CONGO RIVER

The Congo River basin and its drainage network. also called Zaire River, river in west-central Africa. With a length of 2,900 miles (4,700 kilometres), it is the continent's second longest river, after the Nile. It rises in the highlands of northeastern Zambia between Lakes Tanganyika and Nyasa (Malawi) as the Chambeshi River at an elevation of 5,760 feet (1,760 metres) above sea level and at a distance of about 430 miles from the Indian Ocean. Its course then takes the form of a giant counterclockwise arc, flowing to the northwest, west, and southwest before draining into the Atlantic Ocean at Banana (Banane), Democratic Republic of the Congo (Kinshasa). Its drainage basin, covering an area of 1,335,000 square miles (3,457,000 square kilometres), takes in almost the entire territory of the Congo, as well as most of that of the Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, eastern Zambia, and northern Angola and parts of Cameroon and Tanzania. With its many tributaries the Congo forms the continent's largest network of navigable waterways. Navigability, however, is limited by an insurmountable obstacle: a series of 32 cataracts over the river's lower course, including the famous Livingstone (Inga) Falls. These cataracts render the Congo unnavigable between the seaport of Matadi, at the head of the Congo estuary, and Malebo (Stanley) Pool, a lakelike expansion of the river. It was on opposite banks of Malebo Poolwhich represents the point of departure of inland navigationthat the capitals of the former states of the French Congo and the Belgian Congo were founded: on the left bank Kinshasa (formerly Lopoldville), now the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and on the right bank Brazzaville, now the capital of the Republic of the Congo. The Amazon and Congo are the two great rivers of the world that flow out of equatorial zones where heavy rainfall occurs throughout all or almost all of the year. Upstream from Malebo Pool, the Congo basin receives an average of about 60 inches (1,500 millimetres) of rain a year, of which more than one-fourth is discharged into the Atlantic. The drainage basin of the Congo is, however, only about half the size of that of the Amazon; its rate of flow1,450,000 cubic feet (41,000 cubic metres) per second at its mouthis considerably less than the Amazon's flow of more than 6,180,000 cubic feet per second. While the Chambeshi River, as the remotest source, may form the Congo's original main stream in terms of the river's length, it is another tributarythe Lualaba, which rises near Musofi in the Katanga (Shaba) region of Congo (Kinshasa)that carries the greatest quantity of water and thus may be considered as forming the Congo's original main stream in terms of water volume. When the river first became known to Europeans at the end of the 15th century, they called it the Zaire, a corruption of a word that is variously given as nzari, nzali, njali, nzaddi, and niadi and that simply means river in many African dialects. It was only in the early years of the 18th century that the river was first called the Rio Congo, a name taken from the kingdom of Kongo that had been situated on the lower part of the river's course. During the period (197197) when the Democratic Republic of the Congo was called Zaire, the government also renamed the river the Zaire. Even during that time, however, the river continued to be known throughout the world as the Congo. To the literary-minded the river is evocative of the famous 1902 short story Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. His book conjured up an atmosphere of foreboding, treachery, greed, and exploitation. Today, however, the Congo appears as the key to the economic development of the central African interior. also called Zaire River, river in west-central Africa, rising in Zambia as the Chambeshi River and flowing in an arc through Congo (Kinshasa), and along the Congo (Kinshasa)Congo (Brazzaville) border to the Atlantic Ocean. Its length is about 2,900 miles (4,700 km). Its drainage basin is about 1,425,000 square miles (3,700,000 square km), and its annual discharge is about 1,450,000 cubic feet per second (41,000 cubic m per second). The Congo's drainage basin takes in almost the entire territory of Congo (Kinshasa), as well as most of that of Congo (Brazzaville), the Central African Republic, eastern Zambia, and northern Angola, as well as parts of Cameroon and Tanzania. The vast basin is covered with a dense and ramified, fan-shaped network of tributaries, subtributaries, and small rivers that flow downward into a central depression from surrounding concentric slopes ranging from 900 to 1,500 feet (270 to 460 m) in elevation. The Congo's major tributaries are the Ubangi, Kwa, and Sangha rivers. From its source to its mouth, the Congo consists of three contrasting regionsthe upper Congo, characterized by confluences, lakes, and waterfalls or rapids; the middle Congo, with