What is the largest river in Africa. The largest river in Africa is the Nile

Africa is the second largest continent after Eurasia, washed by two oceans and two seas. On its territory there are various landscapes, including many rivers.

general information

Rivers are unevenly distributed on the mainland. characteristic feature for the rivers of Africa is the presence of rapids and waterfalls. That is why these water spaces are practically unsuitable for navigation. The full flow of rivers also depends on the climatic zones in which they are located. In the equatorial climate zone rivers are full-flowing almost all year round and form a dense river network. In the subequatorial belt, rivers fill up only during the rainy season, and in a tropical hot climate there are no surface water bodies, but artesian pools are common. The major rivers of the African continent are the Nile, the Congo, the Niger, and the Zambezi.

Nile

Nile is the most long river Africa. Its length is 6852 km. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea, originating in the East African Plateau. The Nile is not a flat river at all; on the way to the north, the waters of the river tend to go down, so rapids and waterfalls are often found in these places. The largest is Murchison Falls, which flows into Lake Albert. The Nile flows through the territory of many states, for example, Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, Egypt.

Rice. 1. River Nile.

The state of Sudan is sometimes called the "country of three Niles" - White, Blue and the main one, which is formed as a result of the merger of the first two. All permanent rivers of the country belong to the Nile basin and are concentrated mainly in the south and east.

Congo

The Congo River is the second largest basin after the Nile. Its second name is Zaire, and it flows into the Atlantic Ocean. The river flows into Central Africa across Angola and the Republic of the Congo.

Congo is the most deep river in the world (230 m.), as well as the deepest river in Africa. In the world, in terms of full-flowing water, it occupies an honorable second place after the Amazon. The length of the river is 4700 km, and the Portuguese traveler Diogo Can became the discoverer of these waters.

Rice. 2. Congo River.

Niger

This river flows through West Africa. in terms of length and area of ​​​​the basin, it ranks third after the Nile and the Congo. The Niger has many tributaries, the largest of which is the Benue River. Also tributaries of the river are Milo, Bani, Sokoto, Kaduna.

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Compared to the muddy waters of the Nile, the Niger is considered a fairly clear river, as it flows mostly through rocky terrain and does not carry much silt. Niger lies in the equatorial and subequatorial zones, which are characterized by dry semi-desert regions and the presence of monsoons.

Lakes of Africa

There are 14 lakes on the African continent, seven of which belong to the African Great Lakes. These include Victoria, Albert and Edward, which flow into the White Nile, Taganika and Kivu, which flow into the Congo. Lake Nyasa flows into the Zambezi, and Lake Rudolph is endorheic.

The largest lake in Africa is Victoria. It is located simultaneously on the territory of several countries: Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya. The area of ​​the water space is 68 thousand square meters. km.

Currently, the lake is a reservoir, and on its territory there are many parks and reserves.

The Nile is considered the longest river on Earth, although recent times and fights for this title with the Amazon. It is so great that the Africans themselves have never been able to really answer the question of its origins. Ancient scientists vied with each other to offer the most amazing hypotheses of its origin. For example, even such - river waves beat right out of the ground. By the 19th century the search for the origins of the Nile became something of an obsession in Europe: one after another, research expeditions went to Africa. James Bruce discovered Lake Tana and the source of the Blue Nile. John Speke proclaimed that the White Nile flows from Lake Victoria, for which he was sharply criticized by Richard Burton. For many years, David Livingston wandered around the Great Lakes region in an attempt to understand the intricacies of the local river flows and find the watershed between the Congo and Nile basins.

A family of hippos resting in the Blue Nile, Uganda

Such rich history, of course, the Amazon cannot boast of such a value in the lives of millions of people. In the end, it was on the Nile and thanks to it that the oldest civilization in the world was born. Even the wealth of names by which the Nile is called is already amazing. The source of the Nile is the Rukarara River, which originates at an altitude of more than 2000 m in one of the massifs of East Africa, south of the equator. Rukarara turns into Kageru and flows under this name into Lake Victoria. The river comes out of the lake stronger, and therefore acquires a new name, the Victoria Nile. It flows through Lake Kyoga and flows into Lake Albert, below which it is called the Albert Nile. Throughout this segment of the course, the river is very rapids and forms several waterfalls. The largest of them is the Murchison Falls on the river. Victoria Nile - reaches 40 m in height. Leaving the highlands called Bahr el-Jebel, the river enters a vast and flat basin. Its flow slows down, and the channel splits into branches, the largest of which is already called Sobat. Even further downstream, the river is called the White Nile. And only at the Sudanese capital Khartoum does it merge with the Blue Nile.

