Congo river where is it

Rivers of the Green Heart of Africa. A leaf dropping in the headwaters of the Congo River will flow more than 4, km, bobbing up and down through rapids, massive waterfalls, or more leisurely along some slow currents, until it meets the Atlantic Ocean. The overall length of the Congo River is 4, km, but if one takes the Chambeshi River as the source, the total length reaches 4, km 1. That makes the Congo the second longest river of Africa after the Nile and the fifth longest in the world.

The Upper Congo ends at Stanley Falls, a km stretch of rapids. Stanley Falls signals the beginning of the Middle Congo, which runs for 1, km, forming a mostly navigable river. Governments have long fought for control of the Congo; the brutal colonial regime of the infamous King Leopold II of Belgium from to , memorialized in the novella, " Heart of Darkness , " by Joseph Conrad, was one of the bloodiest. This long river system has a unique anatomy that divides it into three distinct regions: the upper, middle and lower Congo.

The upper is made up of tributaries and rapids, the middle is mostly a steady stream, and the lower consists of gorges and falls, which can make it dangerous. The tributaries, or the smaller rivers or streams that feed the Congo River, are known as the upper Congo. The Lualaba River forms the Congo River's main tributary. It originates in the southeastern corner of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the Katanga Plateau at an elevation of 4, feet 1, m , and flows northward through the country.

It carries the most volume of water to the Congo of any of its tributaries. After 1, miles 2, km , the Lualaba River feeds into and becomes the Congo River. Another smaller and more remote tributary that flows into the Congo River is the Chambeshi River , which starts in Zambia, and flows for about miles km until it feeds into the Lualaba River near the border of Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

This larger network of rivers is sometimes referred to as the Congo-Lualaba-Chambeshi River system. These tributaries in eastern Africa flow north, and they account for the source of the middle and lower river, Stiassny said.

This upper Congo section begins to curve, and forms an arc after it passes through the equator in the central Democratic Republic of the Congo. The river features some major rapids here before reaching the city of Kisangani formerly known as Stanleyville , one of the largest cities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The upper Congo ends and becomes the middle Congo at these major rapids, which are known as Boyoma Falls formerly known as Stanley Falls , a series of seven cataracts, or large waterfalls, that are barely passable and span about 60 miles 97 km , according to the Encyclopedia Britannica. Downstream of these rapids, the river becomes relatively quiet and steady. The middle Congo is about 1, miles 1, km long and as wide as 9 miles With its proximity to large cities and ease of navigation, many area residents use this section of the river for boat transport.

After the 1,mile stretch of the middle Congo, the river slows to a virtual stand-still for 20 miles 32 km — a stretch known as Malebo Pool formerly Stanley Pool. The capital of the Republic of the Congo, Brazzaville, is on the northern river bank, while the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kinshasa, sits on the southern bank of Malebo Pool.

The pool ends abruptly with the Livingstone Falls, which feature miles km of rapids. The water plunges over deep canyons at this point, marking the beginning of the lower Congo. It's a very different kind of river than the rest of the Congo," Stiassny said. The lower Congo is an approximately mile-long km narrow channel that empties into the Atlantic Ocean. This is different from most other major rivers, which usually form a river delta, or a network of smaller rivers and streams that spill out into the ocean.

The river's speed surges here because the massive amount of water it's carrying — nearly three times more than the Mississippi River carries — is jetting out of a narrow gorge that's less than feet m across in some spots. The Congo River carries about 1. The Mississippi River , for comparison, discharges about , cubic feet 17, cubic meters of water per second on average into the Gulf of Mexico, according to the National Parks Service. It's the world's second-largest river basin, at 1. For reference, the size of India is about 1.

It's not all tropical rainforest, though. Some parts of the surrounding land are full of long grass called "barnyard grass. People live along the river and in the river basin as well. They fish in the river. They use it for irrigation to help water their peanut, cotton, tobacco, and sugarcane crops, all of which grow quickly in the humid air.

Just as has been done for hundreds and hundreds of years, people today use the Congo River for transportation, of both people and goods. It is not an uncommon sight to see a barge that is carrying wood or fuel or crops going up or down the river.