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Back to Africa Landmarks - The Congo River

	The Congo River Basin is found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and parts of the Republic of the Congo. The Basin also extends into the neighbouring regions of Cameroon, Zambia, Angola and the Central African Republic. The size of the basin is 1,400,000 sq. miles/3,600,000 sq. km. It contains an enormous rain forest, which is a quarter of the world’s tropical forests. The Congo River measures 4,370 km in length, making it the second longest river in Africa. Because it flows near the Equator, the region has a tropical climate with high temperatures and regular rainfalls.
This allows the river to be surrounded by tropical rain forests. Many different kinds of animals and over 200 species of fish are found in this Basin. The Congo River and its various tributaries allow the people of this region to communicate and trade with each other. It also serves as a means of transportation of goods and people. Some areas in the interior of the DRC and the Republic of the Congo can only be reached by the Congo River and its tributaries. The DRC benefits from several large scale hydroelectric power projects placed in this river. One of the problems of the Congo River Basin is that there are only a few bridges that cross the river and its tributaries. Once more funding is available, more bridges may be built to allow for better transportation for the people of the Congo. Many people (indigenous people) living in the forests of the Congo River Basin depend on the forest for their livelihood. With more logging and bushmeat hunting taking place, the people and animals in the forest are finding it increasingly hard to survive in their own habitat.
For more information, please visit:
http://www.congo-pages.org/congo.htm http://library.thinkquest.org/16645/the_land/congo_river.shtml http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/where_we_work/africa/what_we_do/ central_africa/congo_basin_forests/index.cfm http://concise.britannica.com/ebc/art-201 http://www.scienceinafrica.co.za/2006/march/desertification.htm http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=45563&SelectRegion= East_Africa,%20Great_Lakes http://www.worldwildlife.org/wildplaces/congo/index.cfm
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