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Congo River

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Coordinates: 06°04′30″S 12°27′00″E / 6.07500°S 12.45000°E / -6.07500; 12.45000
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(Redirected from Congo River basin)
For other uses, see Congo River (disambiguation).
Congo River
Mto Kongo
Zaire River
Fleuve Zaïre
Rio Zaire
The Congo River near Kisangani, DR Congo
The drainage basin of the Congo River
Physical characteristics
SourceBoyoma Falls
 • locationKisangani
 • coordinates0°29′33.7776″N 25°12′24.8688″E / 0.492716000°N 25.206908000°E / 0.492716000; 25.206908000
 • elevation373 m (1,224 ft)
2nd sourceLualaba
 • locationKatanga Plateau
 • coordinates11°45′52.6212″S 26°30′10.062″E / 11.764617000°S 26.50279500°E / -11.764617000; 26.50279500
 • elevation1,420 m (4,660 ft)
3rd sourceChambeshi
 • coordinates9°6′22.824″S 31°18′20.898″E / 9.10634000°S 31.30580500°E / -9.10634000; 31.30580500
 • elevation1,760 m (5,770 ft)
MouthAtlantic Ocean
 • coordinates
06°04′30″S 12°27′00″E / 6.07500°S 12.45000°E / -6.07500; 12.45000
 • elevation
0 m (0 ft)
LengthCongo–Lualaba–Luvua–Luapula–Chambeshi 4,700 km (2,900 mi); Congo–Lualaba 4,374 km (2,718 mi)[1]
Basin size4,014,500 km2 (1,550,000 sq mi)[2]
Width 
 • minimum200 m (660 ft) (Lower Congo); 1,440 m (4,720 ft) (Middle Congo)[3][4][5]
 • maximum19,000 m (62,000 ft) (mouth)
Depth 
 • average12 to 75 m (39 to 246 ft) (Lower Congo); 5 to 22 m (16 to 72 ft) (Middle Congo)[3][4][5]
 • maximum220 m (720 ft) (Lower Congo); 50 m (160 ft) (Middle Congo)[3][4][5]
Discharge 
 • locationBanana (near mouth)
 • average41,400 m3/s (1,310 km3/a)[6][2]
 • minimum23,000 m3/s (810,000 cu ft/s)[2]
 • maximum75,000 m3/s (2,600,000 cu ft/s)[2]
Discharge 
 • locationKinshasa, Brazzaville
 • average(Period: 1902–2019)40,500 m3/s (1,430,000 cu ft/s)[8][7]
 • minimum22,000 m3/s (780,000 cu ft/s) (1905)[7]
 • maximum77,000 m3/s (2,700,000 cu ft/s) (1961)[7]
Discharge 
 • locationKisangani
 • average(Period: 1951–2012)7,640 m3/s (270,000 cu ft/s)[8][7]
 • minimum3,240 m3/s (114,000 cu ft/s)[9]
 • maximum13,930 m3/s (492,000 cu ft/s)[9]
Discharge 
 • locationKindu
 • average2,213 m3/s (78,200 cu ft/s)[9]
 • minimum640 m3/s (23,000 cu ft/s)[9]
 • maximum7,640 m3/s (270,000 cu ft/s)[9]
Discharge 
 • locationBukama
 • average322 m3/s (11,400 cu ft/s)[9]
 • minimum52 m3/s (1,800 cu ft/s)[9]
 • maximum1,229 m3/s (43,400 cu ft/s)[9]
Basin features
ProgressionAtlantic Ocean
River systemCongo River
Tributaries 
 • leftLubudi, Lovoi, Luvidjo, Kasuku, Lomami, Lulonga, Ikelemba, Ruki, Irebu, Kasai, Lufimi, Inkisi
 • rightLufira, Luvua, Lukuga, Luama, Elila, Ulindi, Lowa, Maiko, Lindi, Aruwimi, Itimbiri, Mongala, Ubangi, Sangha, Likouala, Alima, Nkeni, Léfini, Djoué
Map

The Congo River,[a] formerly also known as the Zaire River, is the second-longest river in Africa, shorter only than the Nile, as well as the third-largest river in the world by discharge volume, following the Amazon and Ganges rivers. It is the world's deepest recorded river, with measured depths of around 220 m (720 ft).[10] The Congo–Lualaba–Luvua–Luapula–Chambeshi River system has an overall length of 4,700 km (2,900 mi), which makes it the world's ninth-longest river. The Chambeshi is a tributary of the Lualaba River, and Lualaba is the name of the Congo River upstream of Boyoma Falls, extending for 1,800 km (1,100 mi).

Measured along with the Lualaba, the main tributary, the Congo River has a total length of 4,370 km (2,720 mi). It is the only major river to cross the Equator twice.[11] The Congo Basin has a total area of about 4,000,000 km2 (1,500,000 sq mi), or 13% of the entire African landmass.

Name

[edit]

The name Congo/Kongo originates from the Kingdom of Kongo once located on the southern bank of the river. The kingdom in turn was named after the indigenous Bantu Kongo people, known in the 17th century as "Esikongo".[12] South of the Kingdom of Kongo proper lay the similarly named Kakongo kingdom, mentioned in 1535. Abraham Ortelius labelled "Manicongo" as the city at the mouth of the river in his world map of 1564.[b] The tribal names in Kongo possibly derive from a word for a public gathering or tribal assembly. The modern name of the Kongo people or Bakongo was introduced in the early 20th century.[citation needed]

The name Zaire is from a Portuguese adaptation of a Kikongo word, nzere ("river"), a truncation of nzadi o nzere ("river swallowing rivers").[13] The river was known as Zaire during the 16th and 17th centuries; Congo seems to have replaced Zaire gradually in English usage during the 18th century, and Congo is the preferred English name in 19th-century literature, although references to Zahir or Zaire as the name used by the inhabitants remained common.[14] The Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo are named after it, as was the previous Republic of the Congo which had gained independence in 1960 from the Belgian Congo. The Republic of Zaire during 1971–1997 was also named after the river's name in French and Portuguese.

