Democratic Rep. Congo ( Zaire )
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Introduction
The Democratic
Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire) is situated in Central Africa and it crosses
the equator in the north-central region. the third largest country in Africa,
it is bordered with Central African Republic to the north, Sudan to the
northeast, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania to the east, Zambia to the
south and southeast, Angola to the southwest, and Angola and the Congo Republic
to the west.
The 2,733 mile long Congo River lies mostly within the
territory of the country. The enormous semicircular bend in the river
delineates a central depression known as the cuvette, with an average altitude
of 1,300 ft. Around this densely forested section, which covers nearly half the
area of the country, a succession of plateaus rise gradually to height of over
5,000 ft in the northeast and southeast. The highest altitudes are found along
the eastern fringe of the country, on the edge of the Great African Rift
Valley, where dislocation of the strata has produced important volcanic and
mountain masses, the most notable of which is Mt. Ruwenzori, with its peak
rising to a level of 16,795 ft.
Savannah and park forest vegetation
predominate north and south of the equatorial forest belt; the southern
savannah belt is far more extensive than the northern one. All major rivers are
tributaries of the Zaire; these include the Lomani, the Aruwimi or Ituri, the
Itimburi, the Mongala, the Ugangi, the Uélé, the Kasaim the
Sankuru, the Lulua, the Kwango and the Kwilu. The largest lakes include
Tanganyika, Albert, Edward, Kivu, Mweru, Leopols II and Tumba.
| The Africa Guide's recommended book
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Congo (Bradt Travel Guide) - (Paperback)
(amazon.com) - USA (amazon.co.uk) - Europe
the first full guidebook to
publish new information on both the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the
People’s Republic of Congo (PRC) in well over a decade. It will appeal to
travelers who are seeking to explore a new region of Africa emerging from many
years of conflict, a region that is changing rapidly as stability returns to
the region. Natural history is given due prominence in this guide, the Congo
possessing a high percentage of Africa’s remaining, intact rainforest.
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