Power source of the Congo River. Identification of sources

The Congo River ranks second among the greatrivers of the world in terms of volumes of transported water, yielding only Amazon for this indicator. At the same time, it occupies the tenth place in length. Length depending on the method of measurement can vary from 4374 to 4700 km. In any case, the catchment area of ​​the river is more than four million square kilometers. Despite the large area of ​​its basin, it ranks second in Africa in length, behind only the Nile, in contrast to which has a more stable level of runoff during the year.

What are the sources of the supply of the Congo River?

According to some sources, the Congo River is a continuationthe Lualaba River, which changes its name near the city of Kisangani, interrupted by the Stanley waterfalls. With this calculation, the main source of power of the Congo River is located on a high plateau near the border with Zambia.

There is another view of whereso large a river is born. According to the second version, the source of the Congo River is still from the Chambeshi River, originating in the swamps near Lake Tanganyika, and before getting the name of the Congo, it turns into a shallow lake Bangvelu. After this, also passing through the lakes, the river still changes its name twice to Luapula and Louvua until it flows into the river Luapula, which is considered an unconditional part of the Congo River.

Tributaries of the Congo River

Throughout its entire length the river has a largethe number of waterfalls and rapids, which makes it a very rich source of hydropower, but makes navigation difficult, which is possible only in certain areas in the middle and upper reaches. In the lower current, the passage of vessels is hampered by dozens of thresholds formed as a result of a strong drop in altitudes.

Throughout its entire length, the Congo and its tributariesactively absorb and collect water from the slopes of the surrounding mountains. Thus, an important source of food of the Congo River is atmospheric precipitation, which in the equatorial region falls off abundantly in October-November every year.

The closest to the source to the river flow into the tributaries of Louvoisand Lukuga, downstream Lomami, Ruki, Kasai and the two largest tributaries - Sanga and Ubangi. An interesting phenomenon is the confluence of the Congo with the Ubangi and Sanga rivers. During the rainy season at the intersection of rivers, a huge lake is formed, which is considered the largest seasonally flooded area in the world.

Seasonal sources of food of the Congo River

Twice a year the drainage of the river increases significantly, which is connected with heavy downpours in the mountain regions of the country. Sticking to the slopes, the water is filled with tributaries and main stream.

When stating the question in this way: determine the sources of supply of the Congo River, you can name the following factors that affect its high water content.

Initially, the river is fed by water resourceshumid mountainous region of the country. Then, flowing through the equally generous to the moisture region, collects the water running down from the mountains. Twice a year, seasonal rains irrigate all high-mountainous areas of Central Africa, which significantly affects its high water content.

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