Basin and course

[edit]
Aerial view from the west of the Congo River with upstream half of Pool Malebo and Mbamu
Kinshasa as seen from Brazzaville, across the Pool Malebo
Main article: Congo Basin

The Congo's drainage basin covers 4,014,500 km2 (1,550,000 sq mi),[2] an area nearly equal to that of the European Union. The Congo's discharge at its mouth ranges from 23,000 to 75,000 m3/s (810,000 to 2,650,000 cu ft/s), with an average of 41,000 m3/s (1,400,000 cu ft/s).[2] The river transports annually 86 million tonnes of suspended sediment to the Atlantic Ocean and an additional 6% of bedload.[15]

The river and its tributaries flow through the Congo rainforest, the second largest rainforest area in the world, after the Amazon rainforest in South America. The river also has the second-largest flow in the world, behind the Amazon; the second-largest drainage basin of any river, behind the Amazon; and is one of the deepest rivers in the world, at depths greater than 220 m (720 ft).[10][16] Because its drainage basin includes areas both north and south of the Equator, its flow is stable, as there is always at least one part of the river experiencing a rainy season.[17]

The sources of the Congo are in the highlands and mountains of the East African Rift, as well as Lake Tanganyika and Lake Mweru, which feed the Lualaba River, which then becomes the Congo below Boyoma Falls. The Chambeshi River in Zambia is generally taken as the source of the Congo in line with the accepted practice worldwide of using the longest tributary, as with the Nile River.

The Congo flows generally toward the northwest from Kisangani just below the Boyoma Falls, then gradually bends southwestward, passing by Mbandaka, joining with the Ubangi River and running into the Pool Malebo (Stanley Pool). Kinshasa (formerly Léopoldville) and Brazzaville are on opposite sides of the river at the Pool, where the river narrows and falls through a number of cataracts in deep canyons (collectively known as the Livingstone Falls), running by Matadi and Boma, and into the sea at Muanda.

Lower Congo constitutes the "lower" parts of the great river; that is the section of the river from the river mouth at the Atlantic coast to the twin capitals of Brazzaville and Kinshasa. In this section of the river, there are two significant tributaries, both on the left or south side. The Kwilu River originates in the hills near the Angolan border and enters the Congo some 100 km upstream from Matadi. The other is the Inkisi River, that flows in a northerly direction from the Uíge Province in Angola to the confluence with the Congo at Zongo some 80 km (50 mi) downstream from the twin capitals. Because of the vast number of rapids, in particular the Livingstone Falls, this section of the river is not operated continuously by riverboats.

Drainage basin

[edit]
Main article: Congo Basin

The Congo basin covers ten countries and accounts for about 13% of Africa. The highest point in the Congo basin is in the Ruwenzori Mountains, at an altitude of around 4,340 m (14,240 ft) above sea level.

Distribution of the Congo basin area between countries:[18]

Country Area (%)
km2 sq mi
Angola Angola 305,760 118,050 8.2
Burundi Burundi 18,728 7,231 0.51
Cameroon Cameroon 85,300 32,900 2.3
Central African Republic Central African Republic 402,000 155,000 10.8
Democratic Republic of the Congo Democratic Republic of the Congo 2,307,800 891,000 62.15
Gabon Gabon 1,146 442 0.03
Republic of the Congo Republic of the Congo 248,400 95,900 6.7
Rwanda Rwanda 382 147 0.01
Tanzania Tanzania 166,800 64,400 4.5
Zambia Zambia 176,600 68,200 4.8
For the Congo basin 3,712,316 1,433,333 100.0

The most important hydrological stations along the Congo River are:[18]

Station Distance
along river 		Altitude Basin size Multiannual
average discharge
km mi m ft km2 sq mi Start
year 		m3/s cu ft/s
Lower Congo
Banana 0 0 0 0 3,730,740 1,440,450 1915 41,400 1,460,000
Inga 188 117 78 256 1959 41,100 1,450,000
Kinshasa,

Brazzaville

498 309 269 883 3,659,900 1,413,100 1902 40,500 1,430,000
Middle Congo
Mossaka 898 558 289 948 2,490,000 960,000
Mbandaka 1,157 719 303 994 1,683,800 650,100 1907 19,000 670,000
Yangambi 2,133 1,325 371 1,217 1,069,100 412,800 1907 8,358 295,200
Kisangani 2,240 1,390 380 1,250 974,330 376,190 1907 7,079 250,000
Upper Congo
(Lualaba)
Boyoma Falls 2,310 1,440 400 1,300 1907 6,550 231,000
Ubundu 2,390 1,490 418 1,371 1907 6,378 225,200
Kindu 2,705 1,681 448 1,470 810,440 312,910 1912 2,213 78,200
Ankoro 3,455 2,147 556 1,824 171,000 66,000 1935 901 31,800
Bukama 3,695 2,296 567 1,860 63,090 24,360 1933 322 11,400

Discharge

[edit]

The Congo River discharge at Kinshasa/Brazzaville stations since the start of measurements (1902 to 2021):[8][7][19]

