The Five Longest Rivers in Africa

Africa, the so-called rainbow

continent is second only to Asia when considering land mass size and population. It is also generally looked at as the origin of humans. The scientific community has found that around seven million years ago, hominids are already present in the continent; and that 200,000 years ago, the earliest modern day humans lived in Ethiopia. This is is not surprising, considering how simple it is to set up camp in an region with decent river systems. Here are the leading five longest rivers in the continent.

1. Nile

Who doesn't know the Nile River, spanning 6,650 km or 4,132 miles? It is maybe the precursor to Egyptian civilization. It can be practically the lifeline of Northeastern Africa, coursing by means of 9 countries - Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Egypt, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Kenya and Rwanda and drains into the Mediterranean. Civilization has generally thrived near sizable bodies of water, and also the Nile, becoming the fertile river that it truly is, is no exception. This is apparent, even to this day, where city lights can indicate how the Nile meanders at some points. The Nile river system has many tributaries, the White Nile along with the Blue Nile being the primary tributaries. So, it was challenging for explorers to track the origin of the river and it wasn't until the late 19th century that individuals began to really comprehend the river and it has been determined that the ultimate source of the river is the Bururi Province in Burundi.

2. Congo

Now, this river, which spans 4,700 km or 2,920 miles, is the stuff that poems are produced from. Langston Hughes especially wrote about it in "The Negro Speaks of Rivers". This river is THAT awesome that not only one, but two countries are named after it - the Democratic Republic of Congo as well as the Republic of Congo. It is additionally courses by means of Angola, Burundi, Cameron, Gabon, Rwanda, Tanzania and Zambia; and it drains into the Atlantic Ocean. Prior to the railway program was established in the region, the river Is the lifeline of the people today. It's the deepest river globally and while it ranks 9th as the longest river in the world (2nd inside the African Continent), it's second only to Amazon when considering the volume of water discharged, making it one of the strongest rivers in our planet (although it needs to be stated that it has only a fifth of Amazon's volume). In point of fact, scientists have stipulated that the Congo Basin's hydropower potential can provide sufficient electricity for ALL of sub-Saharan Africa.

3. Niger

The Niger River, spanning 4,180 km or 2,597 miles, is an oddity of oddities. Geographers have been baffled by its backfire shape; the source is just 150 mi from the Atlantic Ocean but the river appeared to take its sweet time getting to the ocean, going instead into the Sahara Desert and taking a right turn into Timbuktu before heading southeast. It is additionally passes by means of Mali, Niger, the Benin border, Nigeria and discharges into the Gulf of Guinea. This river may be accessed from the sea, unlike Congo, where Livingstone Falls prevent access. In comparison to Nile, this is a comparatively clear river primarily because its sources are locations with a small amount of silt. Another unusual thing about this river will be the Inner Niger Delta, which is as if the river attempted to release even before it reached country the gulf, creating large streams and floodplains in a supposedly semi-arid location in Central Mali.

4. Zambezi

If you don't know Zambezi, you in all likelihood heard of Victoria Falls, that immense stretch of waterfalls which produces spray that shoot upward from sheer force during wet season, seemingly defying gravity. The Zambezi River, spanning 3,540 km or 2,200 miles, is its water source. The Zambezi flows into the Indian Ocean, coursing by means of Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia (which is also its source), Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Do you remember those adventure movies featuring rivers with hippopotamuses? It is more than likely an allusion to the Zambezi or the region, as the river supports hippo population as well as crocodiles and monitor lizards. Woodlands near the river also support giraffes, buffalo, zebras and elephants

5. Ubangi

The Ubangi River, 2,270 km or 1,410 miles in length, is right smack in the middle of Africa - discuss becoming the center of the center. This river will just give you a thought about how big the Congo River definitely is because this river is one of its tributaries. The origin is Bangui, which is the capital of the CAR (Central African Republic) and it forms a boundary between CAR and also the Democratic Republic of Congo.