longest river in Africa - Big Five

Three quarters of the water basin in Africa is concentrated in just eight major river. Of the five longest rivers are the Nile, Congo, Niger, Orange and Zambezi. The pure nature of Africa means that many parts of this wild river and wild. They boast world records between them as to learn how to read.

Prior to 6600 km The Nile is not only the longest river in Africa, but is also the longest river in the world andAfrica most famous waterway. It 'a pool of about 10 percent of the entire African continent, ² about 3 million miles and has two main tributaries: the White Nile, the Great Lakes region increases and has its most distant source in Rwanda, the other as a tributary of the Blue Nile to its source in Ethiopia.

They meet near Khartoum, the capital of Sudan. From here the river flows north through the Sahara Desert, and finally flows into the Mediterranean by adelta large. The Nile is the lifeline for most Egyptians, and most of them live near the river. Major settlements along the river are Khartoum, Aswan, Luxor and Cairo.

According to the second longest river in Africa, the Congo flows west through central Africa to 4700 km, almost 2,000 km shorter than the Nile, but what it lacks in length it makes up in volume. The largest amount of rain belt in Africa, is a massive discharge of 34,000 cubic metersOf water per second into the Atlantic, the second largest in terms of water flow of the Amazon.

Has the largest river basin in Africa, 4.1 million square kilometers, and thanks to some of its gorges, is the deepest lake in the world. The source is still the river in the north of Zambia Chembeshi not as the source of the Zambezi River flows from the east.

The rest of the river lies within the Democratic Republic of CongoPart of its boundary. main settlements along the route are Kisangani, Mbandaka, the capital of Kinshasa and Brazzaville.

Third Niger is the third longest river in Africa, 4180 km and is the main West African River. Its boomerang shape confusing for Europeans 2000 years, as its source Highlands is only 240 km from the Atlantic Ocean, Guinea, but the flow from the sea in the Sahara Desert in Mali, is also close to theancient city of Timbuktu (Tombouctou). From here go south-east along the border with Niger, Benin and, finally, Nigeria.

Its tributary, the Benue River, the 1400 km same time. The Niger flows into the Atlantic Ocean in an area like the Gulf of Guinea is known of the Niger Delta, a densely populated area of approximately 70,000 square kilometers.

A special feature of the Niger River Delta is the national territory. These forms, where the river suddenlyless steep. This makes a region associated with streams, swamps, lakes and a lot of land the same size as Belgium. The annual floods make the Delta very good for fishing and agriculture. It 's also a milestone for migratory birds. Niger, draining an area of approximately 2.1 million square miles.

No less impressive fourth, but shorter than 640 km of the Zambezi River. A 3540 km is the fourth largest river in Africa, but is the largest river in the east, flowsthe Indian Ocean. Its catchment area is 1.4 million square kilometers, about half the size of the Nile. The source of the Zambezi River is about 1500 m above sea level, near the border, where Angola, Zambia and Congo meet. From here through Zambia, Angola, Namibia and Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe then return to its delta in Mozambique.

Its most famous feature is the Victoria Falls, the largest curtain of water in the world and one of the SevenNatural wonders of the world. And 'one of the largest protected areas in the world, the Zambezi Transfontier Conservation Area. Covering 280,000 square kilometers.

There are two large hydro dams on the Zambezi River to supply electricity to several African countries.

Fifth A few tributaries of the Congo lifting of the Orange River is the fifth longest river in Africa. Rising in Lesotho, it flows 2200 km to the west is the border between South Africathis country and Namibia hours before it ends Alexandra Bay Atlantic Ocean.

Its catchment area is approximately 973,000 square kilometers and its primary tributary is the Vaal River. The Orange River is a major source of hydroelectric power and water for irrigation. At least 29 dams in its catchment area, the largest of which was built Gariep.

It also provides the Eastern Cape with water over the fish 83 km long tunnel-Orange, the second longest tunnel in the supplyworld.As it progresses westward through the semi-arid regions of the Kalahari and the Namib Desert, which contributes less than 50 mm of rainfall a year to get a little water flow volume.