seven cataracts known by the name of Boyoma (Stanley) Falls; and the lower Congo, which divides into two branches forming a vast lacustrine area, called the Malebo (Stanley) Pool. The Congo has a regular flow, which is fed by rains throughout the year. A dense evergreen forest is coextensive with the equatorial climate that prevails over a significant part of the Congo basin. The forest region is bordered by belts of savanna. The river has numerous species of fish. Among the reptiles, crocodiles are the most striking species. The Congo, navigable downstream from Boyoma Falls, and its numerous tributaries form a system of navigable waterways about 10,000 miles (16,000 km) long, which has fostered the economic development of inland areas. The hydroelectric potential of the Congo basin amounts to 132,000,000 kW, or one-sixth of the known world resources, though little development has yet taken place. Additional reading Gilles Sautter, De l'Atlantique au fleuve Congo, 2 vol. (1966), discusses the Congo basin in general as well as the river itself, covering hydrology, climate, vegetation, and fishing. G.A. Boulenger, Les Poissons du bassin du Congo (1901), is a classic work on ecology. Jan Vansina, Introduction l'ethnographie du Congo (1966), synthesizes available knowledge on the subject, with a section on the relationship between fishing and social organization. Andr Huybrechts, Les Transports fluviaux au Congo (1965), analyzes the evolution and organization of traffic on the middle course of the Congo and its affluents in the period 192563, and his Transports et structures de dveloppement au Congo (1970), studies the role of transportation in the economic transformation of the CongoZaire region from 1900 to 1970. Jean-Claude Willame, Zare, l'pope d'Inga (1986), critically analyzes the economic and political implications of the Inga Dam. Roland Pourtier, Transport et dveloppement au Zare, Afrique contemporaine, 29(153):326 (1990), discusses current transportation in Zaire. Henry M. Stanley, Through the Dark Continent, 2 vol. (1878, reissued 1988), and The Congo and the Founding of Its Free State, 2 vol. (1885, reissued 1970), are classic works on African exploration, describing the author's famous descent of the Congo to Malebo (Stanley) Pool and the two upper Congo expeditions. An introduction to the river's history can be found in Peter Forbath, The River Congo (1977). Roland Pourtier Study and exploration The problem of the origin of the Congo confronted European explorers from the time that the Portuguese navigator Diogo Co discovered the river's mouth in 1482, which he believed to be a strait providing access to the realm of the mythical Prester John, a Christian priest-king. It is virtually certain that, well before the Welsh explorer Henry Morton Stanley arrived in 1877, some 17th-century Capuchin missionaries reached the shores of Malebo Pool. This exploit, however, was not followed up, even by the amply supplied Tuckey expedition, which was sent out by the British admiralty in 1816 but was decimated and had to retrace its footsteps even before it had surmounted the cataracts. Preposterous hypotheses about the river continued to be entertained, connecting, for example, the upper Niger to the Congo or maintaining that the Congo and the Nile both flowed from a single great lake in the heart of Africa. Lake Tanganyika near Bujumbura, Burundi Even after the discovery of Lake Tanganyika (see photograph) by the British explorers Richard Burton and John Speke (1858), then of the Lualaba (1867) and of Lake Bangweulu (1868) by the Scottish explorer David Livingstone, uncertainty remaineduncertainty that Stanley was to dissipate in the course of his famous expedition in 1876 and 1877 that took him by water over a period of nine months from the Lualaba to the Congo's mouth. In the interior of the Congo basin, and above all on the right bank, the final blank spaces on the map could not be filled in until about 1890, when the exploration of the upper course of the Ubangi was completed. Gilles Franois Sautter Roland Pourtier The people and the economy Life of the river peoples Three types of environment are found, either juxtaposed or in succession, along the river and its tributaries: the narrower sections, bordered by firm ground; the wider stretches, dotted with islands and accompanied by backwaters; and the zones where flooding occurs or where there are extensive marshes. Enya (Wagenia) fishing in the rapids of the Congo River near Kisangani, Democratic Republic of the Almost all the river peoples engage in fishing. Along the narrow sections, where rapids often occur, fishing is only of interest to a small number of villages. The Enya (Wagenia) of Boyoma Falls and the Manyanga living downstream from Malebo Pool attach fish traps to stakes or to dams built in the rapids themselves. Fishing of a very different nature, notably by poison, is conducted in the marshy areas, where the population is