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63-729: The Mutimbuzi River watershed is north of the city of Bujumbura between 3°12’00" and 3°24’30" South latitude and 29°19’00" and 29°34’00" East longitude. Although the Mutimbuzi River is a tributary of Lake Tanganyika , it drains part of the Ruzizi plain. The watershed includes parts of three ecoclimatic regions: the Imbo plain , the Mumirwa foothills and the Congo-Nile ridge . Altitudes range from 759 to 2,505 metres (2,490 to 8,219 ft). The upper watershed

126-527: A genus level, six species of Chrysichthys catfish are only found in the Tanganyika basin where they live both in shallow and relatively deep waters; in the latter habitat they are the primary predators and scavengers. A unique evolutionary radiation in the lake is the 15 species of Mastacembelus spiny eels, all but one endemic to its basin. Although other African Great Lakes have Synodontis catfish, endemic catfish genera and Mastacembelus spiny eels,

189-496: A greater role than the rivers. At least 90% of the water influx is from rain falling on the lake's surface and at least 90% of the water loss is from direct evaporation. The major river flowing into the lake is the Ruzizi River , formed about 10,000 years ago, which enters the north of the lake from Lake Kivu . The Malagarasi River , which is Tanzania's second largest river, enters the east side of Lake Tanganyika. The Malagarasi

252-571: A precious biological resource for the study of speciation and evolution . The cichlids of the African Great Lakes , including Tanganyika, represent the most diverse extent of adaptive radiation in vertebrates. Some of the endemic species do occur slightly into the upper Lukuga River (Lake Tanganyika's outflow), but any further distribution into the Congo River basin is stemmed purely by geography and chemistry—Tanganyika's lake environment

315-576: A total area of about 4,000,000 km (1,500,000 sq mi), or 13% of the entire African landmass. The name Congo/Kongo originates from the Kingdom of Kongo once located on the southern bank of the river. The kingdom in turn was named after the indigenous Bantu Kongo people , known in the 17th century as "Esikongo". South of the Kingdom of Kongo proper lay the similarly named Kakongo kingdom, mentioned in 1535. Abraham Ortelius labelled "Manicongo" as

378-667: Is an African Great Lake . It is the second-largest freshwater lake by volume and the second deepest , in both cases after Lake Baikal in Siberia . It is the world's longest freshwater lake. The lake is shared among four countries— Tanzania , the Democratic Republic of the Congo (the DRC), Burundi , and Zambia —with Tanzania (46%) and the DRC (40%) possessing the majority of the lake. It drains into

441-424: Is deeper than any other cichlid known. Some of the deepwater genera (e.g., Bathybates , Gnathochromis , Hemibates and Xenochromis ) have been caught in places virtually devoid of oxygen, and how they are able to survive there is unclear. Tanganyika cichlids are generally benthic (found at or near the bottom) and/or coastally. No Tanganyika cichlids are truly pelagic and offshore, except for some of

504-482: Is far more stable and consistent than the rapids and fast-flowing sections of the Congo River. Additionally, Lake Tanganyika's water is alkaline and of a higher pH (which the cichlids prefer), containing a higher calcium and mineral content than the Congo's acidic , sediment -rich waters, which collect much organic detritus from the surrounding rainforests . In areas of the Congo away from rapids or whitewater ,

567-461: Is home to more than 80 species of non-cichlid fish and about 60% of these are endemic. The open waters of the pelagic zone are dominated by four non-cichlid species: Two species of "Tanganyika sardine" ( Limnothrissa miodon and Stolothrissa tanganicae ) form the largest biomass of fish in this zone, and they are important prey for the forktail lates ( Lates microlepis ) and sleek lates ( L. stappersii ). Two additional lates are found in

630-588: Is in a mountainous massif with steep slopes. Lower down it is in the Mumirwa foothills. The downstream part in the Imbo Plain has V-shaped valley with low slopes, and is most exposed to the risk of flooding. Average temperatures range from over 23 °C (73 °F) in the Imbo Plain to 14 to 15 °C (57 to 59 °F) on the Congo-Nile ridge. Average annual rainfall ranges from 800–1,100 millimetres (31–43 in) in

