The answer to the question in which direction the Congo River flows should be sought in the center of the African continent. This watercourse is the first in the continent in terms of full flow and the second in length. In the world, only the Amazon has a larger stock. Congo was discovered by the explorer from Portugal D. Caen in 1482. This unique river differs from other great watercourses in that it crosses the equator line twice.
Flow direction
In which direction does the Congo River flow ? Starting from the source, they rush towards the north. The middle course of the river has a western direction. The last leg of the largest watercourse in Africa runs towards the southwest.
The source of the river Congo is located on a high plateau located in the south of the African continent. The river flows north towards the equator. The aborigines named this section of the river Lualaba. In the region of the Congo's equator, Stanley descends from a height of 40 meters in the form of 7 waterfalls. This point is the beginning of the middle course of the river, already known as Congo. Among tropical forests, the watercourse describes a huge arc, gradually changing direction: northwest, west, southwest.
River description
It is definitely impossible to answer the question in which direction the Congo River flows. It is necessary to clarify a specific area or list several cardinal points. The length of the watercourse is 4700 km. The river basin covers an area of 3.68 million km 2 . The Congo bed is located on the territory of two countries, and ends in the Atlantic Ocean.
1600 km of the watercourse from the outflow into the ocean are passable for ships. The flow of water at the mouth varies from 23 to 75 thousand m 3 / s. At this point, the width of the river is maximum and is 11 km, and the depth is up to 300 m.
River mode
The regime of the Congo River is uniform, which distinguishes it from other rivers of the tropics. The reason is that the rains do not fall in different parts of the pool at the same time. At a time when drought was in the northern hemisphere, heavy rains in the southern hemisphere, and vice versa. They balance the flow of water into the channel, because the Congo is located on both sides of the equator. Throughout the course there are many waterfalls and rapids.
River flow
After the confluence of Chambeshi and Lualaba, the watercourse takes on a calm appearance right up to the city of Kongolo. Passing the city, the channel passes through the rocks along the gorge, where it abounds with waterfalls and rapids. The river passes from the savannah to the rainforest. After the city of Kindu, Congo reaches a width of 1.5 km, the flow is quiet. Full-flowing tributaries form sandbanks in the channel.
Gradually, the Congo River reaches the edge of the plateau and cascades down a cascade of Stanley Falls. There are seven of them on the 150 kilometer stretch. The most picturesque is the last of them, which is divided by the island into two parts. Its height is about 3 m, but it produces a lot of foam, passing at a frantic speed through the narrow crevices between the shores and the island.
In the hollow, the direction of the Congo River changes smoothly, resembling an arc. The flow becomes uniform, but strong. After entering the plains, the river externally becomes like a cascade of lakes. This is actually a chain of pools (extensions). Width varies from 4 to 15 km. Moving downstream the Congo, you can see that the shores are becoming more gentle.
On both sides of the river there are marshy places that flood even with a slight increase in water level. Beginning in Bolobo, the shores become higher, and Congo enters the savannah territory. The river valley is getting deeper and narrower. Soon, the watercourse forms the Livingston Falls system . On the way to the ocean, this aquatic artery awaits several more transformations. Answering the question in which direction the Congo River flows, we can list several sections of it indicating the cardinal points to which it carries its waters.