Navigation on the Nile has been hampered for centuries because of its many rapids, which are impossible to cross on large ships. The situation changed after the construction in Egypt of the huge Aswan Dam, which became one of the most ambitious engineering projects in the history of Africa - perhaps since the construction of the Great Pyramids. Built with Soviet Union The Aswan High Dam created a huge reservoir of fresh water that allowed Egypt to rid itself of thousands of years of fear and admiration for the volatile nature of the Nile. Thanks to the lake, the area of ​​arable land in Egypt has increased by a third. And every tourist who comes here cannot help but be amazed by the fact that during the construction of the dam, the famous temple of Abu Simbel was sawn into 1036 pieces weighing from 5 to 20 tons and rebuilt in a new place, above the level of the reservoir.

Tis-Isat waterfall: the sources of the White Nile, Ethiopia

The second place among the rivers of Africa is rightfully occupied by the Congo, the most full-flowing water artery of the world after the Amazon. The Congo flows in the northern and southern hemispheres, crossing the equator twice and absorbing the powerful streams of the Ubangi, Sanga, Kasai rivers. But leading role in the formation of the Congo play daily heavy rains. As a result, the river becomes so full-flowing that in the Atlantic Ocean its channel continues in the form of an underwater furrow at a distance of 150 km from the coast. The masses of water carried by the Congo desalinate the ocean at a distance of several tens of kilometers. The river is so highly valued by Africans that two countries proudly bear its name at once - well, what other river has been given such an honor?

The West African Niger is inferior to the Congo and the Nile in terms of the length and area of ​​the basin, but is still one of the largest rivers on Earth. It starts on the North Guinea Upland, at an altitude of 900 m. Its sources are only a few tens of kilometers from the ocean, but Niger prefers to first go to the northeast, see the desert, and on the border of the Sahara, it sharply changes direction to the southeast. In this part of the basin is the famous Inland Niger Delta, a huge region of swamps and lakes, in the middle of which on the island stands the ancient clay city of Djenne, founded many centuries ago by Bozo fishermen and becoming one of the largest shopping centers medieval Africa. The three great empires of West Africa flourished in Niger - Ghana, Mali and Songhai, through which the gold trade routes passed. And today, its delta, located on the territory of Nigeria, is the region of Africa's largest developments of black gold - oil, because of which the delta is constantly shaken by battles between armed groups for control of this treasure of the 21st century, sometimes referred to as a curse.

At sunset, the fish bite better in Niger, Mali

ZAMBEZI- the largest river in South Africa and the largest of the mainland rivers flowing into the Indian Ocean. In the season when the river is full, 7500 m 3 of water passes through the Victoria Falls in just one second. The volume of water is so great and it rushes down with such force that a cloud of spray rising into the air can be seen tens of kilometers from the great waterfall. Local name Victoria Falls - "Mosi-oa-tunya" - translates as "Thundering smoke." An impressive rainbow plays in the spray of this majestic waterfall, rising to a height of up to 300 m.

In November 1855, Scottish missionary and explorer David Livingston was the first European to reach the Victoria Falls. Surprisingly, the researcher was not at all happy that he had discovered such splendor, although he later wrote that he gave "views so beautiful that they should delight angels in flight." But for Livingston, the waterfall, which is a wall of water about 1675 m long and 107 m high, became, first of all, an obstacle in the way of Christian missionaries seeking to reach the lands in the center of the mainland. Despite the annoyance caused by this discovery, Livingston nevertheless admitted that only one name is worthy of his greatness - Queen Victoria.

The Nile River has always been a special object for the inhabitants of Africa, which should be treated with respect and respect. Moreover, this, the second largest river in the world, was worshiped not only by the Egyptians, but also by the Greeks and Romans.