693-3884: Is in the Ruwenzori Mountains , at an altitude of around 4,340 m (14,240 ft) above sea level. Distribution of the Congo basin area between countries: The most important hydrological stations along the Congo River are: Brazzaville The Congo River discharge at Kinshasa / Brazzaville stations since the start of measurements (1902 to 2021): 5°08′30.4″S 13°59′27.9″E  /  5.141778°S 13.991083°E  / -5.141778; 13.991083 5°02′57.3″S 13°59′28.2″E  /  5.049250°S 13.991167°E  / -5.049250; 13.991167 5°01′49.5″S 14°01′37.2″E  /  5.030417°S 14.027000°E  / -5.030417; 14.027000 5°2′20.6″S 14°02′09.2″E  /  5.039056°S 14.035889°E  / -5.039056; 14.035889 4°56′50.7″S 14°09′21.2″E  /  4.947417°S 14.155889°E  / -4.947417; 14.155889 4°55′38.5″S 14°15′16.5″E  /  4.927361°S 14.254583°E  / -4.927361; 14.254583 4°54′03.3″S 14°24′18.2″E  /  4.900917°S 14.405056°E  / -4.900917; 14.405056 Brazzaville 4°16′47.3″S 15°18′32.8″E  /  4.279806°S 15.309111°E  / -4.279806; 15.309111 4°05′24.4″S 15°30′39.1″E  /  4.090111°S 15.510861°E  / -4.090111; 15.510861 3°52′43.4″S 15°55′11.6″E  /  3.878722°S 15.919889°E  / -3.878722; 15.919889 3°33′18.7″S 16°05′32.2″E  /  3.555194°S 16.092278°E  / -3.555194; 16.092278 3°28′52.5″S 16°07′18.3″E  /  3.481250°S 16.121750°E  / -3.481250; 16.121750 3°11′23.7″S 16°11′09.6″E  /  3.189917°S 16.186000°E  / -3.189917; 16.186000 3°10′36.4″S 16°11′41.5″E  /  3.176778°S 16.194861°E  / -3.176778; 16.194861 3°09′59.7″S 16°10′51.7″E  /  3.166583°S 16.181028°E  / -3.166583; 16.181028 2°48′33.9″S 16°11′40.1″E  /  2.809417°S 16.194472°E  / -2.809417; 16.194472 2°12′22.9″S 16°10′49.0″E  /  2.206361°S 16.180278°E  / -2.206361; 16.180278 2°09′28.5″S 16°12′16.5″E  /  2.157917°S 16.204583°E  / -2.157917; 16.204583 1°52′15.5″S 16°30′43.4″E  /  1.870972°S 16.512056°E  / -1.870972; 16.512056 1°37′55.5″S 16°37′59.4″E  /  1.632083°S 16.633167°E  / -1.632083; 16.633167 1°14′22.2″S 16°47′44.5″E  /  1.239500°S 16.795694°E  / -1.239500; 16.795694 1°03′13.5″S 17°08′58.0″E  /  1.053750°S 17.149444°E  / -1.053750; 17.149444 0°54′39.2″S 17°23′27.1″E  /  0.910889°S 17.390861°E  / -0.910889; 17.390861 0°43′38.5″S 17°33′02.9″E  /  0.727361°S 17.550806°E  / -0.727361; 17.550806 0°41′00.4″S 17°36′43.7″E  /  0.683444°S 17.612139°E  / -0.683444; 17.612139 0°25′58.1″S 17°50′13.3″E  /  0.432806°S 17.837028°E  / -0.432806; 17.837028 0°01′17.4″N 18°13′10.9″E  /  0.021500°N 18.219694°E  / 0.021500; 18.219694 0°30′22.1″N 25°11′03.4″E  /  0.506139°N 25.184278°E  / 0.506139; 25.184278 The main river and tributaries are (sorted in order from

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756-471: Is older than Lake Tanganyika, and before the lake was formed, it probably was a headwater of the Lualaba River , the main Congo River headstream. The lake has a complex history of changing flow patterns, due to its high altitude, great depth, slow rate of refill, and mountainous location in a turbulently volcanic area that has undergone climate changes. Apparently, it has rarely in the past had an outflow to

