Uncover the main rivers of Africa. On this web page is a information to 5 well-known African rivers, with photos and fascinating details…
African Rivers
The foremost rivers of Africa embody the Nile, Congo, Niger, Zambezi and Orange. These 5 well-known African rivers are of important significance to a continent wherein many individuals reside in poverty and plenty of areas are dry.
Rivers in Africa carry life to in any other case infertile and barren areas, enabling individuals to develop crops, catch fish and transport pure sources. Additionally they present a precious habitat to an enormous vary of animals.
African rivers have introduced explorers and missionaries into the continent’s heartlands and to at the present time are a supply of fascination for anybody within the continent’s historical past and geography.
Main Rivers of Africa: Index
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Main African Rivers
Nile River
- Supply: Lake Victoria, Uganda (White Nile); Lake Tana, Ethiopia (Blue Nile)
- Size of the White Nile: 4,130 mi (6,650 km)
- Flows by way of: Uganda, South Sudan, Sudan, Egypt.
- Flows previous: Jinja, Juba, Khartoum, Aswan, Luxor, Cairo
- Discharges into: the Mediterranean from the Nile Delta, Egypt
- Common discharge: 98,800 cu ft/s (2,800 m3/s)
The Nile is the longest African river and both the longest or second-longest river on this planet (by some calculations, the Amazon is longer). It flows northwards from East Africa, ultimately discharging into the Mediterranean on the Nile Delta on the coast of Egypt.
The Nile River has two main tributaries: the White Nile and the Blue Nile. The White Nile is the longer of the 2, however contributes solely 20% of the water the place they be part of close to Khartoum in Sudan. The Blue Nile has its supply in Ethiopia.
The British explorer James Speke was the primary European to establish Lake Victoria because the supply of the White Nile. In 1770 he adopted the White Nile to the place it flowed out of Lake Victoria in Uganda through the waterfall that he named Ripon Falls.
The origin of the White Nile’s waters stays undetermined, with some trendy explorers claiming that the primary drops of water destined to kind the Nile rise within the mountains of Burundi, whereas others state {that a} river from the forests of Rwanda ought to have this honor.
The Nile valley has been populated for a minimum of 6,000 years. It was a middle for early civilizations in Egypt and Sudan, and an space of nice cultural significance. The waters of the River have sustained agriculture, tradition, transport, commerce and tourism for hundreds of years in Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt.
The annual flooding of the Nile used to supply fertile silt for the cultivation of crops, however because the Aswan Excessive Dam was accomplished within the Nineteen Sixties, the degrees of water have been regulated to stop flood harm.
Right this moment, management of the waters of the Nile is a vital geopolitical subject, as nations alongside the course of the River construct dams, entice water circulation for hydroelectric schemes and make the most of an increasing number of of the water for the wants of their rising populations.
The Nile is probably the most well-known of all African rivers, and one of many best-known rivers on this planet.
Fascinating Truth: The River Nile has flowed alongside the identical course for a minimum of the previous 30 million years.
Congo River
- Supply: Chambeshi River, northeast Zambia
- Size: 2,922 mi (4,700 km)
- Flows by way of: Republic of the Congo and Democratic Republic of the Congo; the tributaries additionally drain areas of Cameroon, Central African Republic, Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zambia and Angola.
- Flows previous: Bukama, Kisangani, Lisala, Mbandaka, Brazzaville and Kinshasa.
- Discharges into: Atlantic Ocean at Moanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Common discharge: 1,476,153 cu ft/s (41,800 m3/s)
The Congo River is the second-longest river in Africa and the ninth longest on this planet. It discharges a large quantity of water at its mouth, second solely to the Amazon on this respect. It is usually the deepest river on this planet, being 720 ft (220 m) deep in locations. The Congo is the one river on this planet that crosses the equator twice.
This highly effective river conjures up photographs of rainforest animals resembling gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos, forest elephants, okapis and various kinds of monkey, all of which could be discovered alongside its banks. The Congo River basin has the very best range of fish species of any African river system.
The present place of the River turned established 1.5–2 million years in the past, and its course as we speak contains many rapids, waterfalls, swamps, lakes and islands.
The primary European to see the Congo River was the Portuguese explorer Diogo Cão, who sailed into the estuary in 1842.
The decrease reaches of the River are solely navigable for 100 miles earlier than the beginning of the 32 giant rapids referred to as the Livingston Falls. Nevertheless, from Brazzaville and Kinshasa, going inland, the center reaches of the River supply greater than 1,250 mi (2,000 km) of navigable waterways.
The waterways permit the transport and commerce of products resembling cotton, espresso, timber, minerals and rubber from many locations the place there is no such thing as a entry by street. It’s estimated that 75 million individuals reside within the Congo River basin as we speak, a lot of whom are reliant upon this mighty River for his or her livelihoods.
Fascinating Truth: The Congo River doesn’t kind a delta the place it flows into the ocean, which is uncommon amongst giant rivers. As an alternative, the massive volumes of water enter the ocean by way of a slender, deep channel. In reality, the water circulation has carved an underwater canyon that stretches 85 km out to sea and is over 3,200 ft (1,000 m) deep in locations.
Niger River
- Supply: Guinea
- Size: 2,611 mi (4,200 km)
- Flows by way of: Guinea, Mali, Niger, Nigeria
- Flows previous: Tembakounda, Bamako, Timbuktu, Niamey, Onitsha
- Discharges into: Gulf of Guinea from the Niger Delta, Nigeria
- Common discharge 197,373 cu ft/s (5,589 m3/s)
The Niger River, the third longest river in Africa, rises within the mountains in southwestern Guinea, West Africa.
