The Congo River is a long, arcing river that flows across nine countries in western and central Africa. According to Yale University’s Global Forest Atlas, this vast body of water provides food, water, medicine, and transportation to over 75 million people in the surrounding basin.
According to Mongabay, a nonprofit environmental science and conservation news site, the Congo River zigzags twice across the equator as it runs from eastern Africa through the Congo rainforest to the Atlantic Ocean. Between its tributaries and the Atlantic Ocean, the huge river is characterized by rapids, wetlands, floodplains, lakes, and swamps.
Additionally, the Congo River is the world’s deepest river, reaching 720 feet (220 meters) in places – far too deep for light to penetrate, according to The New York Times. Additionally, it is Africa’s second-longest river, measuring around 2,920 miles (4,700 kilometers) in length, according to Phys.org. (Africa’s Nile River is the world’s longest river, measuring 4,135 miles (6,650 kilometers) in length.) Thus, the Congo River becomes the ninth-longest river in the world.
Where does the Congo river flow through?
The Congo River is the world’s deepest river. It originates in northern Zambia, between Lake Tanganyika and Lake Nyasa (Malawi), at an elevation of 1760 metres above sea level; it empties into the Atlantic Ocean.
The Congo river runs through the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, western Zambia, northern Angola, Cameroon, and Tanzania. The Congo river’s lower course is characterized by massive gorges and falls, making it one of the most dangerous rivers in the world.
The Congo river is how deep and how long is it?
The Congo river, formerly known as the Zaire, is the world’s deepest river, reaching depths of up to 220 metres at some spots; the basin covers an area of 3,457,000 square kilometers.
The Congo river is 4,700 kilometers long, making it Africa’s second longest river, the tenth longest in the world, and the world’s second greatest river in terms of discharge volume, trailing only the Amazon.
What are the Congo river basin’s environmental threats?
Deforestation to suit contemporary farming techniques is one of the primary dangers in the Congo river basin; also, industrial logging accelerates the rate of deforestation.
The other main threat is food scarcity, which results in excessive hunting of wild species such as bats, monkeys, rodents, and snakes.
