A river is a natural, freshwater stream. The river extends between two banks, one upstream and the other downstream. The downstream may be a sea, ocean, or even a lake. Fresh river water consists of rain or other bodies of water such as lakes or water emanating from springs on the ground.
Here is a list of the longest rivers in Africa:
The longest rivers in Africa:
The Nile River :
The Nile River is considered not only the longest river in Africa, but also the longest river in the world. One of its characteristics is that it and the Euphrates River are considered “the two most prolific rivers in the Arab world.” The Nile River is the longest river in Africa and the world in terms of the length of its watercourse, which is 6,650 km, but it It ranks second in terms of the area of the water basin because its area is three million and 349 thousand square kilometers and passes through 11 countries: Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, and Egypt.
The Nile River flows to the north. It has two main tributaries, the White Nile and the Blue Nile. The White Nile originates in the Great Lakes region in central Africa. Its farthest source is in southern Rwanda. It flows from northern Tanzania to Lake Victoria, to Uganda and then southern Sudan, while the Nile The blue begins in Lake Tana in Ethiopia, then runs to Sudan from the southeast, then the two rivers meet near the Sudanese capital, Khartoum.
The Katjira River is the true source of the Nile and its longest tributary. It consists of the confluence of the Rufufu River in the State of Burundi and the Nyavrongo River in the State of Rwanda until they empty into Lake Victoria, bearing the name Victoria Nile. When it enters the territory of Sudan, it is known as the Sea of Mountains. The Nile enters Egyptian territory at Wadi Halfa after it has It traveled about 5,130 km from its source
The length of the Nile River in Egypt is (1520 km), which is about 23% of the total length of the river (6650 km).
The Nile River branches about 20 km north of Cairo, creating a river delta with two branches of the Nile River, the Rosetta Branch and the Damietta Branch.
2 - Congo River:
The Congo River is the second longest river in Africa, with a length of 4,700 kilometers and its water basin is the largest in terms of area in Africa (three million and 457 thousand square kilometers).
The Congo River originates near the Zambezi River in the heart of the African continent in the southeast of the State of Congo. The Congo River is the second most abundant and flowing river in the world after the Amazon River. It is also known as the Zaire River.
While the Congo River is considered the deepest river in the world with a depth of more than 720 metres, the Congo River flows through the territories of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central Africa, Angola, the Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Cameroon, Zambia, Burundi, and Rwanda.
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| The Congo River, one of the most beautiful and largest rivers in Africa |
The river is distinguished by its strong force, as the average force of its water flow exceeds 40 thousand cubic meters per second. This gives it great power to generate electricity that meets the electricity needs of the entire African continent. However, the average consumption of electricity by the Republic of the Congo is one of the weakest consumption rates in the world.
The river, which is about 4,700 kilometers long, is fed by a large network of tributaries that connect it from the northern and western sides. The largest of these tributaries is the Onge River, which is the most important northern tributary of the Congo River, which in turn is fed by two rivers, one of which is the (Yomo) which originates from the water dividing line between the Nile and the Congo, and the other is the (Uwili) River, which originates from a canyon located at the confluence of the Sudanese-Ugandan and Zairian borders. Lake Tanganyika's waters flow into the Congo River and eventually into the Atlantic Ocean. The width of the estuary is 11 km and its depth is 61 km, which allows large naval ships to enter and delve into it. It derives its water from heavy rains and drains annually about 41 thousand cubic meters. The Portuguese sailor Diego Cam was the first European to reach that Gulf estuary of the Congo River on the Atlantic Ocean in the year 1484 AD.
3- Niger River:
The Niger River is 4,180 kilometers long, and it is the third longest river in Africa. The Niger River is also the main river in West Africa.
The Niger River is considered the third longest river in Africa after the Nile and the Congo Rivers, with a length of 4,180 km. The Niger River is known by many names, including the Goliba River at its source, the Mayo Palu in its middle, the Issa Ijharen in its middle, and the Kwara River at its mouth.
The Niger River is devoid of any natural obstacles for a distance of 1,600 km. The Niger River passes through Guinea, Mali, Niger, Benin and Nigeria to empty into the Niger Delta in the Gulf of Guinea on the Atlantic Ocean. It is likely that the origin of the name comes from the Tuareg language, who call it “Ijrun Ijrun” by breaking the letter “R” and “W” in the last word. It is called in the various languages of the region, which means “the great river” or “the river of rivers.”