more extensive than might be imagined. Among these peoples are the water peoplethe Ngombewho inhabit the Itimbiri-Ngiri and the triangle formed by the Congo and the Ubangi. Other fisherfolk of the marshes dwell in the lagoons and the drowned forests of the region where the confluence of the Congo and the Alima, Likouala, and Sangha occurs. Despite unfavourable conditions, all these peoples are also cultivators. They raise dikes, often of monumental size, to plant cassava on the land thus sheltered from flooding. Other crops, such as sweet potatoes, bananas, and yams, are of little importance. Although the Congo basin has the continent's most important timber resources, the timber industry is still largely undeveloped, mainly because the interior is so inaccessible and because the cost of transporting timber to the coast is so high. Few modes of existence have undergone such profound changes as a result of contact with the modern world as has that of the river's fisherfolk. The growth of the towns on the banks of Malebo Pool as well as the taste of urban dwellers for river fish have served to stimulate fishing by relating it to a cash economy. It is not just a question of villagers smoking fish that they sell to passing traders. Increasingly numerous fishing crews sail up the Congo, the Ubangi, and the Kasai, well above their confluences, to fish in the shallows. Transportation The Congo is the most important navigational system in Africa. Within the territorial limits of Congo (Kinshasa) alone, there are some 8,700 miles of navigable waterway. Of this total, 650 miles are accessible at all seasons to barges with capacities of between 800 and 1,100 tons, depending upon the height of the water. The amount of goods transported by waterconsisting mainly of agricultural produce, wood, minerals, and fuelis very modest in comparison to the traffic on European rivers (for example, the commercial traffic from the port of Kinshasa does not reach a million tons), but river transport remains essential for communications with regions that are inaccessible by road, especially in the cuvette. The three principal routes, all of which converge on the downstream terminus at Kinshasa on the Malebo Pool, run from Kisangani, from Ilebo (formerly Port-Francqui) on the Kasai, and from Bangui on the Ubangi. River transport, however, falls short of the role it could play in development. It has actually declined since the states of the Congo basin became independent in 1960 because of serious problems with aging equipment, a lack of maintenance of the infrastructure, and the poor functioning of the public waterway agencies. In Congo only the section from Ilebo to Kinshasa is still important, because it constitutes the river link (the other link being a railway between Kinshasa and Matadi) by which part of the copper production of Katanga is conveyed to the coast. This network has fostered economic development in inland areas, far from the coast. Varied activities include the production of palm oil on the banks of the Kwilu, centred on the port of Kikwit, and the establishment of plantations of robusta coffee in the Kisangani area. Before such developments could be undertaken, however, it was necessary to overcome the barrier to the sea formed by the Congo's lower course. That feat was accomplished in 1898 with the opening of the railway between Matadi and Lopoldville (now Kinshasa) and in 1934 by the completion of the CongoOcean rail line on the right bank between Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire. While the river system facilitates navigation, it also hinders land transportation. Only a small number of bridges cross the Congo and its tributaries. The Kongolo rail and road bridge over the Lualaba was reconstructed in 1968, and a bridge over the Congo at Matadi was opened in 1983. Numerous projects to improve the situation nevertheless exist, notably a link between Kinshasa and Brazzaville. This project has long been under discussion, although to financial obstacles are added difficulties caused by political dissension. Several times since the two countries gained independence in 1960, such dissensions have interrupted the ferry traffic between the two capitals. The economy Petroleum and mining are the major export industries, followed by forestry and commercial agriculture. Light manufacturing (mostly shoes), sugar processing, and assembly industries also assumed greater importance in the 1980s. These activities, however, employed only a small fraction of the labour force, most of which was engaged in agriculture and the non-salaried informal urban economy. In the late 1980s, following the fall in world oil prices, Congo experienced a major financial crisis. Negotiations for aid from the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank produced agreements to privatize portions of the national economy and to reduce the national bureaucracy. Such agreements may have improved the ability