Page 347 - New Medley 5 Semester 1

Physical Features

The Democratic Republic of the Congo

lies in the heart of the Congo River Basin,

which is formed by the Congo river and its
many tributaries. The Congo river is the
second longest in Africa and the seventh

longest in the world. The Congo river has

many rapids and waterfalls.

The Congo river basin is surrounded by The Congo river
mountains and plateaus on three sides. The Ruwenzori mountains are

towards the east and the Katanga plateau is in the south. Mt Margherita,
about 5100 metres high, is the highest peak in this region. The Congo

river is not navigable due to the presence of rapids and waterfalls in its
course.

Climatic Conditions

The climate is hot and humid almost throughout the year due to its location
near the equator. The sun shines brightly and the heat is unbearable during

the daytime. The hilly regions experience comparatively low temperature.
In the afternoon, the sky is full of dark clouds, which provides heavy

rainfall almost every day. The total rainfall is about 200 cm per year,
and it decreases towards the north and the south.

Natural Vegetation and Wildlife

A large part of the country is covered

with dense evergreen forests. The
tall trees grow close to each other

and form a canopy at the top. Hence
sunlight is not able to reach the

ground. The forests have a large
variety of trees along with creepers,

climbers and shrubs. The main trees
are ebony, mahogany and rosewood.
Savanna grassland

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