IMMENSE RESOURCES OF CONGO

The Democratic Republic of Congo ([DRC], formerly Zaire) has an area of 2,344,885 sq km (905,365 sq miles) and is the second largest country of sub-Saharan Africa. Despite its vast size, it lacks any really noteworthy points of relief: a considerable natural advantage. Lying across the Equator, DRC has an equatorial climate in the whole of the central region. Average temperatures range from 26 degrees C in the coastal and basin areas to 18 degrees C in the mountainous regions.

Rainfall is plentiful in all seasons. In the north (Uele) the winter of the northern hemisphere is a dry season; in the south (Shaba) the winter of the southern hemisphere is dry. The only arid region (less than 800mm of rain per annum) is an extremely small area on the bank of the lower Zaire river.

The country comprises, first and foremost, the basin of the River Congo. This basin had a deep tectonic origin; the continental shelf of Africa had given way to form an immense hollow, which drew towards it the waters from the north (Ubangi), from the east (Uele, Arruwimi), and from the south (Lualaba, that is the upper branch of the River Zaire; Kasai, Kwango). The crystalline continental shelf levels out at the periphery into plateaux in Shaba (formerly Katanga) and the Zaire-Nile ridge.

The most broken-up parts of this periphery can be found in the west, in lower DRC, where the river cuts the folds of a Pre-Cambrian chain by a 'powerful breach', and above all in the east. Here, as a result of the volcanic overflow from the Virunga, they are varied by an upheaval of the rift valleys (where Lakes Tanganyika, Kivu, Edward and Mobutu are located) which carried the Pre-Cambrian shelf more than 5,000m into Ruwenzori.

The climate is generally favourable for agriculture and woodland. Evergreen equatorial forest covers approximately 1m. sq km in the equatorial and sub-equatorial parts. In the north as in the south of this evergreen forest, tropical forests appear, with many trees that lose their leaves in the dry season. Vast stretches from the north to the south are, probably as a result of frequent fires, covered by sparse forest land, where trees grow alongside grasses (biombo from east Africa), and savannah dotted with shrubs.

Although favourable on account of its warmth and rainfall, the climate has a few unfortunate indirect effects. There are vast stretches of DRC where the soil is leached of its soluble elements by the heavy, warm rainfall. In addition, the germs and carriers of malaria, sleeping sickness, filariasis, bilharziasis and ankylostomiasis flourish in a warm, rainy climate.

The natural resources of DRC are immense: its climate is favourable to profitable agriculture; the forests, if rationally exploited, could yield excellent results; the abundance of water should eventually be useful to industry and agriculture; the network of waterways is naturally navigable; and, finally, there is considerable mineral wealth. The River Zaire carries the second largest volume of water in the world. With the average flow to the mouth being 40,000 cu m per second, there are enormous possibilities for power generation, some of which are being realised at Inga. Indeed, the hydroelectric resources are considerable in the whole of the Zaire basin.

The major exports of DRC derive from the exploitation of its mineral resources. Copper is mined in upper Shaba, as are other metals - tin, silver, uranium, cobalt, manganese and tungsten. Diamonds are found in Kasai, and tin, columbite, etc. in the east, around Maniema. In addition, many other mineral resources (iron ore, bauxite, etc.) await exploitation.

Plant and animal life

Plant life is profuse and follows climatic patterns. In the centre of the Congo basin is an intricate forest system, commonly known as the equatorial rainforest. There trees reach 130 to 160 feet in height, and many plant varieties and species can be found in a small area. In the tropical climate zone, grassland and woodland are characteristic, while in the west the coastal swamps and the mouth of the Congo are dominated by stands of mangrove.

The eastern plateaus are covered by grasslands. Mountain forest, bamboo thickets, and Afro-Alpine vegetation occur on the highest mountains. The central basin is a vast reservoir of trees and plants that are native to the area. Among these, the mahogany, ebony, limba, wenge, agba, iroko, and sapele are sources of timber.

Fibrous plants include raffia and sisal. There are also plants used in traditional medicine, including cinchona (the source of quinine) and rauwolfia (an emetic and antihypertensive), as well as copal, rubber, and palm trees. Many types of edible mushrooms grow wild; other wild edible vegetables grow in the forests, grasslands, and swamps. Eucalyptus trees have been imported and form important stands in the highlands; they are used for construction timber and poles.

Animal life is also rich and diversified. Chimpanzees are found mostly in the equatorial forest, and gorillas occur in the eastern mountains around Lake Kivu; both are found only north of the Congo River. South of the Congo River, Bonobos are the only inhabitant Great Ape.

Elephants and various species of monkey and baboon are found in the forest and the savanna woodland. The short elephants are, however, exclusively forest-bound. In the primary forests of Uele, Aruwimi, and Ituri are the okapi, the giant wild boar, and the short antelope.

The lion and leopard inhabit the grasslands, and the jackal, hyena, cheetah, wildcat, wild dog, buffalo, antelope, wild hog, and black and white rhinoceroses are found in the grasslands and savanna woods. Giraffes mainly inhabit the northeastern grasslands. Hippopotamuses and crocodiles are common in the rivers and lakes, and whales, dolphins, and lungfishes are found near the coast.

Congolese rivers, lakes, and swamps are well stocked with a variety of fish, such as the capitaine from the Congo River and catfish, electric fish, eels, cichlids, and many others. There is also a good supply of jellyfish in