Regardless that its supply is barely 150 mi (240 km) from the Atlantic Ocean, the Niger River doesn’t circulation in the direction of the ocean. As an alternative, it flows inland, straight into the Sahara Desert. It makes a large arc and turns southeast close to the traditional metropolis of Timbuktu in Mali, thereafter flowing southwards to the Niger Delta, the place it enters the Atlantic Ocean through the Gulf of Guinea.
The British explorer Mungo Park mounted two expeditions (in 1795 and 1804) to establish the River’s course from supply to mouth. He tried to paddle a ship all the distance and was a lot tormented by native tribesmen, who made quite a few assaults on his boat as he handed.
Park’s celebration was nicely armed and repulsed the assaults, killing many tribesmen within the course of. Finally nevertheless, one such assault noticed his boat run aground. Park was pressured to desert the craft and subsequently drowned, leaving his quest to achieve the river’s mouth incomplete.
Solely in 1830 did the British brothers Richard and John Lander lastly affirm that the River discharges into the Atlantic by way of the Niger Delta.
Many of the Niger River is navigable, though bigger industrial ships are restricted to the decrease reaches and to instances when the water ranges are excessive. Smaller boats can journey simply alongside the River and its waterways have been used for buying and selling and journey for hundreds of years.
Within the center reaches, simply earlier than the River reaches Timbuktu, the gradient of the land turns into shallower and the water spreads out, forming quite a few interlinked streams, marshes, channels and lakes. That is the Internal Niger Delta, a fertile oasis within the surrounding dry Sahel of Mali. It floods seasonally and is necessary for the cultivation of crops and as a refuge for 1000’s of birds.
Town of Timbuktu originated round 1,000 years in the past as a spot of assembly between Saharan pastoralists and riverboat merchants. It was an necessary location for the commerce of gold and slaves throughout the center ages and a significant heart of studying and Islamic scholarship.
Fascinating Truth: The Niger Delta was, at one time, referred to as the “Slave Coast” as a result of nearly half of the slaves exported from Africa throughout the time of slavery got here from this space.
Zambezi River
- Supply: Mwinilunga, northwestern Zambia
- Size: 1, 599 mi (2,574 km)
- Flows by way of: Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola, Zambia, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique.
- Flows previous: Cazombo, Mongu, Katima Mulilo, Livingstone, Kariba, Tete.
- Discharges into: Indian Ocean from Mozambique
- Common discharge 172,335 cu ft/s (4,880 m3/s)
The Zambezi is the longest eastward-flowing river in Africa. It’s thought-about to be comparatively pristine and unexplored, and is house to many nice wildlife areas and populations of spectacular animals and birds.
The higher Zambezi is usually slow-flowing as a result of flat topography of the land. In locations, it kinds floodplains the place the River is shallow and as much as 15 mi (25km) vast. The higher reaches are sparsely populated and the annual flooding influences the individuals’s lives since they’ve to maneuver their houses and inventory to larger floor.
David Livingston, the British missionary and explorer, adopted the Zambezi alongside its center and decrease reaches. In 1855 he found and named the Victoria Falls, often known as Mosi-oa-Tunya (‘the smoke that thunders’) regionally.
The waterfall is a minimum of 4900 ft (1,500 m) vast and kinds the biggest curtain of falling water on this planet. It is usually one of many seven pure wonders of the world.
Two giant dams, Kariba and Cahora Bassa, have been constructed on the Zambezi to manage water circulation and generate hydroelectricity. They’ve brought about vital modifications to the ecosystems of the Zambezi floodplains.
The Zambezi flows between Zimbabwe and Zambia, then wends its approach by way of Mozambique earlier than lastly discharging to the Indian Ocean.
Fascinating Truth: Tigerfish are widespread within the Zambezi and fishermen come from everywhere in the world to catch these feisty fish.
Orange River
- Supply: Drakensberg Mountains, Lesotho
- Size: 1,300 mi (2,092 km)
- Flows by way of: Lesotho, South Africa
- Flows previous: Upington
- Discharges into: Atlantic Ocean
- Common discharge: 12,900 cu ft/s (365 m3/s)
The Orange River is among the longest rivers south of the tropics. It rises within the Drakensberg Mountains at an altitude of 9,840 ft (3,000 m) and flows westwards throughout South Africa to its mouth on the Atlantic coast.
Initially referred to as the Gariep River, the Orange River was renamed by Dutch explorer Colonel Robert Gordon in 1779 in honor of Dutch Prince William of Orange.
Coincidentally, the waters of this African river are literally orange in locations, as a result of coloration of the suspended clay and silt.
Because the River flows westwards it enters first the Gariep Dam, then the Vanderkloof Dam, each of which act as reservoirs to produce water to the drier elements of the nation. The dam waters are additionally used to generate hydroelectricity. Additional downstream, the Orange is joined by its largest tributary, the Vaal River.
In its decrease reaches, the Orange flows by way of the Namib Desert and different arid areas. Right here, the river supplies water for irrigation schemes that permit the rising of crops resembling cereals, grapes, olives, nuts and dates.
Because of its deep, vertical-sided gorges, rapids and waterfalls such because the Augrabies Falls, the decrease reaches of the Orange will not be navigable. Sandbars and rapids block the river 30km from its mouth, stopping entry from the ocean.
Fascinating Truth: The, the Eureka Diamond – the primary present in South Africa – was found close to Hopetown on the Orange River. Right this moment, alluvial diamonds are nonetheless recovered from the Orange River, and several other diamond mines function within the decrease reaches and on the mouth.
Main Rivers of Africa: Additional Studying
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