Table of Contents
- 1 Why is the Congo River important to people living along its shores?
- 2 How many people died in the Congo River?
- 3 What is the source of the Congo River?
- 4 What is the biggest obstacle to traveling by boat on the Congo river?
- 5 Why was the Congo River untouched by humans?
- 6 How long have people lived in the Congo River basin?
Why is the Congo River important to people living along its shores?
The river provides over 9,000 miles of navigable shipping routes in Central Africa, and a tremendous amount of goods are transported on the river every day. Further, those who live along the Congo River depend on the water to irrigate their crops of cotton, sugarcane, and tobacco.
How many people died in the Congo River?
60 people
At least 60 people died in February after a vessel carrying 700 passengers capsized on the Congo River near the village of Longola Ekoti, in Mai-Ndombe province.
How does the Congo River help Africa?
Hydroelectric power. The Congo River is the most powerful river in Africa. During the rainy season over 50,000 cubic metres (1,800,000 cu ft) of water per second flows into the Atlantic Ocean. Opportunities for the Congo River and its tributaries to generate hydropower are therefore enormous.
What wildlife lives in the Congo river?
Crocodiles, birds and hippopotami prefer the Congo’s many lakes, and along the riverbanks, you’ll find cats like leopards and lions, as well as hyenas, and rhinoceroses. Dolphins and whales are sometimes seen at the river basin.
What is the source of the Congo River?
Lake Tanganyika
Chambeshi RiverEast African RiftLake Mweru
Congo River/Sources
The sources of the Congo are in the highlands and mountains of the East African Rift, as well as Lake Tanganyika and Lake Mweru, which feed the Lualaba River, which then becomes the Congo below Boyoma Falls.
What is the biggest obstacle to traveling by boat on the Congo river?
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 Inga Falls.
Why is the Congo so important?
The Congo is an important navigational system in Africa. In the Democratic Republic of the 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) used to transport the copper production of Katanga to the coast.
What are some threats to the Congo rainforest?
Looking forward, the biggest threats to the Congo rainforest come from industrial logging and conversion for large-scale agriculture. Some environmentalists fear that the Congo could be on the verge of a massive increase in deforestation for palm oil, rubber, and sugar production.
Why was the Congo River untouched by humans?
Historically, the Congo River has been relatively unaffected by humans. This is partly due to the rugged terrain, harsh elements, and limited navigability of the river. Starting in 1482 with Portuguese explorer Diogo Cao’s, there were many attempts to traverse the river.
How long have people lived in the Congo River basin?
Modern humans have been living in the Congo River Basin for thousands of years. Over that time, they have acquired the skills and knowledge to use the forest for subsistence, shelter, tradable goods and medicinal cures among others.
Why is there a water crisis in the Congo?
Most Congolese families who are trapped in a vicious cycle of poverty spend the best part of the day just trying to secure a meal which is seldom nutritious and water seldom clean. The lack of access to safe drinking water and resulting poor hygiene puts people at risk of contracting deadly diseases.
Why is the Congo Basin important to Africa?
The Congo basin has the continent’s most important timber resources, but the timber industry is developing slowly, mainly because the interior is so inaccessible and because the cost of transporting timber to the coast is so high.