Where is the source of the Congo River. Congo - the deepest river on the world map, flora and fauna of the river valley

The rivers of the Congo are mostly not too 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 throughout Central Africa. mouth water artery was opened in 1482. The person who first entered the waters of the Congo was the Portuguese Dien Kar. The main direction of his activity was trade, and the river was just an assistant in establishing commercial ties with the Kingdom of the Congo. 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 the beginning of the Congo; others are sure that the source is the Chambezi 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. The Congo Basin - the place of growth equatorial forests. Thanks to high humidity representatives of the local flora, such as ebony and mahogany, as well as oaks, can reach a height of 60 meters.

Attractions:

Livingston waterfalls, located near the city of Kinshasa;
Stanley Falls;
National parks;
city of Kinshasa.

Aruvimi

Aruvimi is one of the major tributaries of the Congo, with a total length of 1300 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 the 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 up to the confluence with the Congo. The rights of the pioneer of its basin belong to the German botanist Georg August Schweinfurt.

Elephant fish can be found in the waters of Ubangi. The length of the fish is relatively small (up to 35 cm), but it got its name because of the long lower lip, somewhat reminiscent of an elephant's trunk. For orientation in muddy river water, fish use electric organs located at the end of the tail.

The river basin is a place known to all diamond miners. And, since the government of the Congo is not able to control illegal mining, a huge number of stones are taken out of here illegally.

Attractions:

waterfalls (Gozbangi, Ngolo, Elefan, Bouali) and Azande rapids;
the city of Bangui;
Zemongo nature reserve.

The Congo River is the continent-crossing pulse of Africa. The deepest river in the world, home to countless species of living beings.

The Congo River is the deepest river on the planet, the length of the Congo is 4344-4700 km. The basin area is 3,680,000 km². The most full-flowing and the second longest river in Africa, the second river in terms of water content in the world after the Amazon. The only major river that crosses the equator twice.

In the middle reaches, the mountainous relief is replaced by a flat one and the river overflows, forming a wide valley with a large number of channels and lakes. The width of the valley in some places reaches 20 km.

Congo is natural border between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Angola. The river has many honorary titles: the most deep river in the world, the depth of which in some places is about 230 meters; ranks second after the Amazon as the most deep river peace; the longest river in Africa after the Nile; the only major river that crosses the equator twice. This legendary river was discovered in the 15th century (in 1482) by the Portuguese traveler and navigator Diogo Can.

10. As we see, the river has many different virtues, but unique river makes its depth, let me remind you that the maximum mark of the depth of the Congo is 230 meters. The deepest river in the world, the Congo River.

Tributaries of the Congo: Aruvimi (right), Rubi (right), Mongalla (right), Mobangi (right), Saaga-Mambere (right), Likuala-Lekoli (right), Alima (right), Lefini (right), Lomami (left) ), Lulongo (left), Ikelemba (left), Ruki (left), Kassai (left), Lualaba (left)

Congo is a river flowing in the heart of Africa. Her appearance is wild and mysterious, and her story is shrouded in mystery. It feels all the fantastic power of nature. 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 flow

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

African jungle legends

Here the Congo flows through moist forests, which are the most impenetrable jungles in the world. Trees rise to a height of 60 m, and eternal dusk reigns at their roots. Under this swaying green canopy in a suffocatingly humid heat, in dense thickets, where a person cannot break through, there is a real hell inhabited by the most dangerous animals - crocodiles, and boas, and ants. Any person runs the risk of catching malaria, schistosomiasis or some other, more formidable disease here. Local residents have stories that it is in these suffocating swamps that the mokele-mbembe dragon lives. Back in the early 20th century, Europeans noticed that there were no hippos in one of the swampy areas. locals reported that there is which, being smaller than the hippo, however, attacks and kills them. Others, on the contrary, said that he looked like an elephant, only with long neck and muscular tail. If boats sailed close to him, he attacked them. But this animal ate plants. I must say 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 Falls. 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 of Congo, the river is navigable and very wide (over 20 km wide) for 1609 km. Behind the section separating the two capitals - Brazzaville and Kinshasa, are the Livingston Falls, formed by the South Guinean Uplands. This is 354 km, on which there are 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 a huge stream does not immediately slow down its run. On the ocean floor, it forms an underwater channel of the Congo, 800 km long. Its water in this segment is easily distinguished from the ocean by its red-brown tint, which is given by the red soil carried away from the depths of Africa.

Congo - a river in Central Africa, mainly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (partially flows along its borders with the Republic of the Congo and Angola), the deepest and second longest river in Africa, the second river in terms of water content in the world after the Amazon. In the upper reaches (above the city of Kisangani) is called Lualaba. The only major river that crosses the equator twice. The basin area is 4,014,500 km². Length - 4374 km. It originates from the settlement of Mumen.