819-497: Is typically at depths around 100 m (330 ft) in the northern part of the lake and 240–250 m (790–820 ft) in the south. The oxygen-devoid deepest sections contain high levels of toxic hydrogen sulphide and are essentially lifeless, except for bacteria . Lake Tanganyika and its associated wetlands are home to Nile crocodiles (including famous giant Gustave ), Zambian hinged terrapins , serrated hinged terrapins , and pan hinged terrapins (last species not in

882-482: Is unclear if they have a similar behavior. The facultative brood parasites often lay their eggs synchronously with mouthbroding cichlids. The cichlid pick up the eggs in their mouth as if they were their own. Once the catfish eggs hatch the young eat the cichlid eggs. Six catfish genera are entirely restricted to the lake basin: Bathybagrus , Dinotopterus , Lophiobagrus , Phyllonemus , Pseudotanganikallabes and Tanganikallabes . Although not endemic on

945-661: The Atlantic Ocean and an additional 6% of bedload . The river and its tributaries flow through the Congo rainforest , the second largest rainforest area in the world, after the Amazon rainforest in South America. The river also has the second-largest flow in the world, behind the Amazon ; the second-largest drainage basin of any river, behind the Amazon; and is one of the deepest rivers in

1008-566: The Congo River system and ultimately into the Atlantic Ocean . Lake Tanganyika is situated within the Albertine Rift , the western branch of the East African Rift , and is confined by the mountainous walls of the valley. It is the largest rift lake in Africa and the second-largest lake by volume in the world. It is the deepest lake in Africa and holds the greatest volume of fresh water on

1071-560: The Inga dams , about 200 kilometres (120 mi) southwest of Kinshasa. The project was launched in the early 1970s, when the first dam was completed. The plan (as originally conceived) called for the construction of five dams that would have had a total generating capacity of 34,500 megawatts (MW). To date only the Inga I and Inga II dams have been built, generating 1,776 MW. In February 2005, South Africa 's state-owned power company, Eskom , announced

1134-560: The Pool Malebo (Stanley Pool). Kinshasa (formerly Léopoldville) and Brazzaville are on opposite sides of the river at the Pool, where the river narrows and falls through a number of cataracts in deep canyons (collectively known as the Livingstone Falls ), running by Matadi and Boma , and into the sea at Muanda . Lower Congo constitutes the "lower" parts of the great river; that is

1197-506: The Uíge Province in Angola to the confluence with the Congo at Zongo some 80 km (50 mi) downstream from the twin capitals. Because of the vast number of rapids, in particular the Livingstone Falls , this section of the river is not operated continuously by riverboats. The Congo basin covers ten countries and accounts for about 13% of Africa . The highest point in the Congo basin

1260-422: The mantle cavity of the unionid mussel Pleiodon spekei , making it one of only two known commensal species of freshwater shrimp (the other is the sponge-living Caridina spongicola from Lake Towuti , Indonesia). Among Rift Valley lakes , Lake Tanganyika far surpasses all others in terms of crustacean and freshwater snail richness (both in total number of species and number of endemics). For example,

1323-713: The piscivorous Bathybates . Two of these, B. fasciatus and B. leo , mainly feed on Tanganyika sardines . Tanganyika cichlids differ extensively in ecology , and include species that are herbivores , detritivores , planktivores , insectivores , molluscivores , scavengers , scale-eaters and piscivores. These dietary specializations, however, have been shown to be variable and subject to opportunistic changes. That is, many species of Tanganyikan cichlid with specialized diets showed opportunistic, episodic exploitation of Stolothrissa tanganicae and Limnothrissa miodon when prey concentrations were unusually high. The fishes' breeding behavior falls into two main groups:

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1386-520: The Atlantic Ocean. Opportunities for the Congo River and its tributaries to generate hydropower are therefore enormous. Scientists have calculated that the entire Congo Basin accounts for 13 percent of global hydropower potential. This would provide sufficient power for all of Sub-Saharan Africa 's electricity needs. Currently, there are about 40 hydropower plants in the Congo Basin. The largest are

1449-624: The Congo below Boyoma Falls . The Chambeshi River in Zambia is generally taken as the source of the Congo in line with the accepted practice worldwide of using the longest tributary, as with the Nile River. The Congo flows generally toward the northwest from Kisangani just below the Boyoma Falls, then gradually bends southwestward, passing by Mbandaka , joining with the Ubangi River and running into