of Congo to compete in the international economy; at the same time, they did little to ameliorate the poverty of much of the population. Resources Important resources include petroleum and natural gas. Large reserves of potash (potassium chloride) are found at Tchitondi (Holle), 30 miles northeast of Pointe-Noire. Iron ore is found in the south and in the western Sangha basin. Minor deposits of gold and diamonds are located in the Kouilou valley, and there are copper and lead deposits west of Brazzaville. Oil reserves are found in the coastal zone. There are also deposits of zinc, tin, uranium, bauxite, and titanium (a metallic element used in alloys). Forests of both softwoods and hardwoods cover nearly two-thirds of the country. The rivers and lakes are home to important fish resources. Power resources consist of petroleum, wood, charcoal, and the hydroelectric potential of Congo's rivers, which generate nearly all of the country's electricity. The economy Located in the centre of the African continent, the Democratic Republic of the Congowith its great size, population, and rich potentialis called upon to play an important regional and international economic role. Resources The country's main economic resource is its mineral deposits. The abundance of minerals in Katanga (Shaba) province (Swahili shaba, copper) was a source of the desire of European powers to control the area. Minerals of Katanga include copper, cobalt, zinc, cassiterite (the chief source of metallic tin), manganese, coal, silver, cadmium, germanium (a brittle element used as a semiconductor), gold, palladium (a metallic element used as a catalyst and in alloys), and platinum. The region west of Lake Kivu contains cassiterite, columbotantalite, wolframite (a source of tungsten), beryl, gold, and monazite (a phosphate of the cerium metals and thorium). Lake Kivu has a vast reserve of methane, carbonic, and nitrogen natural gases. There are deposits of iron ore in south-central Congo. Industrial diamonds are found in the central regions, and gem-quality diamonds occur in the south-central part of the country. There are gold, coal, and iron-ore deposits in northeastern Congo, and there are prospective deposits of gold, monazite, and diamonds in the northwestern regions. The diamond deposits in the western region are insignificant for industrial exploitation. Coastal Congo contains bauxite, gold, and offshore deposits of petroleum. The limestone deposits that occur throughout the country are considered to be among the richest in Africa. Congo's forest reserves cover more than half of the country and are considered to be the largest in Africa. The wide variety of wild game supplements the local diet and contributes to a certain extent to local commerce. The rivers, lakes, swamps, and ocean contain a vast reserve of fish. The country's hydroelectric resources have an estimated potential of 13 percent of the world's capacity and 50 percent of Africa's potential capacity. This tremendous potential is derived from the many rapids along the rivers of the Congo system. Thermal energy can be derived from the forests and coal and petroleum deposits, as well as the uranium deposits in Katanga. The land Relief The country is fringed by a narrow coastal plain 40 miles (64 kilometres) wide, which stretches for about 100 miles between Gabon and Cabinda. The plain rises gradually from the sea to the Mayomb Massif, a low mountain range that parallels the coast. The Mayomb peaks are quite sharp and are separated by deep river gorges. At the southern end of the range, Mount Foungouti attains 3,051 feet (930 metres). The northern peaks are lower; among them, Mount Moguindou rises to 2,132 feet (650 metres). East of the Mayomb Massif lies the Niari valley, a 125-mile-wide depression. Toward the north the terrain rises gradually to the Chaillu Massif, which reaches elevations between 1,600 and 2,300 feet on the Gabon border; toward the south the depression rises to the Cataractes Plateau. The valley is an important passage route between the inland plateaus and the coast. Beyond the Niari valley is a series of plateaus about 1,600 feet above sea level, separated by the deeply eroded valleys of tributaries of the Congo River. The Bembe Plateau lies between the Niari valley and the Chaillu Massif, while the Batk Plateau stretches northward along the Congo River from Brazzaville to Mpouya. The northeast is composed of the western reaches of the Congo basin; from the western mountains and plateaus a vast 60,000-square-mile plain slopes eastward to the Congo River. Cut by numerous Congo tributaries, the plain is swampy and floods annually. Drainage and soils The country's drainage system is dominated by the Congo River. The Congo's main tributary, the Ubangi (Oubangui) River, flows southward from the Central African Republic and forms the country's eastern border until it reaches the town of Liranga, where it joins the Congo proper. The main river