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CONGO , formerly known as See also:Zaire, the largest of the See also:rivers of See also:Africa, exceeded in See also:size among the rivers in the See also:world by the See also:Amazon only. The Congo, though it has a shorter course than the See also:Nile, has a length of fully 3000 M. and a drainage See also:area estimated at 1,425,000 sq. m., with a See also:diameter of some 1400 M. either way. This vast area includes the See also:equatorial See also:basin of Central Africa and much of the surrounding plateaus. See also:West and See also:north the Congo basin is bounded by comparatively narrow bands of higher ground, while See also:east and See also:south the drainage area of the See also:river includes considerable portions of the high plateaus of east and south Central Africa. The See also:main drainage of the Congo See also:system is thus north and west, and these two directions dominate the See also:great See also:bow-like sweep of the main stream before it is deflected south on approaching the western See also:highlands, through which it finally forces a way to the See also:Atlantic Ocean. From the high lands of the south and east in which the See also:head-streams of the Congo have their origin, the See also:land falls in a See also:succession of steps, generally marked by See also:gorges or rapids in the upper courses of the streams. Besides the main stream most of theaffluents of the river are navigable for considerable distances; in all there are over 6000 m. of navigable See also:water in the Congo basin and 20,000 m. of overhanging wooded See also:banks. On the Congo alone are over 4000 islands, many of considerable length—some fifty of them are over ten See also:miles See also:long. The See also:volume of water poured into the Atlantic is at least 1,200,000 cubic ft. per second.' Head-Streams.—The most distant head-streams of the Congo are far to the north and east of those most to the south, and it is difficult to determine which stream is the " See also:parent " river. The easterly head-streams are, however, regarded generally as marking the true course of the Congo. The most remote of these rivers is the Chambezi, which, with its tributaries, rises (in See also:British territory) on the See also:southern slope of the See also:plateau between lakes See also:Nyasa and See also:Tanganyika at an See also:elevation of about 6000 ft. The See also:watershed is formed by the See also:crest of the plateau, and is perfectly distinguishable, See also:save at a spot called Ikomba, about See also:half-way between the lakes, where is a swamp which drains to both the Atlantic and the See also:Indian oceans. The Chambezi source is in 9° 6' S., 31° 20' E. Its See also:chief tributary, the Karungu, rises in 9° 5o' S., 33° 2' E. The Chozi, an affluent of the Karungu, rises in the same See also:latitude as the Chambezi, about half a degree to the east of that stream. After the junction of the Karungu and Chambezi the river flows in a south-See also:westerly direction through a fairly fertile See also:country, and receiving many tributaries becomes a large river with steep wooded banks and many islands. Its width varies greatly, from 30 yds. to 2 M. in a comparatively See also:short distance; its See also:depth is rarely less than 14 ft. In its See also:lower course the Chambezi passes through See also:papyrus marshes, and dividing into several channels, enters the vast swamp which forms the southern See also:part of See also:Lake See also:Bangweulu (q.v.). The large river, known as the Luapula (Great River), which issues from Bangweulu in 1I° 31' S. and runs south through this swamp, may be regarded as a continuation of the Chambezi, there being a channel from the one stream to the other. The Luapula on leaving the swamp bends west and then south—reaching 12° 25' S.—and approaches the watershed of the See also:Zambezi, receiving several southern tributaries. The source of its most southern affluent, and therefore the most southern point in the Congo basin, is approximately in 13° 301 S. Turning north the Luapula precipitates itself down the Mumbatuta (or Mambirima) Falls (120 17'S., 290 15' E.), the See also:thunder of which can be heard on a still See also:night for 8 or 9 m. The river, the width of which varies from 250 to 1200 yds., is almost unnavigable until below the See also:Johnston Falls (Mambilima of the natives), a See also:series of rapids extending from 11° io' to 1o° 3o' S. Below the falls the river is navigable by steamer all the way to Lake Mweru—a distance of