Most of the Congo rivers are 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 is the main river in all of Central Africa. The mouth of the waterway was discovered in 1482. The person who first entered the waters of the Congo was the Portuguese Dien Kar. His main activity was trade, and the river was only an assistant in establishing commercial relations with the Kingdom of the Congo. By the way, the slave trade was the basis of the entire economy at that time. 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 beginning of the Congo was given by the Lualaba River; others are convinced that the source is the Chambesi River.
Congo is the only river in the world that crosses the equator line twice. And that is why the level of local waters is kept at the same level throughout the year. The Congo Basin is home to equatorial forests. Due to the high humidity, local flora such as ebony and mahogany, as well as oaks, can reach a height of 60 meters.
Sights:
- Livingstone Falls, located near the city of Kinshasa;
- Stanley Falls;
- National parks;
- the city of Kinshasa.
Aruvimi
Aruvimi is one of the largest tributaries of the Congo, with a total length of 1,300 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
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 first explorer 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 this name because of the long lower lip, somewhat reminiscent of the trunk of an elephant. To navigate in turbid river water, fish use electrical 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 in a position to control illegal mining, a huge number of stones are exported from here illegally.
Sights:
- waterfalls (Gozbangi, Ngolo, Elefan, Buali) and Azande rapids;
- the city of Bangui;
- nature reserve Zemongo.
