Major Rivers of Africa

The continent of Africa is nurtured by many significant rivers which flows in its land. These rivers not only support the lifeline in Africa but also affects its ecosystem, culture and human civilization. Also, America is the home to one one the most famous river The Nile, which is the longest river in the world. Many other rivers like, Congo River, Niger, Zambezi River, Cubango, Orange River, Ubangi River, Webi Jubba River, Volta River and Limpopo River together forms the drainage framework of the Africa.

The landscape in the continent is shaped by these rivers, which also improve the quality of life for people in Africa.

Features Of Major Rivers of Africa

The following are the features about the major river of the Africa −

Nile

• In North-eastern Africa, the Nile is a significant river that flows.

• The Nile was thought to be the longest river in the world and is the longest river in Africa.

• It is approximately 6,650 kilometres (4,130 mi) in Length.

• It empties into the Mediterranean Sea.

• Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, South Sudan, Republic of the Sudan, and Egypt are among the eleven nations that make up its drainage basin of The Nile.

• Both the White Nile and the Blue Nile are significant tributaries of the Nile which are located in Sudan.

• Atbarah River (Red/Black Nile), Didessa River, Bahr el Zeraf(Giraffe River), are some other tributaries of Nile.

Congo River

• It is the second longest river in the Africa after Nile and third largest by volume of water.

• It was previously known as Zaire River.

• One of the largest rivers in Africa, the Congo River, runs through the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

• After the Nile, it is the second-longest river in Africa with a rough length of 4,700 kilometres.

• The Congo Basin is a crucial habitat that is formed by the river as it flows through lush rainforests from the river's source in the highlands of Zambia.

• The Lualaba is the Congo's primary tributary.

• The river is the only significant one to cross the equator twice.

• The Congo Basin makes up 13% of all of Africa's landmass, or around 4,000,000 km² (1,500,000 sq. mi).

Niger

• The Nile and the Congo River are both longer than the Niger River, which is the continent's third-longest river.

• The Niger River, which spans around 4,180 kilometres (2,600 mi), is the principal river in West Africa.

• Before draining into the Gulf of Guinea, it travels from Guinea through Mali, Niger, and Nigeria.

• Its drainage basin covers an area of 2,117,700 km² (817,600 sq mi).

• The Benue River is its principal tributary.

• Leo Africanus is the one who gave the river its first recorded use of the name "Niger". The term "river of rivers" in the Berber language may have inspired the name.

Zambezi River

• With a length of over 2,574 kilometres, the Zambezi River ranks as the fourth-longest river in Africa.

• 1,390,000 km² make up its drainage basin.

• Before reaching the Indian Ocean, it travels from Zambia through Angola, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique.

• The Victoria Falls, one of the biggest waterfalls in the world, is a famous feature of the river.

Cubango River

• The Okavango River, also known as the Cubango River and formerly spelled Okovango or Okovanggo, is a river in southwest Africa. I

• The length of the Cubango River is about 1,700 kilometres.

• The Okavango Delta is created when it flows from Angola's Bie Plateau through Namibia and Botswana.

• The river's ability to expand out into a wide inland delta and not reach the ocean, generating a rich and diversified ecology, makes it unique.

Orange River

• The Orange River, which has a length of over 2,432 kilometres, has its beginnings in Lesotho's Drakensberg Mountains.

• It also goes by the name Gariep River.

• At a height of more than 3,000 m (9,800 ft), The Orange rises in the Drakensberg highlands at the boundary between South Africa and Lesotho, some 193 km (120 mi) west of the Indian Ocean.

• It flows into the Atlantic Ocean after forming a portion of the border between South Africa and Namibia.

Ubangi River

• The Ubangi River, which is around 1,060 kilometres long, is a significant tributary of the Congo River.

• Basically, it is the biggest right-bank tributary of the Congo River in Central Africa.

• It starts at the junction of the Mbomou and Uele Rivers, which have an average annual discharge of 1,350 and 1,550 m3/s, respectively, and flows west.

