G E O G R A P H Y |
 This is one of
the largest African countries. With a surface of 2,345,000 km2 on either side of the
equator (5° 2' latitude north and 13° 15' latitude south - Greenwich east longitude from
12° 15' to 31 °15'), it is exactly in the heart of the African continent.This huge country neighbours with the Republic of Congo to the west, with Central African Republic and Sudan to the north, with the Great Lake region of Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania to the east and to Zambia and Angola to the south. The Democratic Republic of Congo has a major trading access on the Atlantic Ocean on the estuary of the river Congo featuring the harbour of Matadi. The country is crossed from north east to south west by the river Congo, the fifth longest river in the world (4374 km). The impressive water flow of the Congo (from 21000 to 75000 m3 a second, the second in the world after the Amazon) favoured the construction of one of the biggest dams in the world for the production of electrical energy called the Inga Dam. The tributaries and the sub-tributaries of the Congo form an extremely large navigable network which is very important for the country's economy. Even though most of the land is level with lower plateaux, there are mountain ranges of considerable altitude which animate the landscape, such as the great African chain with Mount Ougoma in the east and the Virounga volcanoes (4500 metres). The Ruwenzori chain is part of the same eastern mountain range which reaches an altitude of 5119 meters at Marguerite Peak. Congo is entirely situated in the hot tropical climate area and has an annual average temperature of 25°C. An equatorial climate area extends from north to south, from 3° north to 3° south, while two tropical climate areas extend from the north to the south of the country. Rainfall varies from 1500 to 2000 mm in the equatorial area and approximately 1500 mm in tropical areas. |