Facts about the Congo River

1. 08

   Over 700 species of fish are found nowhere else on Earth, making the Congo River basin a global center of endemic fish biodiversity.

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2. 07

   Named by Henry Morton Stanley in 1877, the Congo River was previously called the Zaire River from 1971 to 1997 during the Democratic Republic of Congo's official name change.

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3. 06

   Roughly 40 percent of the Congo Basin's rainforest coverage, totaling approximately 2 million square kilometers, makes the region Earth's second-largest tropical forest after the Amazon.

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4. 05

   At least 10,000 species of fish inhabit the Congo River system, representing approximately 13 percent of all freshwater fish species globally.

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5. 04

   Inga Falls, located in the lower Congo River near Matadi, generates approximately 44,000 megawatts of hydroelectric potential, making it one of the world's largest untapped energy sources.

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6. 03

   Underwater, the Congo River continues flowing as a submerged canyon extending 150 kilometers into the Atlantic Ocean, creating a unique submarine topography.

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7. 02

   Spanning approximately 4,700 kilometers through central Africa, the Congo River drains a basin covering nearly 3.7 million square kilometers across eleven countries.

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8. 01

   Discharging approximately 41,000 cubic meters of water per second, the Congo River ranks second globally only to the Amazon in water volume.

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