Congo River . This river is called by many as Zaire , with 4,380 km long, it is the largest river in central Africa , with depths of up to 250 meters in some of its sections, it is born near Lake Tanganyika , crosses the equator twice and ends emptying into the Atlantic Ocean . It is the most important in central Africa . Among the characteristics and statistics that accompany the Congo, it is also the second largest river in the world, being only surpassed by the Amazon .
Along with its tributaries, it has 14,200 navigable km. When arriving in front of the capitals of the two Congos, Brazzaville and Kinshasa , it widens in the so-called Pool Malebo reaching a width of 25 km.
It is the second longest in Africa (after the Nile ) and the eighth in the world, its basin covers an area of 3,700,000 km, which represents more than a tenth of the African surface and includes the territories of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo , as well as a large part of the Central African Republic and some part of the territory of Zambia , Angola , Tanzania , Cameroon and Gabon . The river and its tributaries run through the second largest jungle in the world (the first also being that of the Amazon ).
Summary
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- 1 History
- 1 River name
- 2 Geography
- 1 Sections of the Congo River
- 3 Existing species
- 4 Sources
History
The mouth of the Congo was known to Europeans since the Portuguese Diogo Cão reached its waters in 1484. In the 19th century, no one could imagine that the Lualaba , which advances relentlessly north, and the Congo River that runs to the south-western part to empty in the Atlantic, after crossing half the continent, they were the same river, it was thought that the first could be part of the main current of the Nile, this thesis was defended among others by the explorer David Livingstone , who traveled the Lualaba in his expedition of 1866, while the second was mistaken for the mouth of the Niger River by the explorer and naturalistMungo Park that between the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century, crossed the Niger River.
European exploration continued with the British attempt by James Kingston Tuckey who, in 1816, tried to go up the Congo River from its mouth, managing to advance 480 km inland but did not overcome the Livingstone Falls that slowed its advance. It was not until 1877 that the exploration of the river was completed, when Henry Morton Stanley traveled it completely, starting from the Lualuba until he reached Boma , on the Atlantic coast. During colonial times, large wheeled steamers were transported piece by piece on the shoulders of porters from the coast to the navigable part of the Congo to save the fearsome Livingstone Falls .
The first steam-powered ship in the Congo was brought by the Stanley expedition in 1878 . Stanley explored this vast territory of Central Africa on behalf of King Leopold II , King of Belgium . On November 24, 1878 the King, who was actually the personal owner of the Congo , since he had bought these territories with his personal fortune (the article does not say to whom) decided to reorganize an exploration trip through the area of the Congo River, started from the west coast. It was his purpose to establish colonies and settlements along the journey.
River name
Before the Portuguese colonization of the area, the natives called the river Nzere or Nzadi, which in the language of the Bakongo ethnic group , meant “the river that swallows other rivers.” The Portuguese explorer Diogo Cão , who was the first European to visit its mouth, called it the Zaire River, due to a distortion of the name given by the indigenous people. This denomination persisted until the 18th century, in which it began to be named as the Congo River, by the Congo or Bankongo ethnic group, which dominated almost the entire river basin. Between 1971 and 1997, the government of Zaire, the name that the Democratic Republic of the Congo had during the dictatorship of Mobutu Sese Seko, wanted to change the name of the Congo River to the Zaire River, but this change was ignored by many countries, including highlight the neighboring Republic of the Congo.
Geography
At the lowest part of the falls, the Lualaba becomes the Congo River.
The Congo originates in Kundelengu , south of Shaba and empties into the Atlantic Ocean . The cities that are located on its shores are mostly the capitals of the countries. It has its birth in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which it gives its name as well as the neighboring Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville). In this high course, in which it receives the name of the Lualaba River, it follows a constant path towards the north, until it reaches the Boyota Falls , near the city of Kisangani, at which time it turns west, forming a wide curve.
The Boyoma Falls , formerly known as Stanley Falls are a group of seven waterfalls that stretch for more than a hundred kilometers over the Lualaba River, near Kisangani (formerly Stanleyville) in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The total drop is 61 meters. At the lowest part of the falls, the Lualaba becomes the Congo River. A railway line overcomes the unevenness caused by the falls and that prevents river navigation, linking the cities of Kisangani and Ubundu .
Although the Livingstone Falls prevent access to the navigable area of the Congo from the sea, there is a railway that bridges the distance. Much of the Central African trade passes through this railroad, carrying goods from the port of Boma to the navigable part of the Congo.
The Congo crosses the Equator twice and is easily navigable in long-distance sections, particularly between Kisangani and Lake Malebo , where the river is wide and deep for 1,685 km. In this lake that supposes a widening of the river, are the capitals Kinshasa and Brazzaville.
A little further west of Kinshasa the stream narrows and falls down a chain of waterfalls created by a series of deep canyons, known as the ‘Livingstone Falls’, where it flows violently, the Congo only calming towards Matadi (at 116 Km. From the Atlantic Ocean) and Boma (about 70 Km. In a straight line). Eventually it flows into a narrow flood plain through an estuary (a single channel) that is almost 5 km wide near the small town of Muanda .
Stretches of the Congo River
Head: the Lualaba River From the source to Kisangani, where the Boyota falls end: considered as the upper course, with 1,800 km. The river is often narrow, winding and cut by waterfalls or rapids because of the mountains and plateaus that it crosses, it always runs in a northern direction.
Middle course Includes Upper Congo and Middle Congo. In this route of approximately 1,700 km, the river turns west, forming a great curve and crosses the vast central plain of the country. Its route is leisurely and is strewn with islands and sandbanks. Its width can reach up to 25 to 30 km, in Makanza, forming a network, along with its tributaries of some 13,000 km of navigable waterways.
Upper Congo. It goes from Kisangani to Mbandaka Middle Congo. From Mbandaka to Brazzaville / Kinshasa.
Lower course or Lower Congo From Brazzaville / Kinshasa to the mouth. It is divided into two parts: From Kinshasa to Matadi (350 km), the river crosses the Bangu Mountains , also called the Crystal Mountains, and has 32 waterfalls that make navigation impossible. From Matadi to the ocean (137 km), the calm river makes it possible to go up the sea boats. Between Boma and Banana , low, swampy islands divide the river into multiple arms.
Existing species
There are several of the rarest species in the world, some of them are: Goliath Tiger Fish . It lives, in the open waters of central Africa, mainly in the Congo River, which is where the largest pieces occur, we also find it, in the Zambezi and Sanyati rivers that are tributaries of Lake Kariba, on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe
Congo catfish . Electric catfish belong to the Malapteruridae family, of several species of freshwater catfish with the ability to produce electrocution of more than 350 V, using electroplates from an electric organ. Its electrical organs consist of a membrane of nerve endings that extend over the entire back. These fish are found in various parts of Africa, usually nocturnal and feed primarily on other fish, incapacitating their prey with electric shock. They can reach 9 dm in length and 18 kg in weight. This family does not have a dorsal or end fin. It has been known for several millennia in Ancient Egypt.
Elephant Fish . These fish, like those of the American group of Gymnotiformes, have a low intensity electrical discharge organ (OED), which helps them to communicate, identify objects, fish and other beings that are in the water, which is Especially useful in the muddy waters with reduced visibility in which they live, thus adapting to the great depths of the Congo River. It also allows them to function very effectively at night, in the total absence of light.