See also:loo m. Before entering See also:Mweru (q.v.) the Luapula again passes through a swampy region of deltaic See also:character, a great part of the water escaping eastwards by various channels, and after spreading over a wide area finally passing into Mweru by See also:lagoon-like channels east of the main Luapula mouth. From Bangweulu to Mweru the fall of the river in a See also:total distance of 3 50 m. is about 700 ft. The river (known now as the Luvua) makes its exit at the N.W. corner of the lake, and bending westwards in a winding course, passes, with many rapids, across the See also:zone of the Kebara and Mugila mountains, falling during this See also:interval nearly See also:I000 ft. In about 6° 45' S., 26° 50' E. it joins the Kamolondo (otherwise Lualaba), the western main See also:branch of the Congo, which, as it flows in a broad level valley at a lower level than the eastern branch, is held by some to be the true head-stream. The Kamolondo is formed by the junction of several streams having their source on the See also:northern slope of the south-central plateau as it dips towards the equatorial basin. This escarpment contains many heights exceeding 6000 ft. The streams flowing south from it belong to the Zambezi basin, but the watershed is not everywhere clearly defined. Thus the Lumpemba (an affluent of the Lokuleshe, one of the main tributaries of the Lubudi) rises in 11° 24' S., 24° 28' E., 3 M. S. ,
1 See also:Sir See also: The annual rainfall of the basin he put at 1213'344 cub. m. and 6 m. E. of the source of the Zambezi, both streams See also:running a parallel course northward for some 15 M. There is, however, no connexion between the Zambezi and Congo systems. The Lualaba, also known as Nzilo, which is the main stream of the Kamolondo, rises at an See also:altitude of ,4700 ft., in 26°4o' E., just north of 12° S.—the watershed of the western head-streams of the Congo being everywhere north of that parallel. East of the Lualaba—between it and the Luapula—rises the river Lufira. With many windings the Lualaba and Lufira pursue a generally northerly direction, passing through the Mitumba range in deep gorges, their course being broken by rapids for 40 OP 5o M. Below Konde Rapids in 9° 2o' S. the Lualaba is, however, See also:free from obstructions. (Just above the last of the series of rapids it is joined by the Lubudi, a considerable river and the western-most of the Kamolondo affluents.) Between the rapids named and 7° 4o' S. its valley is studded with a See also:chain of small lakes and backwaters. The largest —Upemba—has channels communicating both with the Lualaba and the Lufira. In the See also:rainy See also:season the whole region becomes a See also:marsh; various See also:grasses, especially papyrus, See also:form floating islands, and the conditions generally recall the See also:sudd region of the Nile. In about 8° 2o' S. the Lualaba and Lufira unite in one of these marshy lakes—Kisalethrough which there is a navigable channel. The river issuing from Lake Kisale is called Kamolondo; it has a width varying from 300 to 1000 ft. and an See also:average depth of ro ft. From Konde Rapids to those of Dia in 5° 2o'—a distance of 300 m. there is no interruption to See also:navigation saving the floating masses of vegetation on Kisale at high water. The region watered by these western head-streams of the Congo includes See also:Katanga and other districts, which are among the most fertile and densely populated in Belgian Congo. The Upper Congo or Lualaba.—After the junction of the Luapula (Luvua) and the Lualaba (Kamolondo) the See also:united stream, known as the Lualaba or Lualaba-Congo, and here over half a mile wide, pursues a N.N.W. course towards the See also:equator. The Dia Rapids, already mentioned, are the first obstruction to navigation encountered. A mile or two lower down the Lualaba passes through a narrow See also:gorge called the See also:Porte d'Enfer. From this point as far north as 3° 10' S. the course of the river is interrupted by falls and rapids, the chief being the rapids (in 3° 55' S.) below the Arab See also:settlement of Nyangwe and those at Sendwe in 3° 15' S. In this part of its course the Congo becomes a majestic river, often over a mile wide, with See also:flat wooded banks, the only real impediments to navigation between the Dia Rapids and See also:Stanley Falls being those named. Between the junction of the two main upper branches, about 1700 ft. above the See also:sea, and the first of the Stanley Falls (1520 ft.), the fall of the river is less than 200 ft., in a