Geography

The length of the Congo from the source of Lualaba is 4374 km (from the source of Chambeshi - over 4700 km). The basin area is 4,014,500 km². The source of the Lualaba originates in the southeast of the DRC, on a plateau near the border with Zambia. According to other sources, the source of the Congo is the Chambeshi River, which is formed between the lakes Nyasa and Tanganyika at an altitude of 1590 meters above sea level. It flows into Lake Bangweulu, flows out of it under the name Luapula, flows into Lake Mweru, flowing out of it as the Luvua River and joins Lualaba. For upstream The Congo (Lualaba), located within the plateaus and plateaus, is characterized by the alternation of rapids and leveled pools with a calm current. The steepest drop (475 m at a distance of about 70 km) Lualaba differs in the Nzilo Gorge, with which it cuts through the southern spurs of the Mitumba Mountains. Starting from the city of Bukama, the river slowly flows, strongly meandering, along the flat bottom of the Upemba graben. Below the city of Kongolo, Lualaba breaks through the crystalline rocks by the Porte d'Anfer (Hell's Gate) gorge, forming rapids and waterfalls; further downstream, several more groups of waterfalls and rapids follow one another. Between the cities of Kindu and Ubundu the river again flows calmly in a wide valley. Just below the equator, it descends from the marginal ledges of the plateau into the Congo depression, forming the Stanley Falls.
After the Stanley Falls near the city of Kisangani, the river changes its name to the Congo. In the middle course, enclosed within the Congo Basin, the river is calm with a slight drop (on average, about 0.07 m / km). Its channel, predominantly with low and flat, often marshy shores, is a chain of lake-like extensions (in some places up to 15 km), separated by relatively narrowed (up to 1.5-2 km) sections. In the central part of the Congo Basin, the floodplains of the river and its right tributaries the Ubangi and Sanga merge together, forming one of the world's largest periodically flooded areas. As you approach western edge in the depression, the appearance of the river changes: it is compressed here between high (100 m and more) and steep bedrock banks, narrowing in places to less than 1 km; depths increase (often up to 20 - 30 m), the current speeds up. This narrow section, the so-called Channel, passes into the lake-like extension of the Stanley Pool (about 30 km long, up to 25 km wide), which ends the middle reaches of the Congo.
In the lower reaches of the Congo, it breaks through to the ocean through the South Guinean Plateau in a deep (up to 500 m) gorge. The width of the channel here decreases to 400-500 meters, in some places up to 220-250 meters. For 350 km between the cities of Kinshasa and Matadi, the river descends 270 m, forming about 70 rapids and waterfalls, combined under common name Falls of Livingston. Depths in this section are 230 m or more, making the Congo the deepest river in the world. At Matadi, the Congo enters the coastal lowland, the channel expands to 1-2 km, the depths in the fairway reach 25-30 m. Near the city of Boma, the Congo estuary begins, the width of which in the middle reaches 19 km, then decreases to 3.5 km increases again towards the mouth, where it is 9.8 km. The top and middle part of the estuary are occupied by an actively developing young delta. The continuation of the estuary is the underwater canyon of the Congo with a total length of at least 800 km.

tributaries

The most significant tributaries of the Congo

upper reaches: on the right - Lufira, Luvua, Lukuga
in the middle reaches: on the left - Lomami, Lulongo, Ruki, Kasai (the largest of the left tributaries), on the right - Aruvimi, Itimbiri, Mongala, Ubangi (the largest tributary of the Congo), Sanga
in the lower reaches - Inkisi (left), Alima (right)

Several large lakes belong to the Congo system: Tanganyika and Kivu in the Lukuga River basin; Bangweulu and Mweru in the Luvua river basin; Mai Ndombe in the Kasai River Basin; Tumba (has a drain directly into the Congo through the Irebu channel).

Hydrology

In the formation of the flow of the rivers of the Congo Basin, abundant rainfall plays a predominant role. Most of the tributaries of the Congo are characterized by a predominance of autumn runoff: on tributaries with catchment areas in the Northern Hemisphere, the maximum rise in water is observed in September-November, in the Southern - in April-May. The April-May runoff maximum is also characteristic of the upper Congo (Lualaba). In the middle, and especially in the lower reaches of the Congo, seasonal fluctuations in runoff are largely smoothed out due to the different time of entry into the river of the hollow waters of its tributaries; from all the great rivers the globe The Congo is characterized by the greatest natural regulation. AT annual course level, however, two rises and two declines are clearly expressed. In the middle Congo, the rise in water, corresponding to the autumn maximum of the Lualaba runoff, is shifted to May-June and is of a secondary nature, while the main rise is in November-December under the influence of floods on the northern tributaries. In the lower reaches of the Congo, the main rise also occurs in November-December; a less significant rise in April-May is associated mainly with the autumn maximum flow of the Kasai River. Average water consumption in the lower reaches of the Congo (near Boma): annual - 39 thousand m³ / s, in the month of the highest water (December) - 60 thousand m³ / s, in the month of the lowest water (July) - 29 thousand m³ /sec; absolute marginal costs - from 23 to 75 thousand m³ / s. The average annual flow is 1230 km³ (according to other sources, 1453 km³). The huge masses of water carried by the Congo into the ocean desalinate it 75 km from the coast. The solid runoff of the Congo at the mouth area is about 50 million tons per year.

