In what part of Africa is the Congo River located? The Congo River in Africa is the deepest river in the world

Congo (another name is Zaire) is the most deep river Africa. The length of the river is 4,700 km. The maximum depth mark is 230 meters. It is the only major river that crosses the equator twice.

Congo River Monster

Brief summary:

River depth - 230 meters
- Basin area - 3,680,000 square km.
- The source is the Shaba plateau. Mouth - Atlantic Ocean.
- Tributaries of the Congo - Mobangi, Lulongo, Mongalla, Lefini, Ruki, Kassai and many others.

What kind of fish are found:

Freshwater herring
- Barbel
- Telapia
- Nile perch
- The most evil and dangerous fish in the world - Goliath, tiger fish.

So, in this African river There are terrible fish that are second only to piranhas in bloodthirstiness.
Tiger fish Goliath is a predatory fish weighing up to 70 kg and up to 1.5 meters long. This is a creature of a terrible, ferocious appearance with huge sharp teeth.
She always attacks from ambush. It feeds on fish and mammals that carelessly approach the water. Local fishermen say that fish also attack people.

Historical information about the Congo River

Mouth of the Congo River

The mouth was opened for the first time in 1482.

The discoverer was the Portuguese Diego Can, who lived in 1440-1486. He was a navigator and a successful businessman.

Unique geographical discovery It was not done for scientific purposes at all - the talented businessman was simply establishing trade relations with the Kingdom of the Congo.

The main commodity was slaves.

Terrible tropical diseases haunted travelers, sweltering heat and humidity promised a terrible fever, impenetrable swamps and jungles prevented passage deep into the mainland. The Aborigines were hostile to any attempts at exploration wildlife Africa.

The first European to reach the upper reaches of the Congo, the Lualaba River, on March 29, 1871, was the Scotsman David Livingston. Deteriorating health famous explorer Africa did not allow him to conclude which river basin - Congo or Nile - Lualaba belongs to.

Livingston’s compatriot had already walked most of the Congo River, English journalist Henry Morton Stanley, in 1876-1877 Having overcome almost 5,000 km from east to west Africa on a dangerous journey, he reached the mouth of the Congo.

Under the patronage of the Belgian King Leopold II and at his expense, Stanley, on a new expedition in 1881, founded a number of stations on the banks of the river.

Kongo

The abundance of the African Congo River throughout the year is its main feature.

Basin of the Congo River, Lualaba, source of the Congo, Chambesi

The Congo River Basin, located in the very center of the African continent, ranks second in area in the world. The source of the Congo is most often considered to be the Lualaba River, which originates near the southeastern border Democratic Republic Congo. But it is believed that the source of the Congo is the Chambesi River, which begins near the southern tip of Lake Tanganyika. The peculiarity of the Congo River is its uniform flow of water throughout the year. This is explained by the fact that the Congo Basin is located on both sides of the equator, and therefore the flow of water from the rivers Northern Hemisphere filled with intense summer rains, replenishes the winter shallowing of the southern tributaries of the river.

Basin and sections of the Congo River

The Congo Basin covers the so-called Congo Basin and its marginal plateaus. The river is usually divided into three main sections. From the headwaters to Stanley Falls there is an upper section. From Stanley Falls to the city of Kinshasa, middle and then lower.

Having passed the city of Kongolo, the river crosses the barrier of solid crystalline rocks and makes its way through the gorge, which is rightly called Hell's Gate. Rapids and waterfalls stretch all the way to the town of Kindu. From here begin the tropical forests that surround the river for 2000 km.

Outside the city of Kinshasa, Livingston Falls begin, the height of which is about 40 m. When it flows into the Atlantic Ocean, the Congo expands to 11 km and reaches a depth of 230 m.

Economic background on the Congo River

Zaire has a huge economic importance for Africa:

The river is one of Africa's main waterways. The total length of shipping routes along the Congo River and its tributaries is about 20,000 km. Since the river carries large masses of water, it automatically becomes one of the main sources of hydropower. At the moment already on the river. Congo already has three large hydroelectric power stations.