Water
year 		Discharge in m3/s (cu ft/s) Water
year 		Discharge in m3/s (cu ft/s) Water
year 		Discharge in m3/s (cu ft/s)
Min Mean Max Min Mean Max Min Mean Max
1902/03 30,850
(1,089,000) 		38,670
(1,366,000) 		51,020
(1,802,000) 		1942/43 31,190
(1,101,000) 		42,150
(1,489,000) 		55,200
(1,950,000) 		1982/83 24,360
(860,000) 		35,560
(1,256,000) 		49,020
(1,731,000)
1903/04 28,700
(1,010,000) 		40,680
(1,437,000) 		53,850
(1,902,000) 		1943/44 27,090
(957,000) 		39,360
(1,390,000) 		50,270
(1,775,000) 		1983/84 24,000
(850,000) 		33,310
(1,176,000) 		51,700
(1,830,000)
1904/05 22,350
(789,000) 		34,710
(1,226,000) 		49,960
(1,764,000) 		1944/45 30,960
(1,093,000) 		38,890
(1,373,000) 		56,250
(1,986,000) 		1984/85 27,000
(950,000) 		38,810
(1,371,000) 		51,300
(1,810,000)
1905/06 27,280
(963,000) 		38,820
(1,371,000) 		48,310
(1,706,000) 		1945/46 28,120
(993,000) 		38,820
(1,371,000) 		61,300
(2,160,000) 		1985/86 24,200
(850,000) 		36,740
(1,297,000) 		55,400
(1,960,000)
1906/07 23,980
(847,000) 		34,190
(1,207,000) 		45,680
(1,613,000) 		1946/47 34,900
(1,230,000) 		43,470
(1,535,000) 		50,350
(1,778,000) 		1986/87 24,900
(880,000) 		38,700
(1,370,000) 		60,400
(2,130,000)
1907/08 28,350
(1,001,000) 		38,950
(1,376,000) 		65,760
(2,322,000) 		1947/48 33,560
(1,185,000) 		44,210
(1,561,000) 		62,740
(2,216,000) 		1987/88 25,700
(910,000) 		39,110
(1,381,000) 		57,300
(2,020,000)
1908/09 35,460
(1,252,000) 		45,330
(1,601,000) 		54,350
(1,919,000) 		1948/49 29,080
(1,027,000) 		39,610
(1,399,000) 		53,960
(1,906,000) 		1988/89 25,600
(900,000) 		37,830
(1,336,000) 		62,800
(2,220,000)
1909/10 29,960
(1,058,000) 		41,920
(1,480,000) 		60,160
(2,125,000) 		1949/50 29,480
(1,041,000) 		42,140
(1,488,000) 		56,940
(2,011,000) 		1989/90 24,300
(860,000) 		35,970
(1,270,000) 		55,800
(1,970,000)
1910/11 26,080
(921,000) 		38,220
(1,350,000) 		55,440
(1,958,000) 		1950/51 28,150
(994,000) 		39,614
(1,399,000) 		62,780
(2,217,000) 		1990/91 33,600
(1,190,000) 		40,880
(1,444,000) 		54,100
(1,910,000)
1911/12 30,930
(1,092,000) 		40,240
(1,421,000) 		53,260
(1,881,000) 		1951/52 31,900
(1,130,000) 		40,360
(1,425,000) 		55,020
(1,943,000) 		1991/92 24,000
(850,000) 		34,640
(1,223,000) 		49,100
(1,730,000)
1912/13 27,730
(979,000) 		36,380
(1,285,000) 		42,280
(1,493,000) 		1952/53 25,850
(913,000) 		37,100
(1,310,000) 		49,370
(1,743,000) 		1992/93 27,100
(960,000) 		36,790
(1,299,000) 		58,100
(2,050,000)
1913/14 26,280
(928,000) 		35,860
(1,266,000) 		56,810
(2,006,000) 		1953/54 27,690
(978,000) 		37,870
(1,337,000) 		51,450
(1,817,000) 		1993/94 30,100
(1,060,000) 		38,730
(1,368,000) 		53,000
(1,900,000)
1914/15 25,220
(891,000) 		34,090
(1,204,000) 		47,450
(1,676,000) 		1954/55 32,220
(1,138,000) 		44,130
(1,558,000) 		60,790
(2,147,000) 		1994/95 28,500
(1,010,000) 		39,970
(1,412,000) 		65,400
(2,310,000)
1915/16 27,760
(980,000) 		38,500
(1,360,000) 		59,680
(2,108,000) 		1955/56 30,490
(1,077,000) 		42,420
(1,498,000) 		55,490
(1,960,000) 		1995/96 29,500
(1,040,000) 		40,860
(1,443,000) 		58,900
(2,080,000)
1916/17 29,270
(1,034,000) 		42,200
(1,490,000) 		55,920
(1,975,000) 		1956/57 32,840
(1,160,000) 		42,300
(1,490,000) 		54,520
(1,925,000) 		1996/97 28,400
(1,000,000) 		38,370
(1,355,000) 		57,600
(2,030,000)
1917/18 27,440
(969,000) 		34,850
(1,231,000) 		43,840
(1,548,000) 		1957/58 26,010
(919,000) 		35,330
(1,248,000) 		50,870
(1,796,000) 		1997/98 32,100
(1,130,000) 		45,000
(1,600,000) 		71,000
(2,500,000)
1918/19 23,740
(838,000) 		33,650
(1,188,000) 		44,630
(1,576,000) 		1958/59 25,440
(898,000) 		36,500
(1,290,000) 		57,720
(2,038,000) 		1998/99 31,100
(1,100,000) 		41,230
(1,456,000) 		62,200
(2,200,000)
1919/20 27,230
(962,000) 		37,880
(1,338,000) 		59,540
(2,103,000) 		1959/60 35,380
(1,249,000) 		46,450
(1,640,000) 		59,540
(2,103,000) 		1999/00 28,700
(1,010,000) 		40,120
(1,417,000) 		69,300
(2,450,000)
1920/21 30,590
(1,080,000) 		40,940
(1,446,000) 		55,850
(1,972,000) 		1960/61 35,060
(1,238,000) 		47,410
(1,674,000) 		80,830
(2,854,000) 		2000/01 33,900
(1,200,000) 		42,960
(1,517,000) 		55,800
(1,970,000)
1921/22 25,830
(912,000) 		37,980
(1,341,000) 		58,140
(2,053,000) 		1961/62 40,420
(1,427,000) 		55,240
