Democratic Republic of the Congo: Geography#
Location | Central Africa, northeast of Angola |
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Geographic Coordinates | 0 00 N, 25 00 E 0.0,25.0 |
Area | total: 2,344,858 sq km land: 2,267,048 sq km water: 77,810 sq km [Verified in 8 databases] |
Land boundaries | total: 10,481 km border countries: Angola 2,646 km (of which 225 km is the boundary of Angola's discontiguous Cabinda Province), Burundi 236 km, Central African Republic 1,747 km, Republic of the Congo 1,229 km, Rwanda 221 km, South Sudan 714 km, Tanzania 479 km, Uganda 877 km, Zambia 2,332 km |
Coastline | 37 km |
Elevation Extremes | lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Pic Marguerite on Mont Ngaliema (Mount Stanley) 5,110 m |
Highest Mountains | Due to difference in mountain rankings taken from two data sources we are listing here both lists : According to Wolfram: Mont Stanley 5109 m; Mount Speke 4890 m; Mount Emin 4798 m; Mount Gessi 4715 m; Mount Karisimbi 4507 m According to Geonames: Mont Stanley 5109 m; Mount Speke 4891 m; Mount Emin 4798 m; Mont Mohi 3480 m; Mont Biega 2790 m Attempted Explanation: Please help us to try to explain the discrepancies by sending us helpful information to office nospam@TUGraz.at @global-geography.org |
Terrain | vast central basin is a low-lying plateau; mountains in east |
Natural Hazards | periodic droughts in south; Congo River floods (seasonal); active volcanoes in the east along the Great Rift Valley volcanism: Nyiragongo (elev. 3,470 m), which erupted in 2002 and is experiencing ongoing activity, poses a major threat to the city of Goma, home to a quarter million people; the volcano produces unusually fast-moving lava, known to travel up to 100 km /hr; Nyiragongo has been deemed a Decade Volcano by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior, worthy of study due to its explosive history and close proximity to human populations; its neighbor, Nyamuragira, which erupted in 2010, is Africa's most active volcano; Visoke is the only other historically active volcano |
Natural Resource | cobalt, copper, niobium, tantalum, petroleum, industrial and gem diamonds, gold, silver, zinc, manganese, tin, uranium, coal, hydropower, timber |
Land Use | arable land: 2.9% permanent crops: 0.32% other: 96.78% (2011) |
Climate | tropical; hot and humid in equatorial river basin; cooler and drier in southern highlands; cooler and wetter in eastern highlands; north of Equator - wet season (April to October), dry season (December to February); south of Equator - wet season (November to March), dry season (April to October) |
Irrigated Land | 105 sq km (2003) |
Renewable Water Resources | 1,283 cu km (2011) |
Environment_CurrentIssues | poaching threatens wildlife populations; water pollution; deforestation; refugees responsible for significant deforestation, soil erosion, and wildlife poaching; mining of minerals (coltan - a mineral used in creating capacitors, diamonds, and gold) causing environmental damage |
Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification |
Large Cities | Due to difference in city rankings taken from two data sources we are listing here both lists : According to Wolfram: Kinshasa; Lubumbashi; Mbuji; Kolwezi; Kananga According to Geonames: Kinshasa; Lubumbashi; Mbuji; Kisngani; Masina Attempted Explanation: Please help us to try to explain the discrepancies by sending us helpful information to office nospam@TUGraz.at @global-geography.org Important Cities |
Geography-note | second largest country in Africa (after Algeria) and largest country in Sub-Saharan Africa; straddles the equator; has narrow strip of land that controls the lower Congo River and is only outlet to South Atlantic Ocean; dense tropical rain forest in central river basin and eastern highlands |