Scientists consider this queen of rivers to be the richest in the world. Numerous mineral deposits were discovered on the shores. Among them: cobalt, copper ore, radium, molybdenum, nickel, silver, uranium and others.

African legend says that huge, elephant-sized spirits of death (mkuu-mbe-mba) live in the Congo.

They look like lizards. When the spirits are angry with people - they drink all the water from the sky and do not let it rain - drought comes. They can send all kinds of diseases and shake people with fever.

In order for the spirits not to get angry, they need to make sacrifices.

Even the sea god Olokun and the thunder god Shango cannot find justice for the villains.

And only the modest, quiet goddess Oshun helps to calm the raging monsters.

The Congo River is the deepest river on the planet, length Congo is 4344-4700 km. The basin area is 3,680,000 km². The deepest and second longest river in Africa, the second largest river in the world after the Amazon. The only major river that crosses the equator twice. ( 11 photos)

1. The river was discovered in 1482 by the Portuguese navigator Diogo Can. Congo originates in the southeast of the Republic of Congo, near the border with Zambia.

2. In the lower reaches of the Congo breaks through the South Guinea Upland in a deep narrow (in some places no more than 300 meters) gorge, forming the Livingston Falls (total drop 270 meters), the depths in this area are 230 meters or more, which makes Congo deepest river in the world.

3. The Congo River is the most big river V Central Africa and the most abundant river globe after . Depending on the time of year, the water flow at the mouth can vary from 23,000 m³/sec to 75,000 m³/sec, the average flow is about 46,000 m³/sec. the average annual flow is 1450 km³.

4. Floods on the river occur twice a year; at the mouth of the river, the water rises to its highest level in May and December, and drops to its lowest level in the spring, March and August. During the flood muddy waters The Congo is visible hundreds of kilometers away in the Atlantic Ocean, where the Congo flows into a deep channel.

5. Fishermen in the Congo hunt for Nile perch, Congo catfish, mormyrops, etc. But the most interesting fishing will, of course, be for tiger fish. It is a large predatory fish with large teeth. Tiger fish can reach sizes up to 70 kg. Tiger fish is one of the most dangerous predatory fish representatives, along with. The photo below shows a Tiger fish.

6. The tiger fish itself is very similar in build to our asp. But she attacks from an ambush. And local fishermen have rumors of an attack tiger fish on people. Yes, with such teeth and a powerful jaw, she can easily afford to eat any of the representatives of mammals, but she gives preference to small fish. By the way, the fish got its name due to its striped color and the arrangement of its teeth, so similar to. Tiger fish.

7. The Congo River wears big economic character, because the river is one of the main waterways of movement in Africa. The total length of shipping routes along the Congo River and its tributaries is about 20,000 km. Since the river carries large masses of water, it automatically becomes one of the main sources of hydropower. At the moment already on the river. Congo already has three large hydroelectric power stations.

8. Before flowing into the Atlantic Ocean, the Congo forms a deep funnel-shaped mouth into which salty waters penetrate far ocean waters. The Congo River can be called one of the most beautiful and picturesque rivers in the world, because along the entire river we can find beautiful mountain ranges giving way to evergreen tropical forests surrounded by picturesque valleys.

9. Scientists call the Congo River one of the richest rivers in the world, the fact is that traces of the presence of minerals were discovered on its banks. Traces of deposits of the following metals were found near the Congo River: copper ore, cobalt, zinc, uranium, silver, radium, molybdenum, nickel and others.

10. As we see the river has many different advantages, but unique river What makes it so deep is its depth; let me remind you that the maximum depth of the Congo is 230 meters. The most deep river in the world, the Congo River.

It’s also worth a look - , .
Surfing in the Congo.

The Congo River is a deep stream flowing through central and southern Africa. It crosses the equator twice and flows into the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. The length of the river is 4700 km. This is 9th place in the world. In terms of water flow, the river ranks third in the world after the Amazon and Ganges. It discharges an average of 41 thousand cubic meters into the waters of the Atlantic. m/s. The area of ​​the water basin is 4 million 14.5 thousand square meters. km. This is the 2nd place in the world after the Amazon. But in terms of depth, Congo is in 1st place. In some places the depth reaches 230 meters. This water stream is considered the second in Africa, second only to the Nile River.