Giver of life

The longest river in Africa is unique, it does not even flow like all other rivers. Flowing from south to north, it gives life to the Sahara desert. Thanks to this great river, Luxor and many other cities arose in the once deserted place.

The Egyptians are not spoiled by hectares of fertile land, everything they have is the merit of the Nile. Therefore, every patch of irrigated great river land is used for its intended purpose. Their work was not in vain, they have enough grown products not only for the needs of their own state, but also for export. It was thanks to the Nile that Egypt grew stronger and became a powerful country.

However, we must pay tribute, the river had a significant impact not only on the development Agriculture. Thanks to the waters of the Nile, it was possible to establish trade relations with other countries. The presence of a personal boat gave a person status.

Sources of the Nile

The question of where the longest river in Africa begins began to be thought about 2.5 thousand years ago. The Egyptians, having the ability to build pyramids, could not establish the headwaters of the widest river. In fact, it is not so easy to do this. The fact is that the river, flowing through Africa, passes through lakes and has many tributaries.

The great Herodotus believed that the Nile flows from the depths of the earth far to the south. According to his assumption, part of the outflowing water went north, while the rest of the water flowed south. Now we can say with certainty that Herodotus was wrong.

Five parts of the Nile

According to official documents, the Nile begins its run in Lake Victoria and has a length of 6583 km.

Conventionally, this full-flowing river can be divided into five parts.

The Victoria-Nile is a 420-kilometer stretch of track. Reaching Lake Albert, the river changes its name to Albert - Nile. Throughout the entire section, the river has a flat character, and as soon as it reaches a place called Nimule, it narrows to 25 meters and shows its stormy character. The area is replete with rapids, waterfalls and whirlpools.

Bahr el-Jebel (River Gor) is a rather swampy area, with a total length of nine hundred kilometers. It starts in the lower reaches of the city of Juba and ends in the Bahr el-Ghazal and Sobat area. The course of the river here is unhurried, it becomes full-flowing and is divided into many branches. There is magnificent vegetation here.

After the river reaches the Sobat tributary, the Nile gets a new name - the White Nile. The area is semi-desert. Reaching the city of Khartoum, two Nile meet - White and Blue. The river turns into a single full-flowing stream and acquires its usual name - the Nile.

Blue Nile - begins in the Abyssinian Highlands. It originates at an altitude of 1830 meters above sea level in Lake Tana. Ethiopians consider the Blue Nile sacred.

The longest river in Africa ends its journey, merging with the waters of the Mediterranean Sea.

Attractions

The Nile is of great interest to tourists. In the immediate vicinity of the longest river in Africa, the most significant objects of Luxor are located:

The local population lives in poverty, but luxury hotels are built along the coast for tourists. If you decide to go to admire the local beauty, do not try to swim in the waters of the Nile River. Sanitary standards are not observed here, the river is used for various household needs.

On the vast arid continent of Africa, rivers represent life and prosperity. Life-giving force water arteries penetrates mountains, plains, deserts, and goes out into the open spaces of the sea. Some African rivers are recognized as the deepest and longest on the planet.

general information

The river system belongs to the global waters of the Atlantic and Indian. The third factor is determined by internal runoff.

The watercourses of the Atlantic waters occupy half of the land of Africa. 30% of the territory falls on internal runoff reservoirs. The Indian Ocean receives flows from a fifth of the mainland.

The characteristic of the intensity of the current is due to undeveloped river channels. The upper reaches are marked by stormy swift streams. In the lower reaches there are rapids with waterfalls. Among them, the Victoria Falls on the Zambezi are world famous. The stepping of the surface affects the restriction of navigation along the entire length of the watercourses. It is carried out only in certain areas. However, this shortcoming is compensated by the development of hydropower, which accounts for 20% of Africa's energy resources.

The state of the water area is affected climatic zones. Most reservoirs are filled with rain. Reserves from precipitation are available to a few reservoirs in mountainous areas. At the equator, high water is observed throughout the year.

Another characteristic of water content in the subequatorial belt, where shallow water begins. In the tropics, river reserves are depleted. Moisture occasionally enters dry riverbeds. The African platform with its slope affects the geography of rivers. A significant flow goes into the bowels of the Atlantic.

