River · Zambia, DR Congo, Republic of the Congo
Congo
The Congo River winds through the vast rainforests of central Africa and is the deepest river in the world. Its powerful current generates enough force to push fresh water far out into the ocean.
Picture credit: Bsm15 (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where is the Congo?
The river starts here: Chambeshi River highlands, Zambia.
It ends in the Atlantic Ocean.
Along the way it passes: Chambeshi source, Zambia → Lake Bangweulu → Bukama, DRC → Kindu, DRC → Kisangani (Boyoma Falls) → Bumba, DRC → Mbandaka (Ubangi confluence) → Kinshasa/Brazzaville → Matadi, DRC → Boma, DRC.
Countries on the river: Zambia, DR Congo, the Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, Angola, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, Cameroon, Gabon.
The story behind it
The Congo begins as the Chambeshi River in the highlands of Zambia, then loops northward through swamps and rainforest, actually crossing the equator twice before it reaches the Atlantic Ocean. This unusual path means that somewhere along the river it is always raining season, which is why the Congo carries an enormous, steady amount of water all year round, second only to the Amazon. In some places the riverbed plunges more than 220 metres deep, deeper than almost any other river on Earth, home to strange fish adapted to total darkness. The river also powers a chain of dramatic waterfalls near Kinshasa, called the Livingstone Falls, too dangerous for boats to pass. Forest elephants, gorillas and hippos all depend on the Congo basin's wild, tangled jungle.
Questions children ask
How long is the Congo River?
The Congo River is about 4 700 kilometres long, making it the second longest river in Africa after the Nile. It begins in Zambia and flows through Central Africa to the Atlantic Ocean.
Why does the Congo River cross the equator twice?
The Congo's path curves north and then south as it loops through the rainforest, so it crosses the equator once heading north and again heading south. This helps the river carry water all year, since part of its basin is always in rainy season.
How deep is the Congo River?
In some sections the Congo plunges over 220 metres deep, making it the deepest river in the world. Scientists have found strange fish species living in its darkest, deepest stretches that exist nowhere else.
Where these numbers come from
Every figure on this page was checked against public reference sources before publication. Where sources genuinely disagree, the text says so.
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