(1,951,000) 		76,300
(2,690,000) 		2001/02 29,600
(1,050,000) 		43,070
(1,521,000) 		66,800
(2,360,000)
1922/23 29,540
(1,043,000) 		41,080
(1,451,000) 		59,870
(2,114,000) 		1962/63 39,630
(1,400,000) 		51,230
(1,809,000) 		67,950
(2,400,000) 		2002/03 33,600
(1,190,000) 		43,120
(1,523,000) 		64,800
(2,290,000)
1923/24 30,610
(1,081,000) 		42,620
(1,505,000) 		63,370
(2,238,000) 		1963/64 32,930
(1,163,000) 		48,510
(1,713,000) 		69,410
(2,451,000) 		2003/04 25,800
(910,000) 		38,150
(1,347,000) 		56,700
(2,000,000)
1924/25 32,180
(1,136,000) 		41,330
(1,460,000) 		64,170
(2,266,000) 		1964/65 28,370
(1,002,000) 		43,100
(1,520,000) 		62,350
(2,202,000) 		2004/05 25,600
(900,000) 		37,640
(1,329,000) 		57,500
(2,030,000)
1925/26 31,770
(1,122,000) 		43,920
(1,551,000) 		61,660
(2,178,000) 		1965/66 36,670
(1,295,000) 		48,380
(1,709,000) 		63,040
(2,226,000) 		2005/06 26,800
(950,000) 		38,090
(1,345,000) 		53,100
(1,880,000)
1926/27 27,000
(950,000) 		37,710
(1,332,000) 		47,350
(1,672,000) 		1966/67 31,420
(1,110,000) 		41,770
(1,475,000) 		65,540
(2,315,000) 		2006/07 31,900
(1,130,000) 		42,160
(1,489,000) 		63,900
(2,260,000)
1927/28 31,430
(1,110,000) 		41,120
(1,452,000) 		51,730
(1,827,000) 		1967/68 36,970
(1,306,000) 		46,960
(1,658,000) 		58,560
(2,068,000) 		2007/08 30,700
(1,080,000) 		41,590
(1,469,000) 		62,000
(2,200,000)
1928/29 29,080
(1,027,000) 		39,280
(1,387,000) 		57,930
(2,046,000) 		1968/69 43,170
(1,525,000) 		51,830
(1,830,000) 		66,420
(2,346,000) 		2008/09 29,900
(1,060,000) 		41,160
(1,454,000) 		56,800
(2,010,000)
1929/30 27,860
(984,000) 		40,130
(1,417,000) 		48,210
(1,703,000) 		1969/70 34,480
(1,218,000) 		47,290
(1,670,000) 		62,820
(2,218,000) 		2009/10 32,100
(1,130,000) 		42,010
(1,484,000) 		54,600
(1,930,000)
1930/31 28,850
(1,019,000) 		37,480
(1,324,000) 		49,130
(1,735,000) 		1970/71 28,180
(995,000) 		40,040
(1,414,000) 		54,330
(1,919,000) 		2010/11 22,000
(780,000) 		35,480
(1,253,000) 		56,300
(1,990,000)
1931/32 29,860
(1,054,000) 		40,700
(1,440,000) 		56,380
(1,991,000) 		1971/72 29,380
(1,038,000) 		38,470
(1,359,000) 		55,880
(1,973,000) 		2011/12 24,800
(880,000) 		37,070
(1,309,000) 		54,900
(1,940,000)
1932/33 27,700
(980,000) 		40,950
(1,446,000) 		50,950
(1,799,000) 		1972/73 25,760
(910,000) 		37,290
(1,317,000) 		50,400
(1,780,000) 		2012/13 27,800
(980,000) 		39,660
(1,401,000) 		56,600
(2,000,000)
1933/34 31,090
(1,098,000) 		40,700
(1,440,000) 		63,670
(2,248,000) 		1973/74 31,530
(1,113,000) 		39,560
(1,397,000) 		52,180
(1,843,000) 		2013/14 30,300
(1,070,000) 		42,080
(1,486,000) 		57,800
(2,040,000)
1934/35 31,830
(1,124,000) 		43,560
(1,538,000) 		57,310
(2,024,000) 		1974/75 29,960
(1,058,000) 		41,340
(1,460,000) 		63,650
(2,248,000) 		2014/15 26,000
(920,000) 		37,860
(1,337,000) 		61,100
(2,160,000)
1935/36 32,640
(1,153,000) 		41,650
(1,471,000) 		56,770
(2,005,000) 		1975/76 32,410
(1,145,000) 		42,710
(1,508,000) 		59,240
(2,092,000) 		2015/16 29,800
(1,050,000) 		41,360
(1,461,000) 		58,700
(2,070,000)
1936/37 31,400
(1,110,000) 		42,120
(1,487,000) 		57,900
(2,040,000) 		1976/77 33,390
(1,179,000) 		45,760
(1,616,000) 		57,770
(2,040,000) 		2016/17 26,400
(930,000) 		37,260
(1,316,000) 		53,800
(1,900,000)
937/38 30,100
(1,060,000) 		40,060
(1,415,000) 		56,790
(2,006,000) 		1977/78 33,150
(1,171,000) 		43,550
(1,538,000) 		62,440
(2,205,000) 		2017/18 28,600
(1,010,000) 		40,130
(1,417,000) 		60,100
(2,120,000)
1938/39 29,040
(1,026,000) 		41,260
(1,457,000) 		62,380
(2,203,000) 		1978/79 33,570
(1,186,000) 		45,180
(1,596,000) 		52,280
(1,846,000) 		2018/19 28,200
(1,000,000) 		40,770
(1,440,000) 		70,900
(2,500,000)
1939/40 30,210
(1,067,000) 		42,110
(1,487,000) 		52,780
(1,864,000) 		1979/80 33,340
(1,177,000) 		41,150
(1,453,000) 		59,530
(2,102,000) 		2019/20 35,200
(1,240,000) 		50,250
(1,775,000) 		67,200
(2,370,000)
1940/41 31,370
(1,108,000) 		40,320
(1,424,000) 		57,110
(2,017,000) 		1980/81 29,680
(1,048,000) 		40,710
(1,438,000) 		52,160
(1,842,000) 		2020/21 28,700
(1,010,000) 		40,830
(1,442,000) 		59,200
(2,090,000)
1941/42 31,190
(1,101,000) 		42,150
(1,489,000) 		55,200
(1,950,000) 		1981/82 29,270
(1,034,000) 		38,930
(1,375,000) 		49,020
(1,731,000)