continues southward to Malebo (Stanley) Pool, a shallow 300-square-mile lake, and on to Livingstone Falls before turning southwest through Congo (Kinshasa) to enter the Atlantic Ocean. The major right-bank tributaries of the Congo, all within the republic, include the Sangha, Likouala, Alima, Nkni, Lfini, Djou, and Foulakari rivers. The coastal watershed is formed by the Kouilou River, which flows southwestward for about 450 miles from its source in the plateau region to Kayes, where it empties into the Atlantic. Through the Niari valley to Makabana, where it joins the Louess River to form the Kouilou proper, it is called the Niari River. The stream is broken by numerous waterfalls, and the banks are irregular. The mouth is blocked to navigation by sandspits formed by the strong Benguela Current. About two-thirds of the country is covered with coarse-grained soils that contain sand and gravel. Lateritic soils, with a high proportion of iron and aluminum sesquioxides, characterize low-lying areas. Because of the hot and humid climate, organic matter is decomposed by rapid bacterial action before it can accumulate into humus; moreover, topsoil is washed away by the heavy rains. In the savanna regions, the fertile alluvial soils are threatened with erosion by wind as well as rain. A diverse pattern of coarse- and fine-grained soils covers the plateaus and hills. The land Relief The country's major relief features include the coastal region, two major basins or depressions, high plateaus, and three mountain ranges. The narrow coastal region is composed of a fairly low plain that runs inland from the Atlantic Ocean to the Cristal Mountains, where a high escarpment rises above the plains. Most of the country is composed of the central (or Congo) basin, topographically a vast rolling plain with an average elevation of about 1,700 feet above sea level. Its lowest point of 1,109 feet (338 metres) occurs at Lake Mai-Ndombe (formerly Lake Lopold II), and the highest point of 2,296 feet (700 metres) occurs in the hill country of Mobayi-Mbongo and Zongo in the north. This basin may once have been an inland sea whose only remaining vestiges are now Lakes Tumba and Mai-Ndombe in the west-central part of the basin. A high longitudinal basinthe western arm of the East African Rift Systemforms the country's eastern border. Along its Congo section, the depression contains Lakes Albert, Edward, Kivu, Tanganyika, and Mweru. The high plateaus border almost every side of the central basin. In the north the basin is protected by the Ubangi-Uele plateaus forming the divide between the drainage basins of the Nile and Congo rivers. Rising to between 3,000 and 4,000 feet, the plateaus also separate the central basin from the vast plains of the Lake Chad system. In the south the plateaus begin at the lower terraces of the Lulua and Lunda river valleys and rise gradually toward the east. In the southeast the ridges of the plateaus of Katanga (Shaba) province tower over the entire area; they include Kundelungu at 5,250 feet (1,600 metres), Mitumba at 4,921 feet (1,500 metres), and Hakansson at 3,609 feet (1,100 metres). The Katanga plateaus extend as far north as the Lukuga River and contain the Manika Plateau, the Kibara and the Bia mountains, and the high plains of Marungu. The northern escarpment of the Angola Plateau rises in the southwest. In the west there is a coastal plateau zone that includes the hill country of Mayumbe and the Cristal Mountains. Mount Ula at 3,446 feet (1,050 metres) is the highest point of the Cristal Mountains. The eastern part of the country is the highest and most rugged. It contains striking chains of mountains that are part of the East African Rift System. The Mitumba Mountains stretch along the Western Rift Valley, rising to an elevation of 9,800 feet above sea level. The snow-covered peaks of the Ruwenzori Range between Lakes Albert and Edward lie astride the Uganda border and contain Congo's highest elevation of 16,795 feet (5,119 metres) at Margherita Peak. The Virunga Mountains, to the north of Lake Kivu, form a volcanic range that stretches across the Rift Valley. Drainage and soils The Congo River, including its 1,335,000-square-mile basin, constitutes the main system of drainage in the country. The river rises in the high Katanga plateaus and flows north and then south to cross the Equator twice in a great arc. The lower river flows southwestward to empty into the Atlantic Ocean below Matadi. Along its course the Congo passes through alluvial lands and swamps and is fed by the waters of many lakes and tributaries. The most important lakes are Mai-Ndombe and Tumba; the major tributaries are the Lomami, Aruwimi, and Ubangi rivers and those of the great Kasai River system. There is also a link to the Western Rift Valley via the Lukuga River. There are two types of soils: those of the equatorial areas and those of the drier savanna (grassland) regions. The equatorial soils occur in