Hydropower resources

Compared to other rivers in the world, the Congo has one of the largest hydropower reserves, estimated at 390 GW. The latter is explained by the large amount of water carried by the river, and a significant drop in the channel along its entire length up to the mouth. Other major rivers in their lower reaches are flat and flow in the lowlands. Several large hydroelectric power stations have been built in the Congo - Nzila, Nseke (on Lualaba), Inga (at Livingston waterfalls). In total, about 40 hydroelectric power stations have been built in the Congo basin.
The river's largest hydroelectric power plant 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, Inga I (Fr. Barrage Inga I) and Inga II (Fr. Barrage Inga II), have been built, on which fourteen turbines operate. The Inga III (Fr. Barrage Inga III) and Grand Inga (Fr. Barrage Grand Inga, English Grand Inga Dam) projects are at the design stage. If the Grand Inga project is implemented, its capacity will be more than double that of the Three Gorges HPP in China. There are fears that the construction of these new dams could lead to the extinction of many fish species that are endemic in the river.

Shipping

The total length of navigable 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 Basin, where they form a single branched 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: Bukama - Kongolo (645 km), Kindu - Ubundu (300 km), Kisangani - Kinshasa (1742 km), Matadi - mouth (138 km); the last section, the so-called sea pool, is accessible to ocean-going vessels. The navigable sections 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, Kongolo, Kabalo, Bukama; on the river Ubangi - Bangui; on the Kasai River - Ilebo; on Lake Tanganyika - Kalima, Kigoma, Bujumbura; on Lake Kivu - Bukavu. In the lower reaches of the Congo - 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 have commercial value: nile perch, tilapia, barbel, large tiger fish, freshwater herring and others.

Cities on the river

The most important cities in the Congo

Bukama (the beginning of navigation) is a city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Katanga province), a river pier in the upper reaches of the Lualaba River, a railway station on the Lubumbashi - Ilebo line.
Kongolo is a city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The airport.
Kindu is a city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The administrative center of the province of Maniema. Lies on the western bank of the Congo River at an altitude of 500 m above sea level. Connected by rail with the south of the country, has an airport. In the city you can find features of Islamic and Swahili cultures.
Kisangani (until 1966 - Stanleyville) - a city in the northeast of the Congo, the administrative center of the province of Chopo. In 2010, the population was 868,672. Port on the Congo River below Stanley Falls. The city has a railway station, a university and international Airport. It was founded by the famous traveler, African explorer and (journalist Henry Stanley in 1883 and was originally called Stanleyville. Modern Kisangani is the center of an agricultural region where primary processing of agricultural raw materials (rice and cotton gins) is carried out. In addition, there are food, textile, chemical industry, woodworking, as well as the production of building materials.
Kinshasa (until 1966 - Leopoldville) - the capital (since 1960) of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is located on the Congo River, opposite the city of Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of the Congo. Although the population of the city in 2009 was 10,076,099 people, 60% of its territory is sparsely populated countryside, which, nevertheless, entered the administrative boundaries of the city. Densely populated urban areas occupy only a small part of the territory in the west of the province.
Matadi (in the language of the people of the Congo (Kikongo) - means "stone") - the main seaport of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the center of the province of Central Congo (the former province of Bas-Congo). Matadi was founded in 1879 by Henry Morton Stanley. The city is located on the left bank of the Congo River, 148 kilometers from the mouth. In 2004 the population was 245,862.
Boma is a city in the west of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in the estuary of the Congo River, located 75 km from the confluence of the Congo into the Atlantic Ocean. Major port (available for sea vessels; export of cocoa, bananas, rubber, valuable breeds wood). There is a food industry (brewing, fish), chemical, woodworking industry, shipbuilding, metal processing and agricultural products. The starting point of the railway to Chela. The airport. In 2010, the population was 167,326. From 1886 to 1926 it was the capital of the Belgian Congo (then the capital was moved to Leopoldville - now the city of Kinshasa).
Banana (fr. Banana) is a small town and seaport in the Central Congo province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The port is located on the northern bank of the mouth of the Congo River and is separated from the ocean by a 3-kilometer-long scythe and a width of 100 to 400 meters. To the north-west of the port is the city of Muanda, to which a road is laid along the coast.
Brazzaville (fr. Brazzaville) is the financial and administrative capital and the most populous city of the Republic of the Congo, located on the right bank of the Congo River, opposite Kinshasa. The population for 2010 is 1,252,974. Brazzaville is home to a third of the population of the Republic of the Congo and employs about 40% of non-agricultural workers.

