CONGO RIVER 



1535 



CONGO RIVER 



of cattle and produces the dreaded sleeping 

 sickness among thousands of natives every year 

 (see TSETSE FLY). Steps are being taken to 

 eradicate this insect, to combat the deadly 

 sleeping sickness and improve living conditions. 



French Congo. This territory extends along 

 West Central Africa inland to the Congo River, 

 and is bounded on the north by the German 

 Kamerun. It reaches to Lake Chad, on the 

 borders of the Sudan, and covers a total area of 

 about 450,000 square miles. Its forests are the 

 home of the gorilla and the chimpanzee ; buffa- 

 loes roam the plains, and its rivers and lagoons 

 abound in crocodiles and hippopotamuses. In 

 many parts the rhinoceros is found, and the 

 elephant has not been entirely exterminated, 

 although incessantly hunted for its ivory. 

 Taken altogether, the French Congo may be 

 regarded as one of the most valuable of the 

 French foreign possessions. The country was 

 gradually acquired by exploration and military 

 occupation, commencing at the Atlantic coast 

 and gradually extending inland. 



The country is now administered by a com- 

 missioner-general, and the home government of 

 France has devoted much time and money to 

 the development of the resources of the col- 

 ony. The exports consist chiefly of rubber, 

 ivory, wood, coffee, vanilla and palm oil. The 

 climate is not healthful for Europeans, and 

 their prolonged residence there is impossible. 

 The population is estimated at about 15,000,- 

 000, mostly hardy natives of Bantu stock. The 

 capital is Libreville, other towns of importance 

 being Loango, Franceville and Brazzaville. 

 Since 1900 more than $500,000 has been ex- 

 pended in improving internal communication 

 and installing telegraph and telephone sys- 

 tems. F.ST.A. 



Consult Starr's Congo Natives; Ward's Voice 

 from the Congo. Stanley's The Congo and the 

 Founding of the Free State, published in 18S5, Is 

 yet an authority on the subject. 



Related Subjects. A wider view of the topic 

 will be gained by reference to the following arti- 

 cles in these volumes : ' 



Africa 



Bantu 



Belgium (history) 



Congo (river) 



France (history) 

 Leopold II 

 Rubber 

 Stanley, Henry M. 



CONGO, kong'go, RIVER, one of the largest 

 rivers in the world, its volume being exceeded 

 only by that of the Amazon, although only 

 seventh in length. It drains a vast area of 

 West Central Africa and carries much of the 

 commerce of the two territories known as the 

 French and the Belgian Congo. Practically all 



the vast quantities of rubber shipped out of the 

 Belgian Congo have been transported down 

 this stream. The first definite knowledge ob- 

 tained of this mighty river was secured by 

 Henry M. Stanley, the African explorer (see 



COURSE OF THE CONGO 



The small corner map, in dark area, shows the 

 portion of the continent included in the larger 

 map. 



STANLEY, HENRY M.). It has its source in the 

 heart of "Darkest Africa," in latitude 9 south, 

 longitude 32 east. 



The head stream, known as the Chambezi, 

 flows southwest and empties its waters into 

 Lake Bangweolo. Emerging from the lake it 

 becomes known as the Luapula, which in turn 

 loses itself in Lake Moero. Flowing north from 

 this lake is the great stream of the Lualaba. 

 It does not become known as the Congo until 

 it reaches latitude 4 south. From this point 

 to the sea it is a mighty river, dotted with 

 islands and navigable for more than 1,000 miles. 

 Four tributaries join it in its lower reaches, 

 the Lubilash, the Aruwimi, Ubangi and the 

 Kwa, all combining to form one of the most 

 majestic of the world's waterways. About 300 

 miles from the mouth is Stanley Pool, in which 

 the river widens into a lake. It leaves the 

 Pool in a broad stream which at its mouth 

 attains a width of over ten miles. In various 

 sections narrows and rapids prevent naviga- 

 tion, but railway lines have been built around 

 these, so there is formed a continuous commer- 

 cial route for more than half the length of the 

 river, which is estimated at 3,000 miles. 



The commercial importance of the Congo 

 has so increased that there are now consider- 

 ably more than 100 large steamers plying the 

 upper reaches, penetrating inland as far as 

 navigation is possible and bringing down the 

 rich products of the country. These goods 

 are transferred to the railroad, which conveys 

 them to a point 110 miles from the mouth, 

 where they can be loaded upon ocean-going 

 steamers. 



The volume of water discharged by the 

 Congo is considerably in excess of that of the 

 Mississippi River; the total area of its drain- 

 age basin is not less than 1,600,000 square 

 miles, while the Mississippi-Missouri drainage 