distance of Soo m. During the whole of this See also:section the Lualaba receives the most of its tributaries from the east. Of these, the Lukuga connects Lake Tanganyika with the Congo system. The Lukuga (see TANGANYIKA) drains the mountainous country through which it passes, and also, intermittently, receives the overflow See also:waters of Tanganyika. The outlet from the lake is sometimes clear, sometimes silted up. The Lukuga is much broken by rapids, falling 1000 ft. during its course of some 300 m. Farther north are a number of streams which drain the See also:forest region between 4° S. and the equator, the Lubamba, the See also:Ella or See also:Lira, the Luindi and the Lowa being the most important. Their See also:sources See also:lie on an upland region west of the Albertine rift-valley. The Luindi in its See also:middle course has a See also:general width of 6o to roo yds., but the Lowa is larger, receiving two important affluents, the Luvuto from the north and the Ozo which rises in the mountains at the N.W. end of Lake See also:Kivu. The lower course of the Luindi is very tortuous. Stanley Falls.—Stanley Falls, which See also:mark the termination of the upper Congo, begin a few miles south of the equator. At this point the river forsakes the northerly course it has been pursuing and sweeps westward through the great equatorial basin. The falls consist of seven cataracts extending along a See also:curve of the river for nearly 6o m. They are not of great height—the total fall is about 200 ft.—but they effectually prevent915 navigation between the waters above and those below except by canoes. The first five cataracts are near together; only 9 M. See also:separate the first from the fifth. The See also:sixth See also:cataract is 22 M. lower down, and the seventh, the most formidable of all the cataracts, is 26 m. below the sixth. The fall, divided into two portions by an islet, is Boo yds. wide. The channel is narrowed at the See also:foot of the fall to some 450 yds. by an See also:island See also:close to the See also:left See also:bank; on the right bank of the river is the island of Wane Rusari (2 M. long by 4 m. broad), separated from the mainland by a channel 30 yds. wide. The fall is only about ro ft.; but the enormous See also:mass of water, and the narrow limits to which it is suddenly contracted, make it much more imposing than many a far loftier cataract. Small rapids mark the course of the river for another 2 M.
The Middle Congo.—Below Stanley Falls the Congo is unbroken by rapids for 98o m., and is navigable throughout this distance all the See also:year See also:round. The river here makes a bold north-westerly
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See also:Emery See also: The velocity of the current decreases as the waters spread out, though there is always a channel from 41 to 5 ft. deep. About roo m. below the Aruwimi confluence the Loika or Itimbiri joins the main stream from the north, the Congo narrowing considerably here owing, it is supposed, to the See also:matter deposited by the Loika. At two or three other places lower down, the river is contracted to 22 or 2 M. as a result of a slight elevation in the ground, but for a distance of Soo m. no real See also: This stretch of the river, known as the "Chenal," •is 125 M. long and is free from islands, though long reefs jut into the stream. Its width here varies from 2 M. to less than 1 m. About 40 M. after the Chenal is entered the See also:Kasai (q.v.) coming from the south empties its See also:brick-coloured waters at right angles into the Congo through a chasm in the hills 700 yds. wide. The confluence is known as the Kwa mouth. The Chenal ends in the lake-like expansion of Stanley Pool, 20 M. long by 14 broad. The middle of the pool is occupied by an island (Bamu) and numerous sandbanks. Its rim is " formed by sierras of peaked and picturesque mountains, ranging on the southern See also:side from r000 ft. to 3000 ft. in height." The banks offer considerable variety in character. On the north bank are the See also:Dover Cliffs, so named by H. M. Stanley from their See also: Round the point rushes a strong current 71 knots an See also:hour, difficult to See also:stem even for a steamer. On the northern bank of the river at the western end of the pool is the See also:French See also:port of Brazzaville. South of the pool hills, low but steep, reappear, and 4 M. lower down begin the cataracts which cut off the middle Congo from the sea. Some 300 yds. above the first of these cataracts is the Belgian port of Leopoldville, connected