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Fun facts about Congo

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Aerial view of the Congo River near Kisangani
river

The name Congo/Kongo originates from the Kingdom of Kongo, which was named after the indigenous Bantu Kongo people.

Congo
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river

Congo

Multiple

Length
4,700 km
Mouth
Atlantic Ocean
Countries
DR Congo, Central African Republic, Angola, Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Cameroon, Zambia, Burundi, Rwanda
9th longest river in the world

The Congo River, formerly also known as the Zaire River, is the second-longest river in Africa, shorter only than the Nile, as well as the third largest river in the world by discharge volume, following the Amazon and Ganges–Brahmaputra rivers.

From the “Name” section

Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Photo: MONUSCO/Myriam Asmani · CC BY-SA 2.0

Fact 1 permalink
Aerial view of the Congo River near Kisangani
river

The Congo River transports annually 86 million tonnes of suspended sediment to the Atlantic Ocean.

Congo
Multiple
Tap to learn more
river

Congo

Multiple

Length
4,700 km
Mouth
Atlantic Ocean
Countries
DR Congo, Central African Republic, Angola, Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Cameroon, Zambia, Burundi, Rwanda
9th longest river in the world

The Congo River, formerly also known as the Zaire River, is the second-longest river in Africa, shorter only than the Nile, as well as the third largest river in the world by discharge volume, following the Amazon and Ganges–Brahmaputra rivers.

From the “Basin and course” section

Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Photo: MONUSCO/Myriam Asmani · CC BY-SA 2.0

Fact 2 permalink
Aerial view of the Congo River near Kisangani
river

The Congo basin covers ten countries and accounts for about 13% of Africa.

Congo
Multiple
Tap to learn more
river

Congo

Multiple

Length
4,700 km
Mouth
Atlantic Ocean
Countries
DR Congo, Central African Republic, Angola, Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Cameroon, Zambia, Burundi, Rwanda
9th longest river in the world

The Congo River, formerly also known as the Zaire River, is the second-longest river in Africa, shorter only than the Nile, as well as the third largest river in the world by discharge volume, following the Amazon and Ganges–Brahmaputra rivers.

From the “Drainage basin” section

Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Photo: MONUSCO/Myriam Asmani · CC BY-SA 2.0

Fact 3 permalink
Aerial view of the Congo River near Kisangani
river

The Congo River is the most powerful river in Africa, with over 50,000 cubic metres of water flowing into the Atlantic Ocean during the rainy season.

Congo
Multiple
Tap to learn more
river

Congo

Multiple

Length
4,700 km
Mouth
Atlantic Ocean
Countries
DR Congo, Central African Republic, Angola, Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Cameroon, Zambia, Burundi, Rwanda
9th longest river in the world

The Congo River, formerly also known as the Zaire River, is the second-longest river in Africa, shorter only than the Nile, as well as the third largest river in the world by discharge volume, following the Amazon and Ganges–Brahmaputra rivers.

From the “Economic importance” section

Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Photo: MONUSCO/Myriam Asmani · CC BY-SA 2.0

Fact 4 permalink
Aerial view of the Congo River near Kisangani
river

The current course of the Congo River formed between 1.5 and 2 million years ago during the Pleistocene.

Congo
Multiple
Tap to learn more
river

Congo

Multiple

Length
4,700 km
Mouth
Atlantic Ocean
Countries
DR Congo, Central African Republic, Angola, Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Cameroon, Zambia, Burundi, Rwanda
9th longest river in the world

The Congo River, formerly also known as the Zaire River, is the second-longest river in Africa, shorter only than the Nile, as well as the third largest river in the world by discharge volume, following the Amazon and Ganges–Brahmaputra rivers.

From the “Natural history” section

Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Photo: MONUSCO/Myriam Asmani · CC BY-SA 2.0

Fact 5 permalink