The deepest river in the world and the second-largest by discharge, looping across the heart of Africa.
Length
4,700 km
Source
East African Rift highlands
Mouth
Atlantic Ocean
Continent
Africa
Countries
DR Congo, Republic of the Congo & more
Did you know?
The Congo is the only major river to cross the Equator twice, so part of its basin is always in a rainy season — giving it a remarkably steady flow.
Little-known fact
In places the Congo plunges to over 220 m deep, so dark and isolated that it has evolved its own blind, pale fish species.
Highlights
- Deepest river on Earth (over 220 m)
- Crosses the Equator twice
- Home to unique blind deep-water fish
Life in the Congo
The fish and animals, waterbirds and water plants — including some of the rarest — that this water supports.
Animals & fish
Hippopotamus
Africa’s river giant spends its days submerged and is, pound for pound, among the continent’s most dangerous animals.
Nile crocodile
Africa’s largest crocodile and a patient ambush hunter little changed since the age of dinosaurs.
Waterbirds
African fish eagle
The ringing call of this black-white-and-chestnut raptor is the iconic “voice of Africa” by the water.
Water plants & reeds
Papyrus
The towering reed of the Nile that the ancient Egyptians turned into the world’s first paper.
Water hyacinth
A beautiful but notorious free-floating weed that can choke entire waterways in a matter of weeks.
Mangrove
Salt-tolerant trees whose stilted roots build the nurseries of the great river deltas.
Interactive · 3D journey
Journey of a river · source → sea
Every river runs the same great journey — from an icy mountain spring, down through gorges and looping meanders, to a wide delta where it meets the sea. Tap a stage to follow the water downstream.
Tip: hover to tilt the valley · tap a stage to float downstream
The Source
Every river begins high up — in a mountain spring, a melting glacier or a boggy upland. The water is cold, clear and fast, tumbling down the steepest ground of its whole journey.
Landforms here