• The Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic share a portion of this boundary.

• The drainage basin of the Ubangi is roughly 651,915 square kilometres.

Webi Jubba River

• The Webi Jubba River, also called the Juba River, has a length of about 1,004 kilometres.

• The Jubba basin, which has a surface size of 749,000 km², is what gives its name to the Somali regional state of Jubaland (formerly known as Trans-Juba).

• It starts in the Ethiopian Highlands and travels across Somalia and Ethiopia before ending up at the Indian Ocean.

• It is a river that travels through the independent nation of Jubaland in southern Somalia.

Volta River

• The Volta River is the primary river system in the western African country of Ghana.

• The Black Volta, White Volta, and Red Volta make up the majority of the river.

• The Volta River traverses Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Togo over a distance of around 1,500 kilometres.

• From Burkina Faso's Bobo-Dioulasso highlands, it runs south into Ghana.

• The Black Volta, which runs through the northwest, serves as the border between Ghana, Burkina Faso, and the Ivory Coast. The Volta discharges into the Atlantic Ocean near Ada Foah after flowing south along the Akwapim-Togoland highlands.

Limpopo River

• The 1,750-kilometer-long Limpopo River serves as a portion of the boundary between South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique.

• It rises in South Africa's Maroteng Hills and empties into the Indian Ocean.

• The mean annual discharge of tye river is measured over a drainage basin of 415,000 square kilometres (160,200 square miles) is 170 m3 per second at its mouth.

• Vasco da Gama, who anchored at the river's mouth in 1498 and gave it the name Espirito Santo River, was the first European to see the river.

List of Major Rivers of Africa

River	Origin	Countries Flowing Through	End	Approximate Length (km)
Nile	Lake Victoria, East Africa	Uganda, South Sudan, Sudan, Egypt	Mediterranean Sea	6,650
Congo River	Zambezi River, Zambia	Democratic Republic of the Congo	Atlantic Ocean	4,700
Niger	Guinea	Guinea, Mali, Niger, Nigeria	Gulf of Guinea	4,200
Zambezi River	Mwinilunga District, Zambia	Zambia, Angola, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique	Indian Ocean	2,574
Cubango	Bie Plateau, Angola	Angola, Namibia, Botswana	Okavango Delta, Botswana	1,700
Orange River	Drakensberg Mountains, Lesotho	Lesotho, South Africa, Namibia	Atlantic Ocean	2,432
Ubangi River	Central African Republic, Congo	Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo	Congo River	1,060
Webi Jubba River	Ethiopian Highlands, Ethiopia	Ethiopia, Somalia	Indian Ocean	1,004
Volta River	Burkina Faso, Ghana, Togo	Burkina Faso, Ghana, Togo	Gulf of Guinea	1,500
Limpopo River	Maroteng Hills, South Africa	South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique	Indian Ocean	1,750

Conclusion

The great rivers of Africa—the Nile, the Congo, the Niger, the Zambezi, the Cubango, the Orange, the Ubangi, the Webi Jubba, the Volta, and the Limpopo—are vital lifelines that create the continent's terrain and support life. These rivers are essential to the region's cultural and economic development because they support agriculture, supply water to populations of people and wildlife, and support local economies.

Africa's rivers are crucial for the health of both nature and humanity, from the historical significance of the Nile to the various ecosystems that the Cubango and Zambezi rivers create.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the longest river in Africa?

The Nile River is the longest river in Africa.

What is the endpoint of the Niger River?

The Niger River flows into the Gulf of Guinea.

What are the countries through which the Zambezi River flows?

The Zambezi River flows through Zambia, Angola, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique.

Where does the Orange River originate?

The Orange River originates in Lesotho's Drakensberg Mountains.

Which river is a tributary of the Congo River?

The Ubangi River is a significant right-bank tributary of the Congo River.

What is the length of the Limpopo River?

The Limpopo River stretches approximately 1,750 kilometres.