the warm, humid lowlands of the central basin, which receive abundant rainfall throughout the year and are covered mainly with thick forests. This soil is almost fixed in place because of the lack of erosive forces in the forests. In the shore areas, however, swamp vegetation has built up a remarkably thick soil that is constantly nourished by humus, the organic material resulting from the decomposition of plant or animal matter. Although in the savanna regions the soils are constantly endangered by erosion, the river valleys contain rich and fertile alluvial soils. Special note should be made of the highlands of eastern Congo in the Great Lakes region, which are partly covered with volcanic lava that has been transformed into exceptionally rich soil. This is the most productive agricultural area of the country. The people Ethnic and linguistic composition About half of the Congo's inhabitants belong to the Kongo peoples, whose major subgroups include the Sundi, Kongo, Lali, Kougni, Bembe, Kamba, Dondo, Vili, and Yombe. The Ubangi people include the Makoua, Kouyou, Mboshi, Likouala, Ngala, and Bonga. The Teke and the Sanga, or Gabonese Bantu, are also divided into various subgroups. The Binga Pygmies live in small bands, usually as clients of surrounding peoples. Most of the Europeans in the Congo are French who live in the main cities. There are also small populations of foreign Africans, Portuguese, and Chinese. Except for the Pygmies, all the indigenous peoples speak their own Bantu languages. Intergroup communication and trade fostered the development of two trade languages, Lingala and Monokutuba. Lingala is spoken north of Brazzaville, and Monokutuba is common in the area between the capital and the coast. French is the official language and the medium of school instruction at all levels, as well as the language of the African upper class and the European community. Religion About half of the population practices classical African religions. The Christian community is composed of about two-thirds Roman Catholics and one-third Protestants, including members of the Evangelical Church of the Congo. There are also independent African churches: the Church of Jesus Christ on Earth by the Prophet Simon Kimbangu, the largest independent church in Africa, is a member of the World Council of Churches. Other independent churches include the Matsouana Church and the Bougist Church. Most of the small Muslim community is made up of foreigners who reside in Brazzaville or Pointe-Noire. The people Ethnic composition It is common for the modern African to prefer an identification as simply an African or as a citizen of a particular country. It is possible, however, to distinguish ethnic, linguistic, or cultural groups among the Congolese population. The Bantu peoples constitute a large majority of the country's population and occupy more than two-thirds of the national territory. They entered the region of modern Congo during the 10th to the 14th century from the west and north and established kingdoms that were flourishing at the time of European penetration after the 16th century. The major kingdoms were those of the Kongo, Teke (Bateke), Luba, Pende, Yaka, Lunda, Songe, Tetela, and Kuba peoples. Major cultural clusters today include the Mongo (in the centre), Kongo (west), Luba (south-central), Lunda (south), Bemba (southeast), and Kasai (southwest). Bantu tribes in the north and northeast include Ngala, Buja, Bira, Kuumu, and Lega (Rega). The Pygmies are considered the earliest inhabitants of the Congo basin, having arrived possibly during the Upper Paleolithic Period. The remaining Pygmiesthe Bambuti, Twa, and Babingainhabit the forests of Kibali and Ituri and the regions of Lakes Kivu and Tanganyika and the Lualaba, Tshuapa, Sankuru, and Ubangi rivers. There are other small non-Bantu African populations. The Sudanese groups who settled in the north include the Zande (Azande), Mangbetu, Banda, and Barambu (Abarambo). The Nilotic peoples live in the northeast; they include the Alur, Kakwa, Bari, Lugbara, and Logo. Hamitic peoples from North Africa and Rwanda are few; they include the Tutsi, who live in the lake region. The permanent European and Asian population comprises about half of the country's aliens. Most of them came to Congo for temporary employment. Much of the remaining alien population is composed of Africans of non-Congolese nationality. Linguistic composition More than 200 languages and dialects are spoken in Congo. Communication between groups has been facilitated by four national languages: Swahili, Tshiluba (Kiluba), Lingala, and Kikongo. French is the only official language and the language of instruction, business, adminstration, and international communications. The four national languages are used in local trading and radio broadcasting. Lingala is growing rapidly; it is the official language of the military and is widely spoken in Kinshasa, where it is used in popular music.