with the navigable waters of the lower river by railway. At Stanley Pool the elevation of the river above the sea is about 800 ft., a fall of over 5oe ft. in the 98o m. from Stanley Falls. The banks of the river throughout this long stretch of country are very sparsely populated. The number of inhabitants in 1902 did not exceed 125,000. The velocity of the stream in the middle Congo varies considerably. At the Aruwimi confluence the See also:rate is from 300 to 350 ft. a See also:minute; in the broader stretches lower down the current is not more than 200 ft. a minute. Through the Chenal the See also:pace is greatly accelerated, and as it flows out of Stanley Pool the current is not less than 600 ft. a minute. The Lower Congo.—The cataracts below Stanley Pool are caused by the river forcing its way through the mountains which run parallel to the western See also:coast of the See also:continent. The highlands (known as the Serro do Crystal) consist of two See also:principal See also:mountain zones with an intermediate zone of lower elevation. The passage of this intermediate zone is marked by a fairly navigable stretch of river extending from Manyanga to Isangila, a distance of 70 m., during which the only serious rapids are those of Chumbo and Itunzima, the latter in 13° 54' E.; while above and below, rapids succeed each other at short intervals. Some eighteen main rapids or falls occur during the upper section (87 m.), in the course of which the level drops about 5o0 ft.; and about ten in the lower section (56 m.), during which the fall is about 300. The last rapid is a little above the port of Matadi, beyond which the river is navigable for large vessels to the sea, a distance of about 85 m. At Matadi the tall cliffs on either side sink awayand the river widens out into an See also:estuary with many See also:mangrove-bordered creeks and forest-clad islands of a deltaic character. This estuary is traversed by a deep See also:canon, in which soundings of 900 ft. have been obtained. The mouth of the river is in 6° S. and 12° 20' E. The cafion or See also:gully is continued into the open sea for over See also:ioo m., with depths as much as 4000 ft. below the general level of the sea See also:floor. Just below Matadi, where the width of the river is about half a mile, depths of 276 and 36o ft. have been found, the current here running at from 4 to 8 knots, according to the season; while the difference in level between high and low water is 20-25 ft. The difference in level is not due to tidal See also:action but is caused by the rainy or dry seasons, of which there are two each during the year. In the middle Congo May and See also:November are the times of greatest flood; in the lower river the floods are somewhat later. At Stanley Pool the maximum rise of water is about 15 ft. The tides are See also:felt as far as See also:Boma, 49 M. from the mouth of the river, but the rise is there less than a foot; while at the mouth it is 6 ft. The canon above mentioned is occupied by See also:salt water, which is nearly motionless. Above it the fresh water runs with increasing velocity, but decreasing depth, so that just within the mouth of the river it is only a few feet deep.
The river at its mouth between See also:Banana Point on the north and Sharks Point on the south is over 7 M. across. Banana Point (which grows no bananas) is the end of a long sandy 'See also:peninsula, its highest spot not more than 6 ft. above high water; Sharks Point is bolder and shaped somewhat like a See also:reaping-See also:hook with the point turned inward, thus enfolding Diegos See also:Bay. The current of the river is perceptible fully 30 M. out to sea, the See also: It rises in 1° N., 28°30' E., and flows W. in a tortuous course. Below the Lindi Falls in 1° 20' N., 26° E. it is navigable, a distance of over roo m. A mile or two above its confluence with the Congo it is joined by the Chopo, a more southerly and less important stream. The basins of these two rivers do not extend to the See also:outer Congo watershed, but the next feeder, the great Aruwimi, rises, as the Ituri, in close proximity to See also:Albert See also:Nyanza, flowing generally from east to west. It is formed of many branches, including the Nepoko from the north, and its upper basin extends over 21° of latitude. The upper river, to about 27° E., is much broken by rapids, but apart from those of Yambuya in 24° 47' the lower river is nearly free from obstructions. To Yambuya, the limit of navigation from the mouth of the Aruwimi, is a distance of over 90 M. The Aruwimi flows almost entirely