. Physically, geographically, it covers the Congo Basin with its marginal plateaus. According to the structural features of the valley, three main sections can be distinguished: upper (from the upper reaches to the waterfalls called Stanley, approximately 2100 kilometers), middle (starting from Stanley Falls straight to the city of Kinshasa, more than 1700 kilometers) and lower (about 500 kilometers). Find out.

The source of the Congo, which is located within a plateau and plateau, is characterized by alternating rapids sections, as well as leveled pools where there is a calm current. The sharpest drop (475 meters over a distance of about 70 kilometers) of Lualaba is in the Nzilo cave, with which it cuts the southern mountain spurs of Mitumba. From the town of Bukama, the river flows at a slow pace, intensively meandering along the flat bottom of the Upemba graben. What does it look like? Look here.

The current, which is contained within the Congo Basin, is calm with a slight drop. Its bed is flat and low, with swampy coasts, and is a chain of lake extensions (at times reaching up to 15 kilometers). They are separated by relatively narrow (up to 1.5-2 kilometers) sections. In the center of the Congo Basin, the river floodplains and its right tributaries, the Sanga and Ubangi, come together to form the world's largest floodplain.

Description of the area

Approaching the western part of the edge of the depression, the appearance of the river changes: it is compressed in these places by high (100-meter or more) and sharp bedrock coasts, and the water flow accelerates. This narrowed area, the so-called Channel, becomes the lacustrine extension of Stanley Pool (length approximately 30 kilometers, width up to 25 kilometers), which ends the middle course of the Congo.

The lower reaches of the Congo head towards the ocean through the South Guinea Plateau in a deep gorge. At this point the channel becomes smaller and is approximately 400-500 meters, at times 220-250 meters. 350 kilometers between the cities of Matadi and Kinshasa, the river drops 270 meters, while forming approximately 70 waterfalls and rapids, which are united by the Livingston Falls. The Congo River right at Matadi enters the coastal lowlands, the channel becomes wider to 1-2 kilometers, the depth in the fairway reaches 25-30 meters.

Not far from the city of Boma, the Congo Estuary begins, where its width in the middle part is 19 kilometers, after which it becomes smaller by 3.5 kilometers and again becomes larger towards the mouth, where it is 9.8 kilometers. Middle part, as well as the top of the estuary, are identified as an actively forming young delta. The duration of the estuary is the Congo Canyon underwater, where the total length is at least 800 kilometers.

The most significant tributaries Congo at its source: Lufira, Lukuga, Luvoa, Lomami, Ruki, Lulonga, Kasai - on the one hand, and on the other - Aruvimi, Mongala, Itimbiri, Ubangi ( largest influx Congo), Sanga.

Large amounts of rainfall play a predominant role in creating the flow of rivers in the Congo Basin. The main part of the Congo's tributaries can be characterized by the dominance of autumn flow.

In tributaries that have catchments in the Northern Hemisphere, the greatest water rise can be observed in September-November, in the Southern Hemisphere - in April and May. The April and May flow limit is also characteristic of the upper Congo (Lualaba). The middle and lower reaches of the Congo have seasonal flow fluctuations, which are significantly smoothed out due to the different times in which the full waters of its tributaries enter the river.

In the annual course of the level, two rises and two declines can be observed. In the average Congo, the water rise, which corresponds to the autumn flow limit of the Lualaba, moved to May-June and is secondary in nature, while the main rise is in November and December under the influence of tides on the northern tributaries.

River waters

At the mouths of the Congo, the main rise in water can also be observed in November and December. The smallest water rise can be observed in April and May, which can be explained by the autumn flow limit of the Kasai River. On average, water flow in the lower reaches of the Congo (near Boma): for the year - 39,000 cubic meters per second, for the month the highest water is observed in December 60,000 cubic meters per second, the lowest water per month is July - 29,000 cubic meters per second. On average, the annual flow is 1230 cubic kilometers. Large quantity The waters that are carried into the ocean make it fresh 75 km from the coast. The strong flow of the Congo in the estuary area is approximately 50 million tons per year.

The high water content of the rivers of the Congo system and their decline establish the presence of enormous hydropower reserves, in terms of the size of which the Congo Basin ranks first.

The permissible power of the rivers of the Congo basin with average water flows can be estimated at 132 GW, the maximum permissible power is 390 GW. Important hydroelectric power stations are Le Marinel - 258 MW, Del Comun - 108 MW on the Lualaba River. The largest hydroelectric power station, Inga, has been based at the mouth of the Congo since 1972.

In total, the length of the shipping routes that pass through the lakes and rivers of the Congo Basin is approximately 20,000 kilometers. Many sections of rivers accessible for navigation are collected in the Congo Basin, in which they form one branched waterway system. It is isolated from the world's oceans by Livingston Falls at the source of the Congo. The river itself has 4 main navigable sections.

Areas of the Congo intended for navigation are connected to each other by railway.