Nile - River of Africa

The Nile is the longest river in Africa. She is welcomed on the lands of numerous countries in the north of the continent. On its way, the Nile is exposed to a variety of weather and terrain conditions. The river is recognized as the longest not only in Africa. On a global scale, it is the second after the Amazon.

Characteristics of the watercourse:

• length - 6680 kilometers;
• filling - 2.9 million km2;
• consumption - 2590 m3 / s.

The Nile remains a mystery of geography to this day. Scientists cannot reach a consensus on the place of origin of the natural miracle. The ancient thinker Herodotus wrote that the Nile begins in southern Africa. The version of Ptolemy Claudius claimed that the beginning is the Rwenzori Range (in ancient times, the Moon Mountains). The truth came with the discovery of Lake Victoria in the 19th century. Studies have confirmed that the source is located in one of the tributaries of the Kagera River - Rukarara.

Throughout the course of the Nile, the character changes - calm and rapids, deep and shallow.

The current rushes to the north, rushing from above into the lowlands. Thrown down by the strongest waterfalls. From a height of 40 meters, the Murchison Cascade flows into Lake Albert, from which the Albert Nile is born. The plain of Uganda calms the seething stream. Nile reaches South Sudan, where it is divided into many arms.

The further course of the watercourse intersects with Lake Net and reaches the capital of Sudan - Khartoum. In this place, the water changes color from yellow, due to clay impurities, to a transparent color. For this reason, they begin to call it not the White, but the Blue Nile.

The next tributary, the Atraba, fills the basin in front of the Sahara desert even more. The great Nile flows in a wide strip across the Egyptian expanses to the Suez Canal, where it flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The end of the path is characterized by sprawling into separate branches, the formation of a huge estuary.

Congo

The Congo, or Zaire, is one of the most significant rivers in Central Africa. It is the deepest on the continent.

Streams fall from the 1580 m highlands of Zambia called Chambezi. Along the course, it leaves behind cascades and turbulent streams of Central African territory. It reaches the shores of the Atlantic with a 12-kilometer deep channel.

Characteristics of the watercourse:

• length - 4376 kilometers;
• volume - 3675 km2;
• maximum depth - 240 m.

The African River has many versatile tributaries.

Navigation is developed in many areas. Africans extract oil, clay, sand. The main source of food is river wealth - fish, plants. There are many power plants in operation.

Niger

In the third longest river in Africa, its main advantage is present - fresh water. The Niger River, originating in Guinea, is an indispensable source of life-giving moisture in West Africa.

Characteristics of the watercourse:

• length - 4155 kilometers;
• volume - 2096;
• annual flow - 270 km3

FROM mountain peaks 850 m, the watercourse moves north along the Malian plain, where it abruptly changes direction to the south. It flows through the territory of Nigeria, Benin to the Gulf of Guinea - the mouth of the Niger. intricate winding river way at all times instilled mystical moods in the natives. locals consider the source sacred, believe in ancient spirits and protect from strangers.

At the mouth there is a vast delta. The unique reservoir has an internal mouth called Masina. The swampy valley is flooded with rivers and lake overflows for a length of 427 km.

One of the important tributaries, the Benue, makes the watercourse full-flowing and wide - up to 3.5 km. Abundant rainfall combines the tributary with Lake Chad.

Navigation depends on the relief and the fullness of the basin, therefore it is not present on the entire river.

African rivers on the map

The water system of the mainland is made up of lakes and rivers of Africa, marked on the map. The hydraulic system of antiquity has changed over the centuries, thanks to large reservoirs in the place of the current deserts. With climate change, the surface of the earth changed, becoming mountainous on the outskirts of the plateau. Their slopes were sources of new reservoirs. Today they make up modern maps of the water area, deserts and savannahs.

Major African rivers

Noting the largest rivers in Africa, one should characterize the fourth longest - Zamzebi, stretching for 2570 km. Zambezi, overcoming the Angolan savannah, falls into Mozambique. The long river of Africa ends its journey in the waves of the Indian Ocean.