through the great equatorial forest, which here seems to reach its maximum See also:density. Its confluence with the Congo is in 1° 12' N., 23° 38' E. On its north bank just above the mouth is the station of Basoko. The next tributary, known as the Loika, Itimbiri or Lubi river, rises in about 26° E., and, flowing generally west, joins the Congo by two mouths, 22° 35'-46' E. The Loika is navigable by steamers as far as the Lubi Falls, a distance of 150 M. The Mongala, the next great tributary to join the Congo, drains the country between the Loika to the east and the Ubangi to the west. It rises in about 30 N., 23° 20' E., and flows in a somewhat similar curve (on a smaller See also:scale) to that of the Ubangi. The Mongala is navigable for over 300 m., and gives See also:access to a fertile See also:rubber-producing region. The Mongala confluence is in r° 53' N., 19° 49' E. Below the Ubangi confluence the Sanga, in 1° 12' S., 16° 53' E., joins the Congo. The Sanga rises in the north-west See also:verge of the Congo basin and flows in a general north to south direction. Its lower course is tortuous, as it flows across level, often swampy, plains. The main northern branch rises in southern See also:Adamawa in about 70 N., 150 E. An almost equally large western branch, the Dscha (or Ngoko), rises in about 30 N., 131 E., and after flowing W. for Too m. makes a sudden bend S.E., joining the main stream in 1° 40' N., 16° E. In its course it traverses a vast See also:tract of uninhabited forest. The Sanga is navigable by steamers as far as the south-east corner of the See also:German See also:colony of Cameroon, a distance of 350 M. The Likuala and Alima, which join the Congo within 30 M. of the mouth of the Sanga, are much smaller streams. The Lefini (mouth in 2° 57' S., 16° T4'E.) is the last stream of any size to join the Congo above Stanley Pool. Southern Tributaries.—The first of the southern tributaries of the middle Congo, the Lomami, enters the main stream in o° 46' N., 24° 16' E. It has a length of over 700 m., rising in nearly 9° S. It flows S. to N., the greater part of its course being parallel to and from 40 to 150 M. west of the upper Congo. It is comparatively narrow and tortuous, but deep, with a strong current, and is hardly broken by rapids north of 41° S. About 3° S. it traverses a region of swamps, which may have given rise to the reports once current of a great lake in this locality. For the last zoo m. it is navigable by steamers. Below the mouth of the Lomami there is a long stretch with no southern tributary, as t'he great See also:plain within the Congo bend is drained by streams flowing in the same direction as the middle Congo—east to west. The Lulanga (or Lulongo), about 400 M. long, enters in•o° 40' N., 18° 16' E. Its northern branch approaches within 20 in. of the Congo in its upper course. The main branch of the Ruki or Juapa, which enters a little north of the equator in 18° 21' E., has its rise between 24° and 25° E. and about 3° S., in the swampy region traversed by the Lomami. On See also:account of the See also:colour of its water it was named by H. M. Stanley the Black river. It is about 60o m. long and has two large southern tributaries. A few miles above the Ruki confluence the Ikelemba (some 150 M. in length) joins the Congo. The three rivers, Lulanga, Ikelemba and Ruki, and their sub-streams, have between them over loon m. of navigable waters. No rapids intercept their course. Exploration.—Unlike the Nile there are no classic associations with the Congo. A single mention made of the Zaire by See also:Camoens in the Lusiads exhausts its connexion with literature (up to the beginning of the 19th See also:century), other than in little known and semi-fabulous accounts of the See also:ancient See also:kingdom of Congo. The mouth of the river was discovered by the Portuguese See also:naval officer Diogo Cao or See also:Cam either in 1482 or 1483. To mark the See also:discovery and to claim the land for the Portuguese See also:crown he erected a See also:marble See also:pillar on what is now called Sharks Point. Hence the river was first called Rio de Padrao (Pillar river). It soon, however, became known as Zaire (q.v.), a corruption of a native word meaning " river," and subsequently as the Congo. In the three centuries succeeding Diogo Cao's discovery strangely little was done to explore the river. At length the British See also:Admiralty took action, and in 1816 despatched See also:Captain J. K. Tuckey, R.N., at the head of a well-equipped See also:mission. The expedition was prompted by the