Africa’s great rivers have nourished some of the world’s most significant civilizations. These five famous African rivers are of vital importance to a continent in which many people live in poverty and many regions are dry. The major rivers of Africa include the Nile, Congo, Niger, Zambezi and Orange. African rivers have brought explorers and missionaries into the continent’s heartlands and to this day are a source of fascination for anyone interested in the continent’s history and geography. Here is a guide to five famous African rivers, with pictures and interesting facts…
Map of major river basins in Africa
Rivers in Africa bring life to otherwise infertile and barren regions, enabling people to grow crops, catch fish and transport natural resources. Moreover, they also attract animals and birds, who mainly depend on them for food and water sources. It remains the livelihood of millions of people and wildlife. African rivers are used for food, fresh water, and transportation. In certain national parks in Africa, a river safari or cruise is an enjoyable activity. These rivers create free-lined pathways through the arid land. Each river is characterised by special features and a wide range of wildlife and is associated with cultural significance. These epic rivers offer an experience that cannot be felt anywhere else in the world.
Unfortunately, from the Nile to the Zambezi, many of these rivers have been dammed, diverted, dredged and polluted in the name of meeting water and energy needs. Africa deserves a just energy transition that maintains the vital free-flowing rivers that nourish its unique biodiversity and enable transportation, farming and fishing. Inga women have been fighting for their rights and to stop the third Inga dam from being built on their river.
1. Nile River
The Secrets of the Nile: Lifeline of Ancient Egypt
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The Nile River is the longest African river and either the longest or second-longest river in the world (by some calculations, the Amazon is longer). Get this: The Nile is the longest river in the world. It flows northwards from East Africa, eventually discharging into the Mediterranean at the Nile Delta on the coast of Egypt. The River Nile competes with the Amazon for the title of ‘World’s longest river’.
It measures a staggering length of 6,650 km. The Nile flows northward from Burundi through Rwanda. It then travels to Uganda, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and Egypt before finally making its way to the Mediterranean Sea. This river is significant as the earliest civilization began near the Nile. Today, over 160 million people depend on the fresh waters of the Nile River. Many fish species, including tilapia, are found in the waters of the Nile. Several wildlife species, including crocodiles and snakes, reside in the river. Although it is the longest river in the world, the total navigable area of the Nile River is only 1545 km2.
Nile River at Cairo, Egypt
Source: Lake Victoria, Uganda (White Nile); Lake Tana, Ethiopia (Blue Nile)
Length of the White Nile: 4,130 mi (6,650 km)
Flows through: Uganda, South Sudan, Sudan, Egypt.
Flows past: Jinja, Juba, Khartoum, Aswan, Luxor, Cairo
Discharges into: the Mediterranean from the Nile Delta, Egypt
Average discharge: 98,800 cu ft/s (2,800 m3/s)
The Nile River has two major tributaries: the White Nile and the Blue Nile. The White Nile is the longer of the two, but contributes only 20% of the water where they join near Khartoum in Sudan. The Blue Nile has its source in Ethiopia. Formed from two main tributaries, the White and Blue Nile, it runs through 11 countries.
Read also: The Niger's Crucial Role
The British explorer James Speke was the first European to identify Lake Victoria as the source of the White Nile. In 1770 he followed the White Nile to where it flowed out of Lake Victoria in Uganda via the waterfall that he named Ripon Falls.
The origin of the White Nile’s waters remains undetermined, with some modern explorers claiming that the first drops of water destined to form the Nile rise in the mountains of Burundi, while others state that a river from the forests of Rwanda should have this honor.
The Nile valley has been populated for at least 6,000 years. It was a center for early civilizations in Egypt and Sudan, and an area of great cultural significance. The waters of the River have sustained agriculture, culture, transport, trade and tourism for centuries in Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt.
The annual flooding of the Nile used to provide fertile silt for the cultivation of crops, but since the Aswan High Dam was completed in the 1960s, the levels of water have been regulated to prevent flood damage.
Today, control of the waters of the Nile is an important geopolitical issue, as countries along the course of the River build dams, trap water flow for hydroelectric schemes and utilize more and more of the water for the needs of their growing populations.
Read also: The Importance of African Dance
Interesting Fact: The River Nile has flowed along the same course for at least the past 30 million years.
2. Congo River
The Secrets of the Nile: Lifeline of Ancient Egypt
The Congo River is the second-longest river in Africa and the ninth longest in the world. The River Congo is the second-longest river in Africa and the world’s deepest river, recorded at 720 feet deep. The Congo is the only river in the world that crosses the equator twice. Located in Central Africa, it runs through the Democratic Republic of Congo before it reaches the Atlantic Ocean.
Congo River at Mbandaka
Source: Chambeshi River, northeast Zambia
Length: 2,922 mi (4,700 km)
Flows through: Republic of the Congo and Democratic Republic of the Congo; the tributaries also drain areas of Cameroon, Central African Republic, Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zambia and Angola.
Flows past: Bukama, Kisangani, Lisala, Mbandaka, Brazzaville and Kinshasa.
Discharges into: Atlantic Ocean at Moanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Average discharge: 1,476,153 cu ft/s (41,800 m3/s)
It discharges a massive amount of water at its mouth, second only to the Amazon in this respect. It is also the deepest river in the world, being 720 ft (220 m) deep in places. The sources of the river are found in the highlands and mountains of the East African Rift. The River Congo crosses the equator twice during its journey from Southern DRC to its end-stop, the Atlantic Ocean. The entire Congo region and the basin have been considered critical to the ecosystem. The river as well as the rainforest have diverse wildlife. The Congo River is an important source of water for rainforest animals. Moreover, the river has a significant place in myths and legends that are often associated with the Congo.
