The Congo River is the second longest river in Africa, after the Nile. The river with an area of 4,014,500 km² is also the river with the third largest volume of water in the world.
The river that flows along 2,570 km in the continent of Africa, has a depth of 220 meters, and is recorded as the deepest river in the world.
The Congo River or Nzadi Congo, in the Congo language, was formerly called the Zaire River. The name of the Congo River comes from the Kingdom of Congo which previously stood on the banks of the Congo River. This large river drains 23,000 m³ to 75,000 m³ of water into the Atlantic Ocean every second.
The Congo River gets its water from Lake Mweru and Lake Tanganyika. The two lakes are the source of water for the Lualaba River, which stretches for 1,800 km, from the upper reaches of Boyoma Falls. The water from the Lualaba River flows into the Congo River.
The deepest river in the world flows along the Congo rainforest across two countries, namely the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of The Congo. The second longest river in Africa has a number of tributaries, among which are the Lefini River, Kwango River, Sankuru River, Fimi River, Kwa-Kassai River, Lukenie River, Sangha River, Uele River, Mbomou River and Inkisi River.
The Congo River flow was formed during the Pleistocene, 1.5 - 2 million years ago. This ancient river is rich in various species of fish. In the Congo River basin, live about 700 species of fish, such as catfish, elephant fish, cave fish, and others. Apart from fish, there are also various other animal species, such as turtles, pygmy crocodiles and snails.
The Congo River is an important means of transportation for the local people. River vessels large and small can sail the wide and deep Congo River.
Aside from being a means of transportation, the Congo River and its tributaries are also used to generate electricity, because of its large water discharge. This river flows an average of 48,000 m³ of water every second to the Atlantic Ocean, and is the river with the second strongest flow of water in the world after the Amazone River.
There are dozens of hydroelectric power plants operating in the Congo River basin. The Inga I and Inga II Dams are the largest electricity producers capable of producing 1,776 Megawatts of electricity. However, it is feared that the construction of dams for electricity generation could destroy the lives of hundreds of species of fish and other aquatic animals that live in the Congo River, and eventually cause their extinction.