See also:suggestion that the Congo was identical with the See also:Niger. So slight was the knowledge of the river at that time that .the only See also:chart with any pretension to accuracy did not mark it farther than 130 M. from the mouth, a See also:state of affairs, in the See also:opinion of the admiralty, " little creditable to those Europeans who for nearly three centuries have occupied various parts of the coast " near the river's mouth. Captain Tuckey's expedition reached the mouth of the Congo on the 6th of See also:July 1816, and managed to push up stream as far as Isangila, beyond the lowest series of rapids; but sickness See also:broke out, the See also:commander and sixteen other Europeans died, and the expedition had to return. Captain Tuckey and several of his companions are buried on See also:Prince's Island, just above Boma, the point where the Congo widens into an estuary. A detailed survey of the first 25 M. of the river was effected in 1826 by the " Levin" and the " Barracouta " belonging to Captain (subsequently See also:Vice-See also:Admiral) W. F. W. See also:Owen's expedition; in 1857 Commander J. See also:Hunt, of the " Alecto," made an See also:attempt to ascend the river, but onlyreached the cataracts. Captain, afterwards Sir See also:Richard, See also:Burton attained the same limit in 1863, and also proceeded inland as far as Banza Noki (Sao See also:Salvador). In November 1872 an expedition under Lieutenant W. Grandy, R.N., was despatched from See also:England for the purpose of advancing from the west coast to the See also:relief of See also:David See also:Livingstone. So little was the Congo known, however, that See also:Ambriz was chosen as the starting-point, and the expedition marched overland. After many vicissitudes Lieutenant Grandy had to retrace his steps. He reached, See also:late in 1873, a point on the Congo below the cataracts and intended thence to push his way up stream. The See also:death of Livingstone was soon afterwards reported; and in See also:April 1874, just as Grandy was prepared to ascend the river, letters of recall brought the expedition to a close.
It was by working down from its source that the riddle of the Congo was finally solved. In 1868 David Livingstone traced the course of the Chambezi to Lake Bangweulu. In See also: Actual See also:proof was lacking, and of the course of the main river there was See also:absolute See also:ignorance. But in See also:October 1876, H. M. Stanley arrived at Nyangwe from See also:Zanzibar and from that point navigated the river over 1600 in. to Isangila —" Tuckey's Furthest "—reached in July 1877, thus demonstrating the identity of the Lualaba with the Zaire of the Portuguese. Stanley's great See also:journey marked an See also:epoch in the See also:history of Africa, politically and commercially as well as geographically. Of the many travellers who followed Stanley in the Congo basin none did more to add to the exact knowledge of the main river and its greatest tributaries—the Ubangi, the Kasai and the Lomami—than the Rev. See also:George Grenfell (1849-1906) of the Baptist Missionary Society. The Aruwimi was partly explored by Stanley in 1887 in his last expedition in Africa, and was further examined by Grenfell in 1894 and 1902. The western head-streams were largely made known by the Belgians, Capt. C. Lemaire and A. Delacommune, the last-named also mapping the upper Lomami and the Lukuga. (See also UBANGI; KASAI; LIVINGSTONE and STANLEY). See H. M. Stanley, Through the Dark Continent, &c. (See also:London, 1878) ; George Grenfell, See also:Map of the River Congo, with Memorandum (London, 1902) ; Sir H. H. Johnston, George Grenfell and the Congo (2 vols., London, 1908) ; C. Lemaire, Mission scientifique du Ka-See also:Tanga (See also:Brussels, 1901–1908) ; 17 See also:memoirs, No. 16 being the See also:Journal de route; J. K. Tuckey, Narrative of an Expedition to explore the river Zaire, &c. (London, 1818) ; E. Behm, " Proofs of the Identity of the Lualaba with the Congo " (Prot. See also:Roy. Geo. See also:Soc. vol. xvii., London, 1873) ; Le Mouvement geographique (Brussels, weekly since 1884), and the See also:geographical See also:works mentioned in the bibliography of the Congo Free State. Grenfell's map, scale 1.250,000, is of the river between Stanley Pool and Stanley Falls. For the lower river see H. Droogmans, See also:Carte du Bas Congo, scale 1.1oo,000, and Notices sur le Bas Congo (Brussels, 1900-1902). (F. R. Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
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