1512-607: The Imbo plain to 1,300–200 millimetres (51.2–7.9 in) on the Congo-Nile ridge. The rainy season generally extends from October to May and the dry season goes from June to September. The Mutimbuzi River rises in the Kavya colline in the Commune of Muramvya , Muramvya Province . Its three main tributaries are the Muzazi, Murago and Gikoma. The Mutimbuzi flows through the Commune of Mutimbuzi , along

1575-559: The Mutimbuzi River to prevent it from flooding into the airport. Drains would also be installed to prevent flooding. Removal of alluvium and other waste from the river would begin downstream and continue up to the NR5 highway from Bujumbura to Rugombo . In 2020 Burundian Office of Urban Planning, Housing and Construction (OBUHA) banned commercial dredging of the Muha , Kanyosha , Ntahangwa , Mutimbuzi and other rivers of Bujumbura, since only OBUHA had

1638-637: The Niemba River, to maintain a flow. The lake may also have at times had different inflows and outflows; inward flows from a higher Lake Rukwa , access to Lake Malawi and an exit route to the Nile have all been proposed to have existed at some point in the lake's history. Lake Tanganyika is an ancient lake , one of only twenty more than a million years old. Its three basins, which in periods with much lower water levels were separate lakes, are of different ages. The central began to form 9–12 million years ago (Mya),

1701-602: The Ruzizi. The Mutimbuzi has a very changeable course, and feeds many ponds during the rainy season. It has very low flow in the dry season but becomes a torrent in the rainy season. In April 2018 the Mutimbuzi River in the Buterere area, which had been diverted from its bed, had destroyed over 300 houses, flooded others and devastated many fields. In October 2018 the Burundi Civil Aviation Authority began dredging

1764-508: The Tanganyika thalassoids, which are part of Prosobranchia , are endemic to the lake. Initially they were believed to be related to similar marine snails, but they are now known to be unrelated. Their appearance is now believed to be the result of the highly diverse habitats in Lake Tanganyika and evolutionary pressure from snail-eating fish and, in particular, Platythelphusa crabs. A total of 17 freshwater snail genera are endemic to

1827-552: The accumulated sediment and organic matter creates sections of " blackwater ", with a high concentration of tannins from dissolving wood and leaves, creating an environment in which cichlids simply do not thrive. Likewise, many tropical riverine species would likely suffer if exposed to the crisp, alkaline lake water. Although Lake Tanganyika has fewer cichlid species than Lakes Malawi or Victoria —which both have experienced relatively recent explosive species radiations (resulting in many closely related species)—, its cichlids are

1890-436: The area were fishing. Most of them included using a lantern as a lure for fish that are attracted to light. There were three basic forms. One called Lusenga which is a wide net used by one person from a canoe. The second one is using a lift net. This was done by dropping a net deep below the boat using two parallel canoes and then simultaneously pulling it up. The third is called Chiromila which consisted of three canoes. One canoe

1953-516: The city at the mouth of the river in his world map of 1564. The tribal names in Kongo possibly derive from a word for a public gathering or tribal assembly. The modern name of the Kongo people or Bakongo was introduced in the early 20th century. The name Zaire is from a Portuguese adaptation of a Kikongo word, nzere ("river"), a truncation of nzadi o nzere ("river swallowing rivers"). The river

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2016-402: The continent, accounting for 16% of the world's available fresh water. It extends for 676 km (420 mi) in a general north–south direction and averages 50 km (31 mi) in width. The lake covers 32,900 km (12,700 sq mi), with a shoreline of 1,828 km (1,136 mi), a mean depth of 570 m (1,870 ft) and a maximum depth of 1,470 m (4,820 ft) (in

2079-634: The east side of the Melchior Ndadaye International Airport and under the RN4 coastal highway before emptying into Lake Tanganyika. About 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from the Rusizi the Mpanda River , a tributary of the Ruzizi, crosses an enormous expanse of marshes that connects to the Mutimbuzi River basin. The Mutimbuzi's mouth on Lake Tanganyika is about 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) from that of

2142-509: The fish populations, causing significant declines. In 2016, it was estimated that the total catch was up to 200,000 tonnes. It is thought that early Homo sapiens were making an impact on the region during the Stone Age . The time period of the Middle Stone Age to Late Stone Age is described as an age of advanced hunter-gatherers. There are many methods in which the native people of