Width and depth

[edit]
Location Width Average depth Max depth
m ft m ft m ft
Lower Congo
5°08′55.3″S 13°59′20.5″E / 5.148694°S 13.989028°E / -5.148694; 13.989028 1,070 3,510 49.3 162 87.1 286
Ile Soka

5°08′30.4″S 13°59′27.9″E / 5.141778°S 13.991083°E / -5.141778; 13.991083

1,020 3,350 57.4 188 92.9 305

5°02′57.3″S 13°59′28.2″E / 5.049250°S 13.991167°E / -5.049250; 13.991167

450 1,480 165 541
Bulu

5°01′49.5″S 14°01′37.2″E / 5.030417°S 14.027000°E / -5.030417; 14.027000

429 1,407 62.3 204 102 335
5°01′58.6″S 14°01′37.2″E / 5.032944°S 14.027000°E / -5.032944; 14.027000 384 1,260 43.2 142 78.1 256
5°02′07.8″S 14°01′50.3″E / 5.035500°S 14.030639°E / -5.035500; 14.030639 388 1,273 44.1 145 78.5 258
Ile Banza

5°2′20.6″S 14°02′09.2″E / 5.039056°S 14.035889°E / -5.039056; 14.035889

540 1,770 44.1 145 79.2 260
Luozi

4°56′50.7″S 14°09′21.2″E / 4.947417°S 14.155889°E / -4.947417; 14.155889

2,190 7,190 11.7 38 24.2 79
Muhambi

4°55′38.5″S 14°15′16.5″E / 4.927361°S 14.254583°E / -4.927361; 14.254583

1,010 3,310 33.9 111 78.2 257
Pioka

4°54′03.3″S 14°24′18.2″E / 4.900917°S 14.405056°E / -4.900917; 14.405056

1,460 4,790 75.3 247 118 387
Kinshasa–

Brazzaville 4°16′47.3″S 15°18′32.8″E / 4.279806°S 15.309111°E / -4.279806; 15.309111

3,264 10,709 9.0 29.5 15.7 52
Middle Congo
Maloukou

4°05′24.4″S 15°30′39.1″E / 4.090111°S 15.510861°E / -4.090111; 15.510861

14.8 49 36.3 119
Léchia

3°52′43.4″S 15°55′11.6″E / 3.878722°S 15.919889°E / -3.878722; 15.919889

21.5 71 50.3 165
Kounzoulou–Miranda

3°33′18.7″S 16°05′32.2″E / 3.555194°S 16.092278°E / -3.555194; 16.092278

20.9 69 45.0 147.6
Kunzulu

3°28′52.5″S 16°07′18.3″E / 3.481250°S 16.121750°E / -3.481250; 16.121750

1,540 5,050 16.8 55
Kwamouth

3°11′23.7″S 16°11′09.6″E / 3.189917°S 16.186000°E / -3.189917; 16.186000

1,905 6,250 12.7 42
Kasai at mouth

3°10′36.4″S 16°11′41.5″E / 3.176778°S 16.194861°E / -3.176778; 16.194861

606 1,988 12.7 42
Congo at Kasai mouth

3°09′59.7″S 16°10′51.7″E / 3.166583°S 16.181028°E / -3.166583; 16.181028

1,851 6,073 12.9–15.3 42–50 39.9 131
Mbali–Mosebwaka

2°48′33.9″S 16°11′40.1″E / 2.809417°S 16.194472°E / -2.809417; 16.194472

8.4 28 26.7 88
Bouemba

2°12′22.9″S 16°10′49.0″E / 2.206361°S 16.180278°E / -2.206361; 16.180278

7.0 23.0 22.2 73
Bolobo

2°09′28.5″S 16°12′16.5″E / 2.157917°S 16.204583°E / -2.157917; 16.204583

4,119 13,514 7.2 24
Yumbi

1°52′15.5″S 16°30′43.4″E / 1.870972°S 16.512056°E / -1.870972; 16.512056

7.1 23 19.7 65
Bounda

1°37′55.5″S 16°37′59.4″E / 1.632083°S 16.633167°E / -1.632083; 16.633167

8.0 26.2 19.7 65
Mossaka

1°14′22.2″S 16°47′44.5″E / 1.239500°S 16.795694°E / -1.239500; 16.795694

7.6 25 19.2 63
Lukolela

1°03′13.5″S 17°08′58.0″E / 1.053750°S 17.149444°E / -1.053750; 17.149444

1,757 5,764 8.0–11.7 26.2–38.4 32.0 105.0
Bweta–Manga

0°54′39.2″S 17°23′27.1″E / 0.910889°S 17.390861°E / -0.910889; 17.390861

1,865–5,083 6,119–16,677 5.0–6.1 16.4–20.0
Yambe

0°43′38.5″S 17°33′02.9″E / 0.727361°S 17.550806°E / -0.727361; 17.550806

2,468 8,097 11.8 39
Liranga

0°41′00.4″S 17°36′43.7″E / 0.683444°S 17.612139°E / -0.683444; 17.612139

7.9 26 32.7 107
Bomenenge–Mikuka

0°25′58.1″S 17°50′13.3″E / 0.432806°S 17.837028°E / -0.432806; 17.837028

7.6 25 23.7 78
Mbandaka

0°01′17.4″N 18°13′10.9″E / 0.021500°N 18.219694°E / 0.021500; 18.219694

8.5 28 31.8 104
Kisangani

0°30′22.1″N 25°11′03.4″E / 0.506139°N 25.184278°E / 0.506139; 25.184278

1,440 4,720 6.0–7.5 19.7–24.6
Sources:[3][4][5]

Tributaries

[edit]
Course and drainage basin of the Congo River with countries marked
Course and drainage basin of the Congo River with topography shading

The main river and tributaries are (sorted in order from the mouth heading upstream):

