|
The First known European explorer to see and enter the Congo River was Diego Cao, in 1482.
|
|
The Congo River is named after the Kongo Kingdom. This kingdom was located near the mouth of the Congo River.
|
|
The Congo River was called the 'Heart of Darkness' by Joseph Conrad. History has painted the Congo River and the rainforest along its banks as being full of cannibals, pygmies, horrible plagues and strange beasts.
|
|
The Congo River is believed to have formed approximately 1.5 to 2 million years ago. This was the Pleistocene period.
|
|
One section of the Congo River is referred to as 'The Gates of Hell'. It is a 75 mile long stretch of rapids.
|
|
The violence that has plagued the people and the land along the Congo River includes tribal warfare, slavery, ivory harvesting, and ethnic massacres that still continue today.
|
|
The Congo River flows through the African countries Tanzania, Cameroon, Zambia, Angola, Zaire, and the Republic of Congo.
|
|
Major cities that the Congo River flows through include Novosobirsk, Barnaul, Mogochin, and Akademgorodok.
|
|
The main tributaries to the Congo River are the Kasai, Sangha, and Ubangi.
|
|
The Congo River flows into the Atlantic Ocean, discharging 1,500,000 cubic feet per second. Because at least one section of the river is always in rainy season the water flow is fairly consistent all year long.
|
|
The Congo River is the second longest river in Africa. The first is the Nile River.
|
|
Although many people think of Africa as being hot and dry, the Congo River gets approximately 90 inches of rainfall each year.
|
|
The Congo River has been a major source of transportation for people in Africa for many hundred years. There are still few roads and railways and the river is relied on for much of the transportation in the region.
|
|
The people living along the Congo River use the water to irrigate their crops which often include cotton, sugarcane, and tobacco.
|
|
Although used for transportation the Congo River is also home to sections that are impossible to navigate including rapids, waterfalls, and many islands (approximately 4,000 islands).
|
|
There have been approximately 700 species of fish discovered in the Congo River's waters but it is believed there are many more. The Congo River is also important to many animals including giraffes, gazelles, zebras, buffalo and antelope, which graze upon the grass growing on its banks.
|