As for the length of the great African river, there is no consensus among geographers. Some of them consider the source to be from the Lualaba River. Thus, the total length is only 4374 km. Another part of the experts insists on the source of the Chambesi River, which originates near Lake Tanganyika. It is Congo-Chambezi that is equal to 4700 km. According to generally accepted world practice, the latter value is more true, since the longest source is always taken.

Congo River

Chambesi River flows through northeastern Zambia. It originates at an altitude of 1760 meters above sea level. Its path passes through the Bangveulu swamps. Lake Bangweulu is part of them. Then the river turns towards Lake Mveri, flows into it and flows out as the Luvois River. It is the latter that flows into the Lualaba River.

Lualaba River begins its journey on the Katanga plateau at an altitude of 1400 meters above sea level in Zambia. It crosses the Ternopil plateau and is replete with waterfalls and rapids. Taking this into account, there are hydroelectric power stations on the river. In the city of Bukama, located at the same latitude as Lake Mveri, Lualaba becomes navigable. In the area of ​​​​the city of Ankoro, the Louvois River flows into this water stream.

Lualaba was once considered the source of the Nile, but this turned out not to be the case. The water flow does not turn to the east, but carries its waters to the north. At the same time, in its lower course it overcomes rapids and forms numerous waterfalls. The last cascade of waterfalls is called Stanley. After it, the river turns west and near the city of Kisangani changes its name to Congo.

Further, the water flow flows through the flat terrain, which is a plateau at an altitude of 400-500 meters above sea level. In this place the current is calm. Narrow areas alternate with small lakes. The shores are mostly swampy. Next, the Congo River reunites with its right tributaries: the Ubanga and Sanga rivers. The further path passes between steep banks. The channel is compressed and the depth increases. Accordingly, the flow accelerates.

Finally, the water flow leaves behind the high rocky shores and spreads out. A small lake, Molebo Pool, is formed. Its length reaches 30 km and width 20 km. Then the series of gorges begins again. Granite rocks hang over the water surface at an altitude of up to 500 meters. The width of the water flow decreases to 400 meters, but the depth increases to 200-230 meters. After the city of Kinshasa, the river waters flow down, losing 270 meters of height. These are continuous waterfalls and rapids, united under common name Livingston Falls.

Congo River on the map

148 km from the mouth is the city of Matadi, and the turn of the coastal lowlands begins. The river bed expands to 2 km, and the depth reaches 30 meters. The mouth is estuary. That is, the river flows in a continuous stream, and does not break up into channels and branches. The width of the estuary ranges from 19 to 9 km. It turns into an underwater canyon, the length of which reaches 800 km. Thus, the great African river flows into the Atlantic, connecting the ocean with the regions of Central Africa.

The Congo River flows primarily through the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The river also runs along the state border with the Republic of Congo and Angola. The river basin is located in tropical forests. Their area is the second largest after the Amazon. Good connection between Kinshasa and Kisangani shipping is developed. But it has no connection with the ocean because of Livingston Falls. In fact, the river has several navigable sections, isolated from each other. They are connected to each other railways. This creates certain inconveniences when transporting goods.

There are many cities on the river. You can name Kinda with a population of 135 thousand inhabitants. Kisangani with a population of almost 900 thousand inhabitants. This city has a large river port. But Kinshasa is the capital of the DRC. It is a densely populated area with a population of 10 million people. On the right bank, opposite Kinshasa, is the capital of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Brazzaville, with a population of about 1.3 million people. Matadi is home to 246 thousand inhabitants. And in the city of Banana, which is considered a seaport, there are 10 thousand inhabitants.

To date, about 40 hydroelectric power stations have been built in the basin of the great African river. The largest of them are located at the Inga Falls. It belongs to the Livingstone Falls and is located 200 km southwest of Kinshasa. According to the plan, there should be 5 dams in this place. But to date only two have been built. These are Inga and Inga II. Together they have 14 turbines. But these are only the first steps, since the Congo Basin has enormous energy potential.

