South Africa

1. South Africa By: Anthony, Bianca, Derek, Maureen, and Samuel

2. Rivers of Interest • Niger River, Congo River, Zambezi River

3. Our Goal • Our goal is to give information about significant Southern African Rivers and their important characteristics and properties based on our research. • We looked at the relevant Historical, Geographical, Socio-political, Economical, Environmental, and Cultural connections of rivers to Africa.

4. Congo River • The Congo River was once known as the Zaire River. • It is the fifth largest river in the world. • Flows through the DRC, PRC, CAR, Zambia, Angola, Cameroon, and Tanzania. • Forms the border between Zaire and the Republic of Congo. • It is used as a natural highway. • The river rises in Zambia as the Chambeshi River and ends as an estuary on the border between Kinshasa and Brazzaville.

5. Congo River • Length: 4700 km • Location: At the equator in West-Central Africa. Largely situated in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. • Usage: Fishery, Water Provision(Providing), Water and Waste Discharge, Transportation. • The River Basin contains many endangered species. • Problems: Over populated, Excessive amount of hunting on the areas wildlife, Civil Wars and Disturbances to the National Parks. <-------------Giant Barb, The king of fish Exceptionally rare

6. Congo River • The River provides water to the native population and takes care of waste discharge. • Many inhabitants along the river depend on fisheries. • The River regulates the water supply and discharge. • The Congo creates fertile soil for agricultural use. • Humans haven’t accessed remote parts of the River Basin.

7. Congo River Disasters • Kinshasa, Congo - Two boats overloaded with 500 fishermen and traders collided on a stormy lake off the Congo River, killing at least 160 people and leaving more than 100 others missing.Reports of casualties emerged Thursday from one of the deadliest ferry disasters ever in Africa, where inadequate roads make crowded, dilapidated riverboats a prime means of transportation.

8. Niger River • There have been wars over the river for superiority of the water. • UNICEF runs programs here to keep the water clean. • It runs through Guinea, Mali, Niger and Nigeria. • Few dams alternate the flow of the Niger River such as Sélingué dam, Fomi, and the Kainji • The Niger River is the third longest in the continent.

9. Niger River • It rises in Guinea near the Sierra Leone Border and flows into Nigeria and the gulf of guinea. • It is approx. 2600 miles long. • People living along the river include the Bambara, the Malinke and the Songhai cultures.

10. Niger River • When the floodgates of Nigeria’s Kainji dam were opened, it sent a torrent of water downstream which swept away 60 villages and the homes of hundreds of families. WOOOOSSHHHH

11. Zambezi River • 42 million people live within the river’s basin and relies on the river’s fish • There are not many sewage facilities so people are forced to release untreated sewage into the river.

12. Zambezi River • The Zambezi River is the fourth longest river in Africa, after the Nile, Zaire, and Niger Rivers. It is the longest east flowing river in Africa. • The Zambezi originates in Northwestern Zambia, formerly Rhodesia, and flows through Angola, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and finally Mozambique. • It flows through five countries from its source in northwestern Zambia to the Indian Ocean (1600 miles).

13. Zambezi River • There are two dams that harness power from the Zambezi river. One being the Kariba Dam in Zimbabwe and the other being the Cahora Bassa Dam in Mozambique.

14. Zambezi River • Both dams are sources of hydroelectric power and supply a large portion of power to Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa. • The upper part of the Zambezi River is sparsely populated by farmers and fisherman. • During the rainy seasons when the plain is flooded, a ceremony known as the Ku-omboka Ceremony takes place as the local people move to higher ground. • Local Folk Law: The Zambezi River has a spirit called Nyami. • The spirit brings them water to grow their crops and fish to eat and so they call it the “River of Life.”

15. Works Cited • "The Congo River." Rainforests. 12 Mar. 2009 <http://rainforests.mongabay.com/congo/congo_river.html>. • "Explorer | Monster Fish of the Congo | National Geographic Channel." National Geographic Channel - Animals, Science, Exploration Television Shows. 12 Mar. 2009 <http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/explorer/3826/Overview12#tab-fish-species-interactive>. • "HowStuffWorks "The Zambezi River"" Howstuffworks "Geography" 12 Mar. 2009 <http://geography.howstuffworks.com/africa/the-zambezi-river.htm>. • "Niger River - Mahalo." Mahalo.com: Human-powered Search. 12 Mar. 2009 <http://www.mahalo.com/Niger_River>. • "Nigeria: The dam which brought disaster | Article from New African | HighBeam Research." 12 Mar. 2009 <http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-37929895.html>. • "Outline Map Labeled: African Rivers - EnchantedLearning.com." ENCHANTED LEARNING HOME PAGE. 12 Mar. 2009 <http://www.enchantedlearning.com/africa/rivers/outlinemaplabeled/>. • TreeHugger. 12 Mar. 2009 <http://www.treehugger.com/congo-river-080724.jpg>. • "The Zambezi - Special Issue." 12 Mar. 2009 <http://www.sardc.net/Imercsa/zambezi/Zambezi/eng/view.asp?vol=37&pubno=v6n3>. • "Zambezi River Facts and Information." Victoria Falls, Oustanding Adventure Holiday in The Jewel of Africa. 12 Mar. 2009 <http://www.victoriafalls-guide.net/zambezi-river.html>.