2205-482: The genera Altolamprologus , Cyprichromis , Eretmodus , Julidochromis , Lamprologus , Neolamprologus , Tropheus and Xenotilapia , are popular aquarium fish due to their bright colors and patterns, and interesting behaviors. Recreating a Lake Tanganyika biotope to host those cichlids in a habitat similar to their natural environment is also popular in the aquarium hobby, with many species today being bred in captivity successfully. Lake Tanganyika

2268-608: The lake ( Haplochromini , Tilapiini and Tylochromini ). Others have proposed splitting the Tanganyika cichlids into as many as 12–16 tribes ( Bathybatini , Benthochromini , Boulengerochromini , Cyphotilapiini , Eretmodini , Greenwoodochromini , Perissodini and Trematocarini , in addition to the aforementioned tribes). Most Tanganyika cichlids live along the shoreline, down to a depth of 100 m (330 ft), but some deep-water species regularly descend to 200 m (660 ft). Trematocara species have, exceptionally, been found at more than 300 m (980 ft), which

2331-455: The lake itself, but in adjacent lagoons). Storm's water cobra , a threatened subspecies of banded water cobra that feeds mainly on fish, is only found in Lake Tanganyika, where it prefers rocky shores. Lake Tanganyika is home to at least 250 endemic species of cichlids , and undescribed species likely remain to be discovered. Almost all (roughly 98%) of the lake's cichlid species are found solely there, and nowhere else, thus making it

2394-567: The lake, and as a base from which to launch surprise attacks on Allied troops. It therefore became essential for the Allied forces to gain control of the lake themselves. Under the command of Lieutenant Commander Geoffrey Spicer-Simson the British Royal Navy achieved the monumental task of bringing two armed motor boats HMS Mimi and HMS Toutou from England to the lake by rail, road and river to Albertville (since renamed Kalemie in 1971) on

2457-936: The lake, such as Hirthia , Lavigeria , Paramelania , Reymondia , Spekia , Stanleya , Tanganyicia and Tiphobia . There are about 30 species of non-thalassoid snails in the lake, but only five of these are endemic, including Ferrissia tanganyicensis and Neothauma tanganyicense . The latter is the largest Tanganyika snail and its shell is often used by small shell-dwelling cichlids . Crustaceans are also highly diverse in Tanganyika with more than 200 species, of which more than half are endemic. They include 10 species of freshwater crabs (9 Platythelphusa and Potamonautes platynotus ; all endemic), at least 11 species of small atyid shrimp ( Atyella , Caridella and Limnocaridina ), an endemic palaemonid shrimp ( Macrobrachium moorei ), about 100 ostracods , including many endemics, and several copepods . Among these, Limnocaridina iridinae lives inside

2520-636: The lake, the Tanganyika lates ( L. angustifrons ) and bigeye lates ( L. mariae ), but both these are primarily benthic hunters, although they also may move into open waters. The four lates, all endemic to Tanganyika, have been overfished and larger individuals are rare today. Among the more unusual fish in the lake are the endemic, facultatively brood parasitic "cuckoo catfish", including at least Synodontis grandiops and S. multipunctatus . A number of others are very similar (e.g., S. lucipinnis and S. petricola ) and have often been confused; it

2583-412: The lake. Among the endemic bivalves are three monotypic genera: Grandidieria burtoni , Pseudospatha tanganyicensis and Brazzaea anceyi . Many of the snails are unusual for species living in freshwater in having noticeably thickened shells and/or distinct sculpture , features more commonly seen in marine snails. They are referred to as thalassoids, which can be translated to "marine-like". All

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2646-607: The lake. He noted the name "Liemba" for its southern part, a word probably from the Fipa language . Tanganyika means "stars" in the Luvale language . The lake was the scene of Battle for Lake Tanganyika during World War I . With the aid of the Graf Goetzen , the Germans had complete control of the lake in the early stages of the war. The ship was used both to ferry cargo and personnel across

2709-505: The most morphologically and genetically diverse. This is linked to the maturity of Tanganyika, as it is far older than the other lakes. Tanganyika has the largest number of endemic cichlid genera of all African lakes. All Tanganyika cichlids are in the subfamily Pseudocrenilabrinae . Of the 10 tribes in this subfamily, half are largely or entirely restricted to the lake ( Cyprichromini , Ectodini , Lamprologini , Limnochromini and Tropheini ), while another three have species in

