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Geography
The map of Democratic Republic of Congo from CIA World FactbookMain article:
Geography of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Satellite image of Democratic Republic of the Congo, generated from raster
graphics data supplied by The Map LibraryThe Congo is situated at the heart of
the west-central portion of sub-Saharan Africa and is bounded by (Clockwise from
the southwest) Angola, the Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic, the
Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania across Lake Tanganyika, and Zambia. Its
territory also straddles the Equator, with one-third to the north and two-thirds
to the south. The size of Congo, 2,345,408 km˛, is comparable to that of Western
Europe.
As a result of its equatorial location, the Congo experiences large amounts of
precipitation and has the highest frequency of thunderstorms on Earth. The
annual rainfall can total upwards of 80 inches in some places, and the area
sustains the second largest rain forest in the world (after the Amazon). This
massive expanse of lush jungle covers most of the vast, low-lying central basin
of the river, which slopes toward the Atlantic Ocean in the west. This area is
surrounded by plateaus merging into savannas in the south and southwest, by
mountainous terraces in the west, and dense grasslands extending beyond the
Congo River in the north. High, glaciated mountains are found in the extreme
eastern region.
The tropical climate has also produced the Congo River system which dominates
the region topographically along with the rainforest it flows through, (though
they are not mutually exclusive). The name for the "Congo" state is derived from
that of the river, along with that of the Kongo Empire which controlled much of
the region in precolonial times. The river basin (meaning the Congo River and
all of its myriad tributaries) occupy nearly the entire country and an area of
nearly one million square kilometers (400,000 sq mi). The river and its
tributaries (major offshoots include the Kasai, Sangha, Ubangi, Aruwimi, and
Lulonga) form the backbone of Congolese economics and transportation, they have
a drastic impact on the daily lives of the people. The sources of the Congo are
in the highlands and mountains of the East African Rift, as well as Lake
Tanganyika and Lake Mweru. The river flows generally west from Kisangani just
below Boyoma Falls, then gradually bends southwest, passing by Mbandaka, joining
with the Ubangi River, and running into the Pool Malebo (Stanley Pool). Kinshasa
and Brazzaville are actually on opposite sides of the river at the Pool (see
NASA image), then the river narrows and falls through a number of cataracts in
deep canyons (collectively known as the Livingstone Falls), and then running
past Boma into the Atlantic. The river also has the second-largest flow and the
second-largest watershed of any river in the world (trailing the Amazon in both
respects). The river and a forty-kilometre-wide strip of land on its north bank
provide the country's only outlet to the Atlantic, otherwise it would be
completely landlocked.
The previously mentioned Great Rift Valley, in particular the Eastern Rift,
plays a key role in shaping the Congo's geography. Not only is the northeastern
section of the country much more mountainous, but due the rift's tectonic
activities, this area also experiences low levels of volcanic activity. The
rifting of the African continent in this area has also manifested itself as the
famous Great Lakes which lie on the Congo's eastern frontier. The country is
bordered in the east by two of these: Lake Albert and Lake Tanganyika. Perhaps
most important of all, the Rift Valley has endowed most of the south and east of
the Congo with an enormous amount of mineral wealth. These include cobalt,
copper, cadmium, petroleum, industrial and gem diamonds, gold, silver, zinc,
manganese, tin, germanium, uranium, radium, bauxite, iron ore, and coal.
On January 17, 2002 Mount Nyiragongo erupted in Congo, with the lava running out
at 40mph and 50 yards wide. One of the three streams of lava emitted flowed
through the nearby city of Goma, killing 45 and leaving 120,000 homeless.
400,000 people were evacuated from the city during the eruption. The lava
poisoned the water of Lake Kivu, killing fish. Only two planes left the local
airport because of the possibility of the explosion of stored petrol. The lava
passed the airport but ruined the runway, entrapping several airplanes. Six
months after the 2002 eruption, nearby Mount Nyamuragira also erupted, and again
more recently in 2006. Both volcanos remain active.
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