EXAMPLE OF MAJOR RIVER REPORT – ‘A’ level
THE CONGO RIVER
By Mr Ken
The Congo River is located in the continent of Africa. This river is also known as
the Zaire River. It is the second largest river in the world based on the amount of
water it discharges, along with being the deepest river in the world. The Congo
River measures approximately 4 700 kilometres in length.
The sources of the Congo River are in the highlands and mountains of the East
African Rift. The river’s sources are also Lake Tanganyika and Lake Mweru which
feed the Lualaba River, which then become the Congo River. The mouth of the
river is found under Cabinda which flows into the South Atlantic Ocean. The river
runs through the countries; Zambia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo, and
Cabinda.
The Congo River travels through some major cities in the country Democratic
Republic of Congo. These include the city Kisangani, found in the heart of Africa’s
rainforests, Mbandaka, and Kinshasa the capital city (also known as Zaire). When
the Congo River reaches the Atlantic Ocean, it travels through the small city of
Muanda in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The river also travels through the
capital city of Congo, called Brazzaville.
The Congo River is important to many people in Africa and is used in many ways.
Before roads and railways were built, the Congo was used to carry and deliver
items for trade from central Africa to the west coast by large river steamers and
barges. The river steamers would carry things like copper, sugar, coffee and
cotton. This still happens today. The Congo River is one of the most powerful
rivers in the world with a lot of water flowing through it. Hydropower plants have
been built along the river to create power for the neighboring cities. Dams have
also been built along the edge of the river to keep more water in the area. Many
people use water from the Congo for agriculture and farming, along with fishing.
However there are negative effects of development on and around the Congo
River. When dams are built more land and forest needs to be cleared meaning a
loss of trees and wildlife. Mining is occurring around the river leaving pollution
and waste to flow in the river system. As the river flows through many major
cities, the river can become polluted due to rubbish and waste being thrown into
the river. Whatever waste is put into the river travels out into the South Atlantic
Ocean.
The Congo River gets its name from the ancient Kingdom of Kongo which inhabited
the lands at the mouth of the river. The Democratic Republic of the Congo and
Congo, are countries found lying along the river's banks, which are named after
the Congo River. Between 1971 and 1997 the government of Zaire called the
Congo River, the Zaire River.
Information sourced from Rivers Around The World- The Congo.