2772-597: The mouth heading upstream): Lower Congo (river mouth to Kinshasa ) Downstream of Kinshasa, from the river mouth at Banana , there are a few major tributaries. Middle Congo ( Kinshasa to the Boyoma Falls ) Upper Congo ( Lualaba ; upstream from the Boyoma Falls ) Although the Livingstone Falls prevent access from the sea, nearly the entire Congo above them is readily navigable in sections, especially between Kinshasa and Kisangani. Large river steamers worked

2835-460: The northern 7–8 Mya and the southern 2–4 Mya. The lake's water is alkaline with a pH around 9 at depths of 0–100 m (0–330 ft). Below this, it is around 8.7, gradually decreasing to 8.3–8.5 in the deepest parts of Tanganyika. A similar pattern can be seen in the electric conductivity , ranging from about 670 μS/cm in the upper part to 690 μS/cm in the deepest. Surface temperatures generally range from about 24 °C (75 °F) in

2898-497: The northern basin). It holds an estimated 18,750 km (4,500 cu mi). The catchment area of the lake is 231,000 km (89,000 sq mi). Two main rivers flow into the lake, as well as numerous smaller rivers and streams (whose lengths are limited by the steep mountains around the lake). The one major outflow is the Lukuga River , which empties into the Congo River drainage. Precipitation and evaporation play

2961-418: The only other Rift Valley lake with endemic freshwater crabs are Lake Kivu and Lake Victoria with two species each. The diversity of other invertebrate groups in Lake Tanganyika is often not well-known, but there are at least 20 described species of leeches (12 endemics), 9 sponges (7 endemic), 6 bryozoa (2 endemic), 11 flatworms (7 endemic), 20 nematodes (7 endemic), 28 annelids (17 endemic) and

3024-601: The proper equipment for mechnical dredging, and manual dredging could not handle large rocks in the river bed. However, given lack of funding and the risk of floods, the agency soon allowed the cooperatives that did manual dredging to resume work. The cooperatives would pay OBUHA for the construction materials they retrieved, and were committed to building dikes and planting trees to protect the river banks. Lake Tanganyika Lake Tanganyika ( / ˌ t æ ŋ ɡ ə n ˈ j iː k ə , - ɡ æ n -/ TANG -gən- YEE -kə, -⁠gan- ; Kirundi : Ikiyaga ca Tanganyika )

3087-606: The relatively high diversity is unique to Tanganyika, which likely is related to its old age. Among the non-endemic fish, some are widespread African species but several are only shared with the Malagarasi and Congo River basins, such as the Congo bichir ( Polypterus congicus ), goliath tigerfish ( Hydrocynus goliath ), Citharinus citharus , six-banded distichodus ( Distichodus sexfasciatus ) and mbu puffer ( Tetraodon mbu ). A total of 83 freshwater snail species (65 endemic) and 11 bivalve species (8 endemic) are known from

3150-457: The river until quite recently. The Congo River still is a lifeline in a land with few roads or railways. Railways now bypass the three major falls, and much of the trade of Central Africa passes along the river, including copper , palm oil (as kernels), sugar , coffee , and cotton . The Congo River is the most powerful river in Africa. During the rainy season over 50,000 cubic metres (1,800,000 cu ft) of water per second flows into

3213-464: The sea. It has been described as "practically endorheic " for this reason. The lake's connection to the sea is dependent on a high water level allowing water to overflow out of the lake through the Lukuga River into the Congo. When not overflowing, the lake's exit into the Lukuga River typically is blocked by sand bars and masses of weed, and instead this river depends on its own tributaries, especially

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3276-576: The section of the river from the river mouth at the Atlantic coast to the twin capitals of Brazzaville and Kinshasa. In this section of the river, there are two significant tributaries, both on the left or south side. The Kwilu River originates in the hills near the Angolan border and enters the Congo some 100 km upstream from Matadi . The other is the Inkisi River , that flows in a northerly direction from