The Orange River is born in the mountains of South Africa. Section 2190 km washes the coast of South Africa, Namibia, ending in the waves of the Atlantic. Vessels do not go along the Orange River due to the shallowness of the watercourse. The name of the watercourse has nothing to do with colors. The name is associated with the name of the Dutch nobleman William of Orange. Over the years, the name has transformed and turned from Orange to Orange.

What is the most famous river in Africa in Russia? The river glorified by the writer Korney Chukovsky is known to everyone as the Limpopo. Throughout waterway at 1590 km it is fed by numerous small and medium-sized watercourses. It flows into the Indian Ocean.

Senegal - a large river in West Africa creates a natural border between states. The filling capacity of the reservoir is more than 400 thousand km2.

List of important river arteries of Africa

1. Atraba - plays the role of a right-hand tributary of the Nile at a distance of 1130 km. It is a geographical landmark of the Ethiopian and Sudanese settlements. During the dry period, the lower reaches dry up, during the monsoon season it fills up and reaches the Nile.
2. Juba is a watercourse of the Ethiopian and Somali lands with a pool of 748 thousand square meters shared with Vebi-Shebeli. km. The full-flowing river of Africa has an important economic importance thanks to shipping.
3. Lualaba is the name of the upper reaches of the Congo, the length of which is 2100 km from the source to the Boyoma cascades.

Conclusion

The river basins of the African continent give life to its inhabitants. Many rivers are not so significant in scale and not the largest, but enliven the landscape, contribute to the development of animal husbandry and agriculture.

Considering that the majority of the peoples of the continent live in poverty, water supply has strategic importance. Hydroelectric power plants are being built on the rivers. They supply resources to the local population, contribute to the development of industrial facilities. Many reservoirs are taken under protection not only by individual states, but also on a planetary scale.

The largest river in Africa is the Nile for a long time was considered the largest river in the world, and only at the end of the last century, geographers decided to consider the South American Amazon as such.

Africa's largest river - the Nile

The Nile is not just the largest river in Africa, it is a river that has had a significant impact on the formation of our civilization. It was on the fertile lands of the floodplain of the lower Nile that civilization arose, and flourished for many centuries. ancient egypt and for the Egyptians, the Nile is still today the "river of life."

There are two options for determining the length of the big river Africa. According to the first, the length of the Nile is measured from its source from Lake Victoria to its confluence with the Mediterranean Sea, and it is equal to 5600 kilometers. The second option is more complex, according to which the length of the Nile is measured from the source of the Rukarara River, which flows into the Kagera River, which feeds Lake Victoria. And it is the total length of the water route Rukarara - Kagera - Lake Victoria - the Nile itself that is considered to be 6671 kilometers long.

The largest river in Africa has several large tributaries, the Bahr el-Ghazzar river flows into it on the left, and the rivers Achva, Sobat, as well as the Blue Nile and Atbara, on the right. Interestingly, in different parts of the Nile, people call it differently. For example, the river flowing from Lake Victoria is called the Victoria Nile, and in the area from the confluence of the Sobat tributary to the confluence of the Blue Nile, the White Nile. The total area of ​​the Nile basin is 2,870 thousand square kilometers.

Other large rivers of Africa

The length of the Nile is followed by the second largest river in Africa - the Congo. Its length (also with a tributary - Lualaba) is 4700 kilometers. Further, in descending order of length, the rivers follow:
- Niger, whose length is 4184 kilometers;
- Zambezi, length 2736 kilometers;
- Ubangi (with a tributary of Uele), length 2300 kilometers;
- Kasai, length 2153 kilometers;
- Orange River, length 2092 kilometers;
- Uabi-Shebelle, length 1820 kilometers;
- Jubba (with tributary Genale), length 1650 kilometers;
- Senegal, length 1640 kilometers;
- Okavango, length 1600 kilometers;
- the "famous" Limpopo, the Volta River, a tributary of the Nile, the Blue Nile - a length of 1600 kilometers;
- Luvua (with a tributary of the Luapula) and the Lomami River, 1500 kilometers long;
- Shari, length 1450 kilometers;
- Rufiji, length 1400 kilometers;
- Gambia, length 1200 kilometers.