Upper Livingstone Falls rapids of the Congo River, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
This powerful river conjures up images of rainforest animals such as gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos, forest elephants, okapis and different types of monkey, all of which can be found along its banks. The Congo River basin has the highest diversity of fish species of any African river system.
The current position of the River became established 1.5-2 million years ago, and its course today includes many rapids, waterfalls, swamps, lakes and islands.
The first European to see the Congo River was the Portuguese explorer Diogo Cão, who sailed into the estuary in 1842.
The lower reaches of the River are only navigable for 100 miles before the start of the 32 large rapids known as the Livingston Falls. However, from Brazzaville and Kinshasa, going inland, the middle reaches of the River offer more than 1,250 mi (2,000 km) of navigable waterways.
The waterways allow the transport and trade of goods such as cotton, coffee, timber, minerals and rubber from many places where there is no access by road. It is estimated that 75 million people live in the Congo River basin today, many of whom are reliant upon this mighty River for their livelihoods.
Interesting Fact: The Congo River does not form a delta where it flows into the ocean, which is unusual among large rivers. Instead, the huge volumes of water enter the sea through a narrow, deep channel. In fact, the water flow has carved an underwater canyon that stretches 85 km out to sea and is over 3,200 ft (1,000 m) deep in places.
3. Niger River
The Secrets of the Nile: Lifeline of Ancient Egypt
The Niger River, the third longest river in Africa, rises in the mountains in southwestern Guinea, West Africa. Its crescent shape journey starts in Guinea, and it empties into the Atlantic Ocean in Nigeria.
Niger River in Niamey, Niger
Source: Guinea
Length: 2,611 mi (4,200 km)
Flows through: Guinea, Mali, Niger, Nigeria
Flows past: Tembakounda, Bamako, Timbuktu, Niamey, Onitsha
Discharges into: Gulf of Guinea from the Niger Delta, Nigeria
Average discharge 197,373 cu ft/s (5,589 m3/s)
Even though its source is only 150 mi (240 km) from the Atlantic Ocean, the Niger River does not flow towards the sea. Instead, it flows inland, straight into the Sahara Desert. It makes a wide arc and turns southeast near the ancient city of Timbuktu in Mali, thereafter flowing southwards to the Niger Delta, where it enters the Atlantic Ocean via the Gulf of Guinea.
The British explorer Mungo Park mounted two expeditions (in 1795 and 1804) to identify the River’s course from source to mouth. He attempted to paddle a boat the entire distance and was much plagued by local tribesmen, who made numerous attacks on his boat as he passed.
Park’s party was well armed and repulsed the attacks, killing many tribesmen in the process. Eventually however, one such attack saw his boat run aground. Smaller boats can travel easily along the River and its waterways have been used for trading and travel for centuries.
In the middle reaches, just before the River reaches Timbuktu, the gradient of the land becomes shallower and the water spreads out, forming numerous interlinked streams, marshes, channels and lakes. This is the Inner Niger Delta, a fertile oasis in the surrounding dry Sahel of Mali. It floods seasonally and is important for the cultivation of crops and as a refuge for thousands of birds.
The city of Timbuktu originated around 1,000 years ago as a place of meeting between Saharan pastoralists and riverboat traders. It was an important location for the trade of gold and slaves during the middle ages and a major center of learning and Islamic scholarship.
Interesting Fact: The Niger Delta was, at one time, known as the “Slave Coast” because almost half of the slaves exported from Africa during the time of slavery came from this area.
4. Zambezi River
The Secrets of the Nile: Lifeline of Ancient Egypt
The Zambezi is the longest eastward-flowing river in Africa. This waterway passes through six countries, including Zambia and Mozambique. It is considered to be relatively pristine and unexplored, and is home to many great wildlife areas and populations of spectacular animals and birds.
Elephant bathing in the Zambezi River, Livingstone, Zambia
Source: Mwinilunga, northwestern Zambia
Length: 1, 599 mi (2,574 km)
Flows through: Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola, Zambia, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique.
Flows past: Cazombo, Mongu, Katima Mulilo, Livingstone, Kariba, Tete.
Discharges into: Indian Ocean from Mozambique
Average discharge 172,335 cu ft/s (4,880 m3/s)
The upper Zambezi is mostly slow-flowing due to the flat topography of the land. In places, it forms floodplains where the River is shallow and up to 15 mi (25km) wide. The upper reaches are sparsely populated and the annual flooding influences the people’s lives since they have to move their homes and stock to higher ground.
Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
David Livingston, the British missionary and explorer, followed the Zambezi along its middle and lower reaches. In 1855 he discovered and named the Victoria Falls, also known as Mosi-oa-Tunya (‘the smoke that thunders’) locally.
The waterfall is at least 4900 ft (1,500 m) wide and forms the largest curtain of falling water in the world. It is also one of the seven natural wonders of the world.
Two large dams, Kariba and Cahora Bassa, have been built on the Zambezi to control water flow and generate hydroelectricity. They have caused significant changes to the ecosystems of the Zambezi floodplains.
The Zambezi flows between Zimbabwe and Zambia, then wends its way through Mozambique before finally discharging to the Indian Ocean.
Interesting Fact: Tigerfish are common in the Zambezi and fishermen come from all over the world to catch these feisty fish.
5. Orange River
The Secrets of the Nile: Lifeline of Ancient Egypt
The Orange River is one of the longest rivers south of the tropics. From its source in South Africa, it passes through Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique.
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