3339-413: The small hydrozoan jellyfish Limnocnida tanganyicae . Lake Tanganyika supports a major fishery, which, depending on source, provides 25–40% or c. 60% of the animal protein in the diet of the people living in the region. Lake Tanganyika fish can be found exported throughout East Africa. Major commercial fishing began in the mid-1950s and has, together with global warming, had a heavy impact on

3402-402: The south and is wind-driven, but to a lesser extent, up- and downwellings also occur elsewhere in the lake. As a consequence of the stratification, the deep sections contain " fossil water ". This also means it has no oxygen (it is anoxic ) in the deeper parts, essentially limiting fish and other aerobic organisms to the upper part. Some geographical variations are seen in this limit, but it

3465-579: The southern part of the lake in early August to 28–29 °C (82–84 °F) in the late rainy season in March—April. At depths greater than 400 m (1,300 ft), the temperature is very stable at 23.1–23.4 °C (73.6–74.1 °F). The water has gradually warmed since the 19th century and this has accelerated with global warming since the 1950s. The lake is stratified and seasonal mixing generally does not extend beyond depths of 150 m (490 ft). The mixing mainly occurs as upwellings in

3528-459: The substrate- or sand-spawners (often in caves or rock crevices) and the mouthbrooders . Among the endemic species are two of the world's smallest cichlids, Neolamprologus multifasciatus and N. similis (both shell dwellers ), measuring up to 4–5 cm (1.6–2.0 in), and one of the largest, the giant cichlid ( Boulengerochromis microlepis ) at up to 90 cm (3.0 ft). Many cichlids from Lake Tanganyika, such as species from

3591-577: The western shore of Lake Tanganyika. The two boats waited until December 1915, and mounted a surprise attack on the Germans, with the capture of the gunboat Kingani . Another German vessel, the Hedwig , was sunk in February 1916, leaving the Götzen as the only German vessel remaining to control the lake. In order to avoid his prize ship falling into Allied hands, Zimmer scuttled the vessel on July 26, 1916. The vessel

3654-510: The world's ninth- longest river . The Chambeshi is a tributary of the Lualaba River , and Lualaba is the name of the Congo River upstream of Boyoma Falls , extending for 1,800 km (1,100 mi). Measured along with the Lualaba, the main tributary, the Congo River has a total length of 4,370 km (2,720 mi). It is the only major river to cross the Equator twice. The Congo Basin has

3717-432: The world, at depths greater than 220 m (720 ft). Because its drainage basin includes areas both north and south of the Equator , its flow is stable, as there is always at least one part of the river experiencing a rainy season . The sources of the Congo are in the highlands and mountains of the East African Rift , as well as Lake Tanganyika and Lake Mweru , which feed the Lualaba River , which then becomes

3780-507: Was known as Zaire during the 16th and 17th centuries; Congo seems to have replaced Zaire gradually in English usage during the 18th century, and Congo is the preferred English name in 19th-century literature, although references to Zahir or Zaire as the name used by the inhabitants remained common. The Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo are named after it, as

3843-658: Was later raised in 1924 and renamed MV Liemba . Congo River The Congo River , formerly also known as the Zaire River , is the second-longest river in Africa , shorter only than the Nile , as well as the third-largest river in the world by discharge volume, following the Amazon and Ganges rivers. It is the world's deepest recorded river, with measured depths of around 220 m (720 ft). The Congo– Lualaba – Luvua – Luapula – Chambeshi River system has an overall length of 4,700 km (2,900 mi), which makes it

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3906-526: Was stationary with a lantern while another canoe holds one end of the net and the other circles the stationary one to meet up with the net. The first known Westerners to find the lake were the British explorers Richard Burton and John Speke , in 1858. They located it while searching for the source of the Nile River . Speke continued and found the actual source, Lake Victoria . Later David Livingstone passed by

3969-774: Was the previous Republic of the Congo which had gained independence in 1960 from the Belgian Congo . The Republic of Zaire during 1971–1997 was also named after the river's name in French and Portuguese . The Congo's drainage basin covers 4,014,500 km (1,550,000 sq mi), an area nearly equal to that of the European Union . The Congo's discharge at its mouth ranges from 23,000 to 75,000 m /s (810,000 to 2,650,000 cu ft/s), with an average of 41,000 m /s (1,400,000 cu ft/s). The river transports annually 86 million tonnes of suspended sediment to

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