Left tributary Right tributary Length Basin size Average discharge
km mi km2 sq mi m3/s cu ft/s
Congo 4,374 2,718 3,712,316 1,433,333 41,400 1,460,000
Lower Congo
(river mouth to Kinshasa)
Luki 14.4 510
Lué-Grande 2,786.7 1,076.0 25.7 910
Fuila 1,051.5 406.0 8.9 310
M'pozo 170 110 6,932.5 2,676.7 78.8 2,780
Lufu 190 120 2,586.3 998.6 27.7 980
Kwilu 284 176 6,500 2,500 89.4 3,160
Lwala 2,322.2 896.6 26.6 940
Lukunga 2,166.9 836.6 25.1 890
Yambi 1,262.3 487.4 19.4 690
Mpioka 788.7 304.5 10.1 360
Lunzadi 753.9 291.1 11.1 390
Inkisi 392 244 13,500 5,200 291.1 10,280
Foulakary 3,230.5 1,247.3 51.1 1,800
Djoué 175 109 6,225 2,403 158.4 5,590
Middle Congo
(Kinshasa to the Boyoma Falls)
N'djili 79 49 2,258.9 872.2 38.5 1,360
Nsele 193 120 4,500 1,700 77.1 2,720
Djiri 1,395.5 538.8 31.3 1,110
Yana 663.3 256.1 15.1 530
Lufimi 250 160 11,500 4,400 199 7,000
Mary 3,529 1,363 84.6 2,990
Mai Mpili 759.7 293.3 13 460
Lidji 108 67 1,686 651 24.5 870
Kasai 2,153 1,338 884,370 341,460 11,600 410,000
Gambomba 1,372.7 530.0 29.3 1,030
Léfini 250 160 14,951.1 5,772.7 423.1 14,940
M'Pouya 1,175.5 453.9 21.2 750
N'Goindi 1,537.2 593.5 30 1,100
Gampoka 1,036.8 400.3 10.7 380
Nkeni 8,249.6 3,185.2 209.5 7,400
Nkeme 3,154 1,218 39.4 1,390
Nsolu 4,129 2,566 39.1 1,380
Sangasi 2,020.9 780.3 19.4 690
Alima 500 310 23,192.7 8,954.8 700 25,000
Likouala 615 382 69,800 26,900 1,053.5 37,200
Sangha 1,395 867 191,953 74,113 2,471 87,300
Pama 2,202.7 850.5 24.7 870
Manga 1,337.7 516.5 17.7 630
Irebu 35 22 7,380 2,850 105.5 3,730
Ubangi 2,299 1,429 651,918 251,707 5,936 209,600
Ruki 1,200 750 173,790 67,100 4,500 160,000
Ikelemba 345 214 12,510 4,830 222.1 7,840
Lulonga 705 438 76,950 29,710 2,040 72,000
Moeko 4,346.3 1,678.1 40.5 1,430
Mongala 590 370 52,200 20,200 708.6 25,020
Lofofe 1,333.8 515.0 22.5 790
Mioka 1,872 723 30.2 1,070
Isambi 2,135.7 824.6 36.6 1,290
Molua 71 44 1,566.6 604.9 24.7 870
Itimbiri 650 400 50,490 19,490 773.2 27,310
Makpulu 1,279.1 493.9 22.6 800
Loie 682.3 263.4 12.5 440
Moliba 1,363.2 526.3 24.8 880
Ikot 987.2 381.2 20.3 720
Mokeke 695 268 12.9 460
Lula 582 225 10.9 380
Lunua 612.3 236.4 12.5 440
Aruwimi 1,287 800 116,100 44,800 2,200 78,000
Loleka 1,349.6 521.1 27.1 960
Lukombe 2,931.8 1,132.0 53.3 1,880
Lomami 1,798 1,117 109,080 42,120 2,061.8 72,810
Lubilu 1,222.3 471.9 20 710
Romée 601.9 232.4 10 350
Lubania 743.1 286.9 11.5 410
Lindi 800 500 60,300 23,300 1,200 42,000
Upper Congo
(Lualaba; upstream from the Boyoma Falls)
Yoko 866.1 334.4 15.5 550
Maiko 13,935.7 5,380.6 318.7 11,250
Oluka 495.2 191.2 10 350
Obiautku 1,290.1 498.1 33.9 1,200
Lilu 6,381.5 2,463.9 192.4 6,790
Ruiki 5,540.2 2,139.1 125.8 4,440
Lilo 3,684.8 1,422.7 92.8 3,280
Lowa 600 370 49,590 19,150 1,624.8 57,380
Ulindi 690 430 30,240 11,680 901.7 31,840
Kasuku 370 230 11,468.1 4,427.9 175.8 6,210
Ambe 2,231.8 861.7 69.1 2,440
Luti 771 298 22.4 790
Elila 670 420 27,360 10,560 678.1 23,950
Lueki 6,494.3 2,507.5 58.8 2,080
Kihamuwa 1,362 526 23.8 840
Kabila 2,229.6 860.9 22 780
Lowe 2,306.4 890.5 16.3 580
Ganze 1,331.6 514.1 8.7 310
Lubutu 8,419.5 3,250.8 57 2,000
Kunda 5,749.1 2,219.7 41.4 1,460
Mulongoi 4,754.5 1,835.7 21.9 770
Lulindi 3,515 1,357 17.4 610
Luama 500 310 25,099.1 9,690.8 221 7,800
Luika 6,214.2 2,399.3 17.6 620
Luvilo 1,126.5 434.9 4.1 140
Lufutuka 1,792.7 692.2 6.9 240
Lukuga 350 220 271,580 104,860 271 9,600
Lubanzi 3,045.7 1,176.0 19.3 680
Kay 1,742 673 8.6 300
Lukuswa 1,822.1 703.5 7.7 270
Luboy 1,644.3 634.9 4.4 160
Luvidjo 240 150 11,312.4 4,367.7 69.7 2,460
Kalongwe 1,208.1 466.5 3.7 130
Luvua 373 232 265,260 102,420 600 21,000
Kai 1,142.7 441.2 6.5 230
Lubumbu 1,342.4 518.3 8.8 310
Kalumen-
gongo 		8,069.3 3,115.6 66.9 2,360
Lovoi 19,624.6 7,577.1 185.8 6,560
Lufira 650 400 51,480 19,880 502 17,700
Lubudi 370 230 27,500 10,600 191.5 6,760
Kalule 4,208.8 1,625.0 28.6 1,010
Musonoi 1,539.7 594.5 7.7 270
Lufupa 5,070.7 1,957.8 36.8 1,300
Kando 2,455.5 948.1 16.1 570
Nyundwelu 1,319.4 509.4 10.1 360
Lukonga 1,721.2 664.6 10.2 360
Mukwishi 1,562 603 12.2 430
Source:[20][21][22][23][24]

Lower Congo (river mouth to Kinshasa) Downstream of Kinshasa, from the river mouth at Banana, there are a few major tributaries.

Middle Congo (Kinshasa to the Boyoma Falls)

Upper Congo (Lualaba; upstream from the Boyoma Falls)

Economic importance

[edit]
The town of Mbandaka is a busy port on the banks of the Congo River.
The Congo River at Maluku.

