When reading about Congo, you will most likely encounter information on two separate countries. That’s because, of course, there are two nations located in Africa which border each other with the word Congo in both of their names.
Congo, officially known as theRepublic of Congo, is located on the western coastline of central Africa. Its five major cities are Gamboma, Owando, Quesso, Pointe-Noire, and Brazzaville. Brazzaville is the oldest city and the capital.
TheRepublic of the Congo, also known as Congo Republic or Congo-Brazzaville, is a country located in Central Africa. It is bordered by Gabon, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Angolan exclave of Cabinda. Comparatively, the area occupied by the Congo is slightly smaller than the state of Montana.
To the west of Congo lies Gabon and to the east is The Democratic Republic of the Congo which was formerly the country of Zaire.
The woods, caves and waterfalls of Boma and equatorial Mayumbe and the Tombs of Tshela can be visited on the way to the ocean beach of Moanda in Congo.
Bunia is the point of departure for numerous excursions into the forests and mountains, native villages, the Caves of Mount Hoyo and the Escaliers de Venus Falls.
In the southwest, the Inkisi Falls (60m/197ft high) at Zongo, and the caves in the region of Mbanza-Ngungu may be visited in one day, but it is preferable to stay for two or three days, for Mbanza-Ngungu is a pleasant resort with a good climate.
The Congo has a tropical climate characterized by high humidity and heat. There are two wet and two dry seasons.
A team from National Geographic magazine, who visited the fledgling Parc National Nouabalé-Ndoki in the mid-1990s, called this northern corner of Congo the world’s ‘Last Eden’, and they chose their words wisely. The Parc National Nouabalé-Ndoki is truly the world before the chainsaw. This vast region of swampy forest is home to healthy populations of western lowland gorillas, forest elephants, chimpanzees and others. So extraordinary is Nouabalé-Ndoki that in 2012 Unesco declared it a World Heritage Site.
Congo’s most diverse national park stretches from the Atlantic Ocean through a band of coastal savannah up into jungle-clad mountains. The main activities are boat rides up the Ngongo River; forest walks and, between November and February, watching sea turtles lay their eggs on the beach. You can also help feed the island-dwelling chimpanzees being prepared for reintroduction to the forest.
The great apes, such as the bonobos and the eastern lowland gorillas, can be found only in Congo.
Okoumé is a tree in the family Burseraceae, native to the Republic of the Congo. It is a medium-sized hardwood tree growing to 30-40 m tall, rarely larger, with a trunk 1-2.5 m diameter above the often large basal buttresses. The tree generally grows in small stands, the roots of the trees intertwined with neighboring trees. In Gabon it is the primary timber
Theokapi also known as the forest giraffe or zebra giraffe located in Congo in Central Africa. Although the okapi bears striped markings reminiscent of zebras, it is most closely related to the giraffe.
Thegiant otter shrew is a mammal superficially similar to an otter in appearance. It is characterized by a long, flat tail, which it uses for swimming by sideways undulation like a fish. It has a muzzle covered with bristles, and flat shielded nostrils. It has dense, soft hair, silky on the tail.
TheAfrican golden cat (Profelis aurata) is a medium-sized wild cat distributed over the rainforests of West and Central Africa. The African golden cat has variable fur color, typically ranging from cinnamon or reddish-brown to grey, although melanistic forms also exist. It can be either spotted, with the spotting ranging from faded tan to heavy black in color, or not spotted at all.
Theblack colobus or Satanic black colobus has dark skin under a long black coat of fur and a long black tail. Males of this species can weigh up to 24.25 lb (11 kg).
Thehumpback whale has a distinctive body shape, with unusually long pectoral fins and a knobbly head. An acrobatic animal known for breaching and slapping the water with its tail and pectorals.
TheJa slit-faced bat is a species of slit-faced bat that lives in the tropical and sub-tropical forests of Africa.
The lion is one of the five big cats. It is the second-largest living cat after thetiger. Highly distinctive, the male lion is easily recognised by its mane, and its face is one of the most widely recognised animal symbols in human culture.
TheAfrican manatee also known as the West African manatee or seacow, is “full around the middle and narrowing to a paddle-shaped tail”. It is grey in colour, with small, colourless hairs around its body. However, algae and other tiny organisms often grow on them, so they appear brown or greenish. Calves, however, are darker in colour when they are very young.