Congo

The Congo River is the world's second largest river in terms of water output, behind the Amazon River, as well as the deepest and ninth longest river in the world. This is also the longest rivers in Cameroon. The Congo River stretches about 2920 kilometers. The name Congo/Kongo river comes from the Kingdom of Kongo, which was previously located on the river's southern bank. The kingdom was called after the local Bantu Kongo people, who were known as "Esikongo" in the 17th century. The Kakongo kingdom, described in 1535, was located south of the Kingdom of Kongo proper. The city at the river's mouth was called "Manicongo" by Abraham Ortelius in his world map of 1564.

The Congo River's current course was established between 1.5 and 2 million years ago, during the Pleistocene epoch. Many upper Congo tributaries were likely acquired from neighbouring river basins during this time, including the Chari system's Uele and upper Ubangi, as well as the Chambeshi River and a number of upper Kasai River tributaries from the Zambezi system

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Cameroon's rainforests, as well as those of Angola, Burundi, Tanzania, Rwanda, Central African Republic, Gabon, Congo-Kinshasa, Congo-Brazzaville, and Zambia, are crossed by the river. The Congo basin covers 13 percent of the African continent's land mass. The river's source is in the East African rift's rocky highlands, and it finally drains into the Atlantic Ocean. Within its many eco-regions, the river supports over 700 kinds of fish, many of which are indigenous. Local communities have used the river for transportation, fishing, and irrigation. Hydroelectric dams have been built along the river's path, raising concerns about the river's indigenous fishes, frogs, and snails.

Length: 4,700 km (2,900 mi)