Rivers in Africa have serious economic consequences on the daily activities and survival of people in Africa. In fact, there are 10 famous rivers in Africa that have contributed to uplifting the standard of people living within in areas of agriculture, power generation and employment. It is not an overstatement to attest that even God is aware of the importance of rivers to humankind.
This could be the reason water bodies were among the earliest things God considered while designing the world. On the third day, He creates the waters, rivers, and high seas. For He knows that the existence and survival of the world depends on it.
Indeed, God’s pure wisdom ingenuity plays here. It distributed rivers evenly across the world. Linking them From Europe to Asia, North America to South America, and Africa. More so, even the sparsely populated continents of Antarctica and Oceania have rivers.
Relax and read through the list of some of the famous rivers in Africa.
10 Famous Rivers In Africa
1. The Nile River
This great African river brings to mind the discovery of baby Moses in a basket. It is the lengthiest river in the horn of Africa, running over a 6,650km.
The Nile’s extensive drainage system spreads across 11 countries. They include; Egypt, Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Congo, Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, and Eritrea.
In fact, the Nile remains their primary source of fresh water and hydroelectric generation.
2. The Congo River
Initially, it was the Zaire River in the 16th and 17th centuries. But, they adopted Congo as the river’s name in the 18th century.
This is one of the 10 famous rivers in Africa with interesting records. First, it is the second lengthiest river in Africa with a length of 4,700km. Second, it holds the record of the largest river in the world by its discharge volume. Third, it is the deepest river in the world with a depth of 720feets (220m).
It is also the only river in the world to cross the equator twice.
3. The Niger River
This is the major river in the western part of Africa. It is the third lengthiest river in Africa. Its 4,180km length stretches across 5 West African countries. They include; Benin Republic, Guinea, Mali, Niger, and Nigeria.
4. The Zambezi River
This river is famous as the major river that flows directly into the Indian Ocean from the horn of Africa. It is also the fourth lengthiest river in Africa. It stretches 2,574km across countries like; Zambia, DR Congo, Angola, Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe among others.
It feeds the popular Victoria Falls, Chavuma Falls, and Ngonye Falls. The river supports the existence of several species of animals.
They include Nile crocodiles, monitor lizards, hippopotamuses. And bird species like pelicans, egrets, flamingos, and African fish eagles. There are Buffalos, elephants, giraffes, and zebras in its woodland areas.
Also Read, 12 Amazing Things You Were Never Told About God’s Window
5. The Orange River
The 2,200km river flows across 3 Southern African countries. They include; Lesotho, South Africa, and Namibia. It plays a significant role in pushing South Africa’s economy forward.
It is pivotal to the provision of water for farming/irrigation and hydroelectric power generation. The river derives its name from the Dutch Ruling family called The Orange House.
6. The Limpopo River
This African river is prominent for being the second biggest river to flow directly into the Indian Ocean after the Zambezi River. Its 1,750km stretches across South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique.
The river basin attracts a high concentration of mining activities. There are 1, 900 operational mining divisions, and 1,700 none operational ones.
7. The Kasai River
The river is well-known for having high deposits of alluvial diamonds. This could explain why the British and Portuguese took particular interest in the river in the 18th and 19th centuries.
It also accounts for almost 60 percent of diamonds shipped to Belgium for cutting. The river covers a length of 2,153km across Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
8. The Blue Nile River
This river is reputable for having valleys that measure as high as 1,500m (4,900ft). They likened the depth of the valleys to those of the Grand Canyon of the Colorado River in the US.
It runs across Ethiopia and Sudan over 1,450km. 85 percent of the Nile River water flow comes from the river. It also contributes to Sudan’s generation of 80 percent hydroelectric power.
9. The Senegal River
This 1,083km long river stretches across Senegal, Mauritania, and Mali. It has three crucial tributaries; Falema river, Karakoro river, and Gorgol river.
The aquatic fauna of the river’s basin combines with the Gambia River Basin to form an ecoregion called the Senegal-Gambia-Catchments. There are three species of frog and one fish within the ecoregion.
It also has huge deposits of gold in the river’s bed.
10. The Okavango River
This is the fourth lengthiest river in Southern Africa. It runs over 1,700km across Angola, Namibia, and Botswana. It doesn’t flow into the sea like most African rivers.
The river rather widens and overflows its banks forming one of the world’s biggest inland delta. This stretches to over 20,000 square kilometers across the Kalari Desert in Botswana.
Creating Okavango Delta; one of the ultimate wildlife experiences in the world.
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