Although the Livingstone Falls prevent access from the sea, nearly the entire Congo above them is readily navigable in sections, especially between Kinshasa and Kisangani. Large river steamers worked the river until quite recently.[when?] The Congo River still is a lifeline in a land with few roads or railways.[25] Railways now bypass the three major falls, and much of the trade of Central Africa passes along the river, including copper, palm oil (as kernels), sugar, coffee, and cotton.[26]

Hydroelectric power

[edit]

The Congo River is the most powerful river in Africa. During the rainy season over 50,000 cubic metres (1,800,000 cu ft) of water per second flows into the Atlantic Ocean. Opportunities for the Congo River and its tributaries to generate hydropower are therefore enormous. Scientists have calculated that the entire Congo Basin accounts for 13 percent of global hydropower potential. This would provide sufficient power for all of Sub-Saharan Africa's electricity needs.[27]

Currently, there are about 40 hydropower plants in the Congo Basin. The largest are the Inga dams, about 200 kilometres (120 mi) southwest of Kinshasa. The project was launched in the early 1970s, when the first dam was completed.[28] The plan (as originally conceived) called for the construction of five dams that would have had a total generating capacity of 34,500 megawatts (MW). To date only the Inga I and Inga II dams have been built, generating 1,776 MW.[27]

In February 2005, South Africa's state-owned power company, Eskom, announced a proposal to expand generation through improvements and the construction of a new hydroelectric dam. The project would bring the maximum output of the facility to 40,000 megawatts (MW).[29] It is feared that these new hydroelectric dams could lead to the extinction of many of the fish species that are native to the river.[30]

Natural history

[edit]
The beginning of the Livingstone Falls (Lower Congo Rapids) near Kinshasa

The current course of the Congo River formed between 1.5 and 2 million years BP, during the Pleistocene.[31][32] It is likely that during this period many upper tributaries of the Congo were captured from adjacent river basins, including the Uele and upper Ubangi from the Chari system[33] and the Chambeshi River[34] alongside a number of upper Kasai River tributaries from the Zambezi system.[35]

The Congo's formation may have led to the allopatric speciation of the bonobo and the common chimpanzee from their most recent common ancestor.[36] The bonobo is endemic to the humid forests in the region, as are other iconic species like the Allen's swamp monkey, dryas monkey, aquatic genet, okapi, and Congo peafowl.[37][38]

In terms of aquatic life, the Congo River Basin has a very high species richness and among the highest known densities of endemics.[39] As of 2009, almost 800 fish species have been recorded from the Congo River Basin (not counting Lake Tanganyika, which is connected but ecologically very different),[40] and large sections remain virtually unstudied.[41] For example, the section in Salonga National Park, which is about the size of Belgium, had still not been sampled at all in 2006.[42] New fish species are scientifically described with some regularity from the Congo River Basin, and many undescribed species are known.[43]

The Congo has by far the highest diversity of any African river system; in comparison, the next richest are the Niger, Volta and Nile with about 240, 140 and 130 fish species, respectively.[40][44] Because of the great ecological differences between the regions in the Congo basin—including habitats such as river rapids, deep rivers, swamps, and lakes—it is often divided into multiple ecoregions (instead of treating it as a single ecoregion). Among these ecoregions, the Livingstone Falls cataracts has more than 300 fish species,[45] including approximately 80 endemics[30] while the southwestern part (Kasai River basin) has more than 200 fish species, of which about a quarter are endemic.[46]

Giant tigerfish

The dominant fish families—at least in parts of the river—are Cyprinidae (carp/cyprinids, such as Labeo simpsoni), Mormyridae (elephant fishes), Alestidae (African tetras), Mochokidae (squeaker catfishes), and Cichlidae (cichlids).[47] Among the natives in the river is the huge, highly carnivorous giant tigerfish. Three of the more unusual endemics are the whitish (non-pigmented) and blind Lamprologus lethops, which is believed to live as deep as 160 metres (520 ft) below the surface,[30] Heterochromis multidens, which is more closely related to cichlids of the Americas than other African cichlids,[48] and Caecobarbus geertsii, the only known cavefish in Central Africa.[49] There are also numerous endemic frogs and snails.[47][50] Several hydroelectric dams are planned on the river, and these may lead to the extinction of many of the endemics.[30]

Several species of turtles and the slender-snouted, Nile and dwarf crocodile are native to the Congo River Basin. African manatees inhabit the lower parts of the river.[51]

History

[edit]

Pre-colonial history

[edit]
Main article: Pre-colonial history of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
See also: Category:Ethnic groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
17th-century map of the Congo estuary
In this 1853 map of Africa, the remaining Unexplored Region essentially corresponds to the Congo basin

The entire Congo basin is populated by Bantu peoples, divided into several hundred ethnic groups. Bantu expansion is estimated to have reached the middle Congo by about 500 BC and the upper Congo by the first century AD. Remnants of the aboriginal population displaced by the Bantu migration, Pygmies/Abatwa of the Ubangian phylum, remain in the remote forest areas of the Congo Basin.

By the 13th century there were three main confederations of states in the western Congo Basin. In the east were the Seven Kingdoms of Kongo dia Nlaza, considered to be the oldest and most powerful, which likely included Nsundi, Mbata, Mpangu, and possibly Kundi and Okanga. South of these was Mpemba which stretched from modern-day Angola to the Congo River. It included various kingdoms such as Mpemba Kasi and Vunda. To its west across the Congo River was a confederation of three small states; Vungu (its leader), Kakongo, and Ngoyo.[52]: 24–25 

The Kingdom of Kongo was formed in the late 14th century from a merging of the kingdoms of Mpemba Kasi and Mbata Kingdom on the left banks of the lower Congo River. Its territorial control along the river remained limited to what corresponds to the modern Kongo Central province. European exploration of the Congo began in 1482 when Portuguese explorer Diogo Cão discovered the river estuary[53] (likely in August 1482), which he marked by a Padrão, or stone pillar (still existing, but only in fragments) erected on Shark Point. Cão sailed up the river for a short distance, establishing contact with the Kingdom of Kongo. The full course of the river remained unknown throughout the early modern period.[c]

The upper Congo basin runs west of the Albertine Rift.[53] Its connection to the Congo was unknown until 1877. The extreme northeast of the Congo basin was reached by the Nilotic expansion at some point between the 15th and 18th centuries, by the ancestors of the Southern Luo speaking Alur people. Francisco de Lacerda followed the Zambezi and reached the uppermost part of the Congo basin (the Kazembe in the upper Luapula basin) in 1796.

