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Congo: The Deepest River in the World

Abhijit Naik
Did you know that the Congo River of Africa holds the distinction of being the deepest river in the world. Here are some little-known facts about this river, with special emphasis on its depth.
Our fascination for adjectives ending with the suffix 'est' is far underrated. Our eagerness to find out about some fascinating attributes of the nature, such as the tallest mountain (Mt. Everest), fastest animal (Peregrine Falcon), deepest part of the ocean (Mariana Trench), and so on speaks volumes about our quest for knowledge.
We get to see a great deal of diversity in context of rivers as well. The Nile, for instance, is the longest river in the world, with a length of 4,132 miles. River Amazon, on the other hand, is the largest in the world, with a drainage area of 4,296,781.79 sq miles and an average discharge of 219,000 cubic meters per second.
That was length and discharge, but what about the depth? Is any river out there known for its depth?

Congo River: The Deepest River in the World

Going by the list of rivers of the world in terms of average discharge, the Congo River ranks 2nd, with an average discharge of 41,800 cubic meters per second. The amazing feat that this river pulls off with ease can be attributed to its great depth.
River Congo―with its depth exceeding 750 feet at some points along its course―is the deepest river in the world. Its depth far exceeds that of the Pocomoke River, which boasts of being the deepest in the United States.

Origin and Flow of R. Congo

The Congo River, also known as the Zaire River, derives its name from the fact that it flows through the Congo rainforest of Africa. It originates in the highlands and mountains of the East African Rift and flows for a distance of 2,920 miles before emptying itself into the Atlantic Ocean on the western coast of Africa.
In its course, this river flows through nine African nations; namely Zambia, Angola, Rwanda, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Burundi, and Tanzania. Throughout its course, the river supports a great deal of biodiversity in the Congo rainforest as well as the grasslands of Africa.
Being the 5th largest river in the world and 2nd largest in Africa, the Congo River has a crucial role to play in the African ecosystem. The drainage basin of this river spans 1,550,000 sq miles in the heart of the Africa. Its main tributaries include Inkisi, Kwa, Sangha, Ubangi, etc.
As this river flows through the equatorial region, one can notice that its water is mostly warm. Interestingly, at least one part of this river receives rainfall at any given time of the year.