Information on Congo

INTRODUCTION

The Democratic Republic of Congo was previously called as Zaire and now is referred to as Congo-Kinshasa , which is considered as the third largest country on the continent of Africa. Get quick access to this place through the stretch of Congo River that leads to the Gulf of Guinea. The place derives its present name from the Bakongo ethnic community residing near the Congo River where the word Congo means hunter. The place is beautifully structured into 25 provinces and one independent city of Kinshasa.

LOCATION OF CONGO

Congo is nestled in the central African UN sub region associated and afflicted with the Southern Africa. The place is enclosed from the north end by the Central African Republic and Sudan, from the eastern end by Ugunda, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania and Angola from the southern end and lastly Republic of Congo from the western end, Gabon towards the west, Cameroon towards the northwest, and Atlantic Ocean to the southwest.

PHYSICAL MAP OF CONGO

The place is categorically divided into four topographies, which are:

•  Coastal Plain covered with swamps and rivers that lead to the Atlantic coast while the inland proceeding to the foothills of the Mountain of Mayombe.

•  The Niari Valley nestled towards the south central areas with has country's beat fertile soils.

•  The central upland areas or the Bateke Plateau thereby detaches the Ogoove basin from the Niari River, which is filled with dense forests.

•  The Zaire River basin towards the north is made up of flood plains and savannahs in the lower and upper regions respectively. Theses place are encircled with mangroves, grasslands and dense wooded trees.

CLIMATE OF CONGO

The best time to holiday in Congo is during the months of June and September. Due to its equatorial position, Congo experiences the sultry weather in the lower parts of the western and central regions. The place witness's heavy down-pouring from October to May. The upper portion of the east is affected with a temperate weather conditions. The day is generally humid with 75 degree Fahrenheit while the night is cozy with about 60 degree Fahrenheit. The place is even affected with frequent thunderstorms and is even considered to hold the largest rain forests in the world.

FLORA AND FAUNA OF CONGO

Different species of chimpanzee can be sighted here especially the Common chimpanzee and the bonobo, popularly called as the Pygmy Chimpanzee, mountain gorilla, okapi and white rhino .

Among the native plants the red cedar, walnut, the silk-cotton tree, mahogany, oak and palms are quite popular here. Among the flowers that blossoms are the beautiful orchids, lovely lilies, lobelias and gladioli along with euphorbia and landolphia shrubs.

Animals such as Hippopotamuses, crocodiles, rhinoceros, zebra, leopard, cheetah, gorilla, chimpanzee, wild boar, giraffe, okapi, monkeys, baboon, porcupine, civet and wild hog are quite common here. Watch for python, puff adder, and tree cobra that belong to the snake family.

Among the native birds, the whidah, weaverbirds, pigeon, sunbird, cuckoo, swift, heron, stork, pelican, and cormorant are some, which you would come across.

Lastly do visit the national parks that reserves native animals and plants, which includes the Garumba, Kahuzi-Biega, Salonga and Virunga National Parks, and the Okapi Wildlife Reserve .

Stay connected at Mapsofworld for all relevant information about the Congo Island.