The Niger River heads from west to east, passing through many cities, starting with an area in the state of Guinea, then Bamako, the capital of Mali, Djenné, Timbuktu, Gao, Niamey, and Malanville on the Benin border. Then it penetrates Nigeria, passing through the cities of Lokoja and Onitsha, until its mouth in Port Harcourt. The Arabs called it in ancient times the name of the Nile of Sudan. river of rivers).
4 - The White Nile:
The White Nile River is 3,700 kilometers long. It is one of the tributaries of the Nile River and flows through 6 countries: Sudan, South Sudan, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Lake Victoria is considered the primary source of the White Nile’s water.
Lake Victoria is located on the borders of Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya, and this lake in turn is considered the third great lake in the world.
In parallel, the Ruvirunza River in Burundi is considered the maximum limit of the Nile River, and it forms the upper branch of the Kagera River. The Kagera River traverses a path 690 km long before entering Lake Victoria. After leaving Lake Victoria, the Nile in this part is known as the Victoria Nile, and it continues its path for a distance of 500 km. How much does it pass through Lake Kyoga - until it reaches Lake Albert? After leaving Lake Albert, the Nile is known as the Albert Nile. Then the Nile reaches the Republic of South Sudan and is then known as Bahr al-Jabal. When it meets Bahr al-Ghazal, the Nile extends for a distance of 720 km, where it is known as the White Nile. The Nile continues its path bearing this name until it enters the Republic of Sudan and then passes through the Sudanese capital, Khartoum.
5 - Zambesi River:
The length of the Zambesi River is 2,574 kilometers. It is one of the largest rivers in Africa and the fourth longest river in the African continent. It is one of the largest African rivers that empties into the Indian Ocean.
The area of the Zambesi River Basin is 1,390,000 square kilometers, which is less than half the area of the Nile River Basin. The Zambesi River originates in Zambia, runs through Angola, and along the border between Namibia and Botswana, then again enters the land of Zambia, runs in Zimbabwe until Mozambique and then empties into the ocean. Indian,
The most important feature of the Zambesi River, or what the Zambesi River is famous for, is Victoria Falls, one of the largest and most famous waterfalls in the world. There are also Chuvuma Falls, which are located on the border between Zambia and Angola, and Ngoni Falls near “Sioma” in western Zambia. This river has two main generating stations. hydroelectric power,
Located on the Zambesi River, Kariba Dam is one of the largest dams in the world in terms of storage capacity, which provides electrical energy to both Zambia and Zimbabwe. The second dam is the Cahora Bassa Dam in Mozambique, which generates electrical energy for both Mozambique and South Africa. In addition, there is a small station for generating electrical energy at Victoria Falls. The Zambezi River ranks second in African water discharge after the Congo River, and the traveler David Livingstone is considered the first European to reach Zambezi Province in 1851 AD.
6 - Orange River:
The Orange River is 2,200 kilometers long, and in South Africa, its waters begin to flow from the country of Lesotho to reach the Atlantic Ocean.
7- Kasai River:
The Kasai River, 2,163 kilometers long, is a tributary of the Congo River and serves as the border between Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
8 - Lualaba River:
The Lualaba River is 1,800 km long and is the largest source of the Congo River in terms of water volume. It is located in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
9 - Senegal River:
The Senegal River, 1,790 kilometers long, is located in West Africa and forms the border between Senegal and Mauritania.
10 - Limpopo River:
The Limpopo River is 1,750 kilometers long. It is the second largest river flowing in an easterly direction. The Limpopo River separates South Africa from Zimbabwe and Botswana and is the tenth longest river in Africa.
11 - Blue Nile:
The Blue Nile comes with a percentage of (80-85%) of the water supplying the Nile River, but this water reaches it only in the summer during the seasonal rains on the Abyssinian Plateau, while it does not constitute the same percentage on the rest of the days of the year as the water is less.
The Blue Nile originates from Lake Tana, located in the highlands of Ethiopia in eastern Africa. It is called Abbaye, while it is called the “Blue Nile” after crossing the Ethiopian-Sudanese border. This Nile, bearing its Sudanese name, continues along a path of 1,400 kilometers, until it meets the other branch - the “White Nile” - in Al-Muqrin, Khartoum, to form together from that point, passing through the lands of Egypt, and until the mouth in the Mediterranean Sea, what is known as “The Nile.”