Stanislav Lopatin

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 (approximately 500 kilometers). Find out.

The source of the Congo, which is located within a plateau and plateau, is characterized by alternating rapids areas, 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 city 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, join 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 opens onto 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 of the Congo at its source: Lufira, Lukuga, Luvoa, Lomami, Ruki, Lulonga, Kasai - on the one hand, and on the other - the Aruvimi, Mongala, Itimbiri, Ubangi ( largest influx Congo), Sanga.

The predominant role in the creation of river flow in the Congo Basin is played by large number rainfall. 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. A large amount of water that is carried into the ocean makes it fresh for 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.

Congo River(or Zaire) is a large river in Central Africa. Most of the channel is located on the territory of the Democratic Republic of Cong. The river is natural boundary between the DCR and the Republic of the Congo, as well as the DCR and Angola. This is the deepest and second (after the Nile) longest river on the mainland. In terms of flow, the Congo is not inferior to any other river in the world except the Amazon. Another similarity between the Amazon and the Congo is found here scary fish(monster of the Congo River), which is probably second only to piranha in terms of bloodthirstiness. Among other things, the Congo is the only large river that crosses the equator twice.

The river has been known to Europeans since ancient times. It was discovered in 1482 Portuguese navigator Diogo Can.

Length: 4,700 km.

Drainage basin area: 3,680,000 sq. km.

Where does it occur: The Congo originates at an altitude of 1600 meters above sea level, between lakes Niassa and Tanganyika in Zambia. According to other sources, the source is located on the Shaba plateau in the DKR, near the border with Zambia to the west of the city of Kolwezi. Up to Stanley Falls (near the city of Kisangani) the river is called Lualaba, further downstream the river is already called Congo.

In the middle reaches, the mountainous terrain gives way to flat terrain and the river overflows, forming a wide valley with a large number streams and lakes. The width of the valley in some places reaches 20 km.

In its lower reaches, the river is blocked by the South Guinea Upland, and the river is squeezed into a deep narrow gorge, the width of which in some places reaches 300 meters. The depth of the river in some places is 230 m and even more. This makes the Congo the deepest river in the world. The total drop in this area is 270 m. In this area there are a large number of rapids and rapids, which are called Livingston Falls. The mouth of the river is located at the city of Banana, where the Congo flows into the Atlantic Ocean, forming an estuary.

The Congo River really unusual river. She has greatest potential For economic use in hydropower among all the rivers in the world. This is explained both by the full flow of the river and the large drop in the riverbed throughout its entire course. Unlike Congo, others large rivers in the lower reaches they are flat. The total hydropower reserve is estimated at 390 GW. Livingston Falls alone contains approximately ~113.4 GW or ~994 TWh of electricity per year. To appreciate this figure, it is worth saying that in 2007, the generation of all power plants in Russia (including thermal, nuclear, hydro...) amounted to 997.3 TWh. But the problem is to curb this power. In 2014, construction of the Grand Inga hydroelectric power station with a capacity of 39.6 GW is expected to begin. The construction cost is estimated at $80 billion. Grand Inga will be 2 times larger than the most powerful at the moment the Three Gorges hydroelectric power station in China, and more than 100 times the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station with a capacity of 351 MW.

Water flow at the mouth can vary from 23,000 m³/sec to 75,000 m³/sec depending on the season and averages 46,000 m³/sec. The average annual flow is 1450 km 3 . Solid drainage is about 50 million tons per year. The river is also relatively smooth water regime, which is caused by intermittent rainy seasons in different parts of the river basin. The ocean in the area of ​​the mouth is desalinated over a distance of 76 km. from the shore.

Main tributaries: Ubangi, Sangi, Kassai (Kwa). The river basin also includes the following: big lakes: Tanganyika, Kivu, Mweru, Tumba, Bangweulu...

Congo River Basin on the map:

Video, trailer for the film “Congo River, Beyond Darkness”, from Thierry Michel.

Teri spent 7 months in these parts and walked 4000 km along the river.

I don't know where it is full version movie, I just found it.