History of discovery and research

In late 1481, King John II of Portugal sent a flotilla of caravels along the west coast of Africa to the Gold Coast (modern Ghana) to open mines for gold. The expedition was led by Diogo de Azambuja. The mine needed slaves, so in 1482 Azambuja sent Diogo Cana to explore the then unknown western coast of Africa. In the region of 6 ° south latitude, the Portuguese discovered the mouth big river and landed on the shore, where they were met by black people of the Bantu tribe. They said that the river is called Nzari - “Big”, and the state through whose territory it flows is ruled by a king bearing the title of mani-kongo (English) Russian .. As a sign of the discovery of these lands, the Portuguese installed a padran (stone pillar) near the mouth ), and the river was named the Padrau River (Rio do Padrão).
The upper course of the Congo (Lualaba) was discovered by David Livingston in 1871. Most The current of the Congo from Nyangwe downstream was explored in 1876-1877 by Henry Stanley. The Kassai tributary was explored by Wissman in 1885.

Sights of the Congo River

The most famous waterfalls on the river are the seven-step Stanley (Boyoma) in the upper reaches of the Congo, the Inga in its middle reaches, as well as the cascade of Livingstone waterfalls in the lower reaches.

Information

Length: 4374 km
Swimming pool: 4,014,500 km²
Water consumption: 41,800 m³/s
mouth: Atlantic Ocean

Source. wikipedia.org

The Congo River is a full-flowing stream flowing through the central and southern regions 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 the 9th place in the world. In terms of water flow, the river ranks 3rd in the world after the Amazon and the Ganges. It discharges an average of 41 thousand cubic meters into the waters of the Atlantic. m/s. Square 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, the 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 are no geographers here consensus. Some of them consider the source from the Lualaba River. Thus, the total length is only 4374 km. The other part of the experts insists on the source of the Chambezi River, which originates near Lake Tanganyika. It is the Congo-Chambezi that is equal to 4700 km. According to generally accepted world practice, the latter value is more in line with the truth, since the longest source is always taken.

Congo river

Chambezi River flows through the northeast of Zambia. It originates at an altitude of 1760 meters above sea level. Her path passes through the swamps of Bangweulu. Part of them is Lake Bangweulu. Further, the river turns towards Lake Mveri, flows into it and flows out into the Luvua 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. Crosses the Ternopil plateau, while abounding in waterfalls and rapids. With this in mind, there are hydroelectric power plants on the river. In the city of Bukama, located on the same latitude as Lake Mveri, Lualaba becomes navigable. In the area of the city of Ankoro, the Luvua River flows into this water stream.

Once upon a time, Lualaba was considered the source of the Nile, but it turned out not to be so. The water stream does not turn to the east, but carries its waters to the north. At the same time, in its lower reaches 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 stream 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 sections alternate with small lakes. The shores are mostly swampy. Further, the Congo River is reunited with its right tributaries: the Ubanga and Sanga rivers. Way forward runs between steep banks. The channel is shrinking, and the depth is increasing. Accordingly, the flow accelerates.

Finally, the water stream leaves behind the high rocky shores and spreads in breadth. A small lake Molebo Pool is formed. It is 30 km long and 20 km wide. Then a series of gorges begins again. Granite rocks hang over the water surface at a height of up to 500 meters. The width of the water stream decreases to 400 meters, but the depth increases to 200-230 meters. After the city of Kinshasa, the waters of the river flow down, losing 270 meters of height. These are solid waterfalls and rapids, united under the common name of Livingstone waterfalls.

Congo River on the map

At 148 km from the mouth is the city of Matadi, and the turn of the coastal lowland comes. The river bed expands up 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 passes 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 through Democratic Republic Congo. Also along the river state border with the Republic of the Congo and Angola. The river basin is in tropical forests. Their area is the second largest after the Amazon. Between the cities of Kinshasa and Kisangani it is good developed shipping. But it has no connection with the ocean because of the Livingston waterfalls. In fact, there are several navigable sections on the river, isolated from each other. They are connected by railroads. When transporting goods, this creates certain inconveniences.

There are many cities on the river. You can call Kindu 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. 246 thousand inhabitants live in Matadi. 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 on the Inga waterfall. It belongs to the Livingston Falls Cascade 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. This is Inga and Inga II. Together they have 14 turbines. But these are only the first steps, since the Congo basin has a huge energy potential.

Stanislav Lopatin