The longest river in Africa. Short description of the rivers of Africa

Africa is one of the largest continents on Earth. It is washed on all sides by the seas and oceans: in the north by the Mediterranean Sea, in the northeast by the Red Sea, in the west by the Atlantic Ocean, in the east by the Indian Ocean. In addition to the adjacent waters, it runs its own. The longest river in Africa is the Nile. Its length is almost 7 thousand km.

The study of the political, economic and social spheres of the state is carried out by a special science called Afrikanistika.

Africa

The area of the mainland is 29 million km. If we take into account the size of the islands, this figure grows to 30 million km. 55 countries are formed on the territory. They live a little more than one billion people. Also, this continent is considered the birthplace of many of the oldest peoples. The longest river in Africa, as already mentioned above, is the Nile. It plays a very important role for the state, helping to irrigate the land in the right amount, to transport many materials on ships, and to meet the needs of the people living here.

Africa is located in several climatic zones, and also crosses the equator. Unfortunately, due to the fact that the precipitation here is irregular, due to which the irrigation of the land does not reach the required level, the natural regulation of the atmosphere occurs only near the coast.

Africa is the only continent in the world that stretches from the northern to the southern subtropical climatic zone.

The largest rivers in Africa

This country is rich in water flows. Their distribution over the entire area of the continent depends on the climate and the relief of certain areas. One can immediately say that the rivers are unevenly distributed. This is due to the fact that in some areas precipitation falls very rarely, in others - often. In places where it regularly goes, for example, rain, the river network is quite dense. The three largest waterways in Africa are the Nile, the Congo and the Niger.

A large number of waterfalls, which are formed due to the relevant relief, are unsuitable for navigation, but hydropower stations are actively used to generate hydroelectric power. A large number of water streams are fed by rain, since snow, hail, or glaciers are not characteristic of the local climate. In areas where precipitation falls every few months, dry river beds occur . A more detailed description of the rivers of Africa can be found below.

Nile

The greatest river of the world is the Nile. Its name is formed from the Greek "nylos". The source of the water flow, according to some sources, is located in Lake Victoria; The mouth is the Mediterranean Sea. Nile concurrently - the longest river in Africa and practically the largest on planet Earth, occupying the second place. The delta of the watercourse is formed at the mouth. In the desert, the Sahara has no tributaries. For the hottest African countries, the Nile is a salvation. Due to its waters, irrigation of plantations takes place, and also it is used for drinking and meeting other needs of the population. The bed of the river is full of water, which promotes the development of navigation and allows the transportation of all kinds of goods. Until the hydroelectric power station was built on the water stream, the Nile River, the sewage of which was completely regulated, spilled several hundred kilometers each year.

Congo

The Congo begins near Moomin. An interesting fact is that Zaire and Lualaba are no less popular names for this river. A distinctive feature of the watercourse is that it crosses the equator two times. Congo is practically the longest river in Africa. Although in size, it is inferior to the Nile, but it occupies an honorable first place on the mainland by its fullness. What is most interesting, it is full of water all year round. The mouth of the watercourse is the Atlantic Ocean.

Niger

Closes the top three leading rivers along the length of the Niger. Most of the watercourse is occupied by rapids and drains. It plays an important role for the state, as it flows through arid territories. Due to the fact that it allows irrigation of the land, many dams and canals are built on it. Falling into the Gulf of Guinea, located in the Atlantic Ocean, forms a large delta. Feeds on the rain, the most of which falls in the summer. At the same time of year, floods occur. The river itself is located in such a way that its upper and lower currents receive a sufficient amount of precipitation due to the corresponding climate, while the average, on the contrary, is constantly exposed to evaporation and incomplete drought.

Zambezi

Zambezi is the fourth largest river. In addition, it is the longest among the watercourses flowing into the Indian Ocean. It is interesting that the Victoria Falls belongs to this river. Its height is almost 120 m. It is also a conditional boundary between the upper and middle currents. Zambezi is one of those rivers that have a huge number of tributaries. The largest of them is Kabombo.

The Atlantic Ocean is the mouth of the most full-flowing river in Africa - the Congo. But the longest watercourse of the Nile flows into the Mediterranean Sea. Due to the Zambezi River , a runoff to one of the nearby oceans, namely to the Indian Ocean. Due to the fact that the bottom of the rivers is stepped, new watercourses appear. A vivid example can be Victoria - the most beautiful and large waterfall of the continent.

For a long time there were disputes that have not stopped to this day, on the topic "How long is the Nile River?". Until 2013, it was the largest watercourse in the world. Now its place was taken by Amazon. In addition, there remains little debate between scientists about the hydronyms of water flows. It is only known that the name of the rivers of Africa is closely connected with the history of the state.