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The Congo, also called Zaire, is the largest river in Africa measured at its catchment area, it carries the most water, and it is number two in its length. At its delta, it carries about 39,160 m³/s water in the on annual average. Its catchment area is mainly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in which where it flows through the gigantic Congo Basin. The catchment area covers 3,730,474 km² and includes parts of Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Republic of the Congo and Central African Republic.
The source of the Congo is in the north of Zambia close to the border to Tanzania between Lake Tanganyika and Lake Malawi. There, the Chambeshi (Tschambesi) rises, which is later called the source river of the Luapula. Further downstream, it is called Luvua.
Author und source: [7]
The Congo has, with its river course Luvua-Luapula-Chambeshi, an overall length of 4,835 kms and flows into the very wide spread Congo Basin. 150 km north, it flows into the Lukuga. The Lulalaba flows from here in northern direction to the Boyoma Falls near Kisangani.
From here onwards, the river is called Congo and meanders to the southwest and flows through widespread swampland near Mbandaka. The Ubangi, the largest tributary of the Congo, flows into this swampland. From here, the Congo forms the natural border between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo. A bit further down, its second largest tributary, the Kwa Kasai, flows into it. Continuing downstream, the Congo river reaches the Pool Malebo near the cities Brazzaville (Republic of the Congo) and Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of the Congo). From these cities downwards, the Congo is navigable.
At the exit of the Congo Basin, the Congo falls down the 274 m Livingston Falls. Near the city Mbanza, the Congo crosses the 100 to 150 kms broad land strips of the Democratic Republic the Congo and reaches the city Matadi at the border to Angola. On the Angolan-Congolese border, where the river is called Rio Zaire, it flows about 135 km in western direction and flows into a 40 km broad funnel into the Atlantic Ocean. From there, it flows underground 150 kms in western direction in the Congo channel. The Congo channel is a geological depression below sea level.