The upper Congo River was first reached by the Arab slave trade by the 19th century. Nyangwe was founded as a slavers' outpost around 1860. David Livingstone was the first European to reach Nyangwe in March 1871.[53] Livingstone proposed to prove that the Lualaba connected to the Nile, but on 15 July, he witnessed a massacre of about 400 Africans by Arab slavers in Nyangwe, which experience left him too horrified and shattered to continue his mission to find the sources of the Nile, so he turned back to Lake Tanganyika.[54][55]

Early European colonization

[edit]
Main article: Colonization of the Congo Basin

The Europeans had not reached the central regions of the Congo basin from either the east or west, until Henry Morton Stanley's expedition of 1876–77, supported by the Committee for Studies of the Upper Congo. At the time one of the last open questions of the European exploration of Africa was whether the Lualaba River fed the Nile (Livingstone's theory), the Congo,[56] or even the Niger River. Financed in 1874, Stanley's first trans-Africa exploration started in Zanzibar and reached the Lualaba on October 17, 1876. Overland he reached Nyangwe, the center of a lawless area containing cannibal tribes at which Tippu Tip based his trade in slaves. Stanley managed to hire a force from Tippu Tip to guard him for the next 150 kilometres (90 mi) or so, for 90 days.

The party left Nyangwe overland through the dense Matimba forest. On November 19 they reached the Lualaba again. Since the going through the forest was so heavy, Tippu Tip turned around with his party on December 28, leaving Stanley on his own, with 143 people, including eight children and 16 women. They had 23 canoes. His first encounter with a local tribe was with the cannibal Wenya. In total Stanley reports 32 unfriendly meetings on the river, some violent, even though he attempted to negotiate a peaceful thoroughfare. But the tribes were wary as their only experience of outsiders was with slave traders.

On January 6, 1877, after 640 kilometres (400 mi), they reached Boyoma Falls (called Stanley Falls for some time after), consisting of seven cataracts spanning 100 kilometres (60 mi) which they had to bypass overland. It took them to February 7 to reach the end of the falls. Here Stanley learned that the river was called Ikuta Yacongo,[57] proving to him that he had reached the Congo and that the Lualaba did not feed the Nile.

From this point, the tribes were no longer cannibals[clarification needed] but possessed firearms, apparently as a result of Portuguese influence[citation needed]. Some four weeks and 1,900 kilometres (1,200 mi) later he reached Stanley Pool (now Pool Malebo), the site of the present day cities Kinshasa and Brazzaville. Further downstream were the Livingstone Falls, misnamed as Livingstone had never been on the Congo: a series of 32 falls and rapids with an elevation change of 270 metres (900 ft) over 350 kilometres (220 mi). On 15 March they started the descent of the falls, which took five months and cost numerous lives. From the Isangile Falls, five falls from the foot, they beached the canoes and Lady Alice and left the river, aiming for the Portuguese outpost of Boma via land.

On August 3 they reached the hamlet Nsada. From there Stanley sent four men with letters forward to Boma, asking for food for his starving people. On August 7 relief came, being sent by representatives from the Liverpool trading firm Hatton & Cookson. On August 9 they reached Boma, 1,001 days since leaving Zanzibar on November 12, 1874. The party then consisted of 108 people, including three children born during the trip. Most probably (Stanley's own publications give inconsistent figures), he lost 132 people through disease, hunger, drowning, killing and desertion.[58][59]

Kinshasa was founded as a trading post by Stanley in 1881 and named Léopoldville in honor of Leopold II of Belgium. The Congo Basin was privately claimed by Leopold II as Congo Free State in 1885 where the many Atrocities in the Congo Free State were committed until the region was called the Belgian Congo.

See also

[edit]

Explanatory notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Kongo: Nzâdi Kôngo, Swahili: Mto Kongo, French: Fleuve Congo, Portuguese: Rio Congo
  2. ^ Manikongo was properly the title of the kings of Kongo; their capital was at the site of modern M'banza-Kongo, capital of Angola's northwestern Zaire Province. Ortelius had no knowledge of the orography of Africa and drew fictitious courses for its rivers; his Congo upstream of its estuary turns sharply south, flowing through what would correspond to Angola and Botswana.
  3. ^ The Dieppe maps of the mid-16th century show the Congo only as a minor river while having the Nile run throughout the continent, rising in Southern Africa. The same interpretation is in essence still found in Jan Blaeu's Atlas Maior of 1660. Jacques Bellin's map of the Congo in Histoire Generale Des Voyages by Antoine François Prévost (1754) shows awareness of the river reaching further inland, to the provinces of Sundi and Pango, but has no detailed knowledge of its course.

Citations

[edit]
  1. ^ Ian James, Harrison; Randall E., Brummett; Melanie L. J., Stiassny (2016). "Congo River Basin". The Wetland Book. p. 1-18. doi:10.1007/978-94-007-6173-5_92-2. ISBN 978-94-007-6173-5.
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  3. ^ a b c d "Discharge and Other Hydraulic Measurements for Characterizing the Hydraulics of Lower Congo River". 2009.
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  11. ^ Forbath 1979, p. 6. "Not until it crosses the Equator will it at last turn away from this misleading course and, describing a remarkable counter-clockwise arc first to the west and then to the southwest, flow back across the Equator and on down to the Atlantic.

    In this the Congo is exceptional. No other major river in the world crosses the Equator even once, let alone twice."
  12. ^ Anderson, David (2000). Africa's Urban Past. James Currey Publishers. p. 79. ISBN 9780852557617. Archived from the original on 2017-12-22. Retrieved 2017-05-04.
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  14. ^ James Barbot (1746). An Abstract of a Voyage to Congo River, Or the Zair and to Cabinde in the Year 1700.
     • James Hingston Tuckey (1818). Narrative of an Expedition to Explore the River Zaire, Usually Called the Congo, in South Africa, in 1816. Archived from the original on 2018-05-21. Retrieved 2019-11-11.
     • John Purdy (1822). Memoir, Descriptive and Explanatory, to Accompany the New Chart of the Ethiopic Or Southern Atlantic Ocean. p. 112. Congo River, called Zahir or Zaire by the natives
  15. ^ Hanibal Lemma, and colleagues (2019). "Bedload transport measurements in the Gilgel Abay River, Lake Tana Basin, Ethiopia (Table 7)". Journal of Hydrology. 577: 123968. doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2019.123968. S2CID 199099061.
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  25. ^ See, for instance, Thierry Michel's film Congo River Archived 2009-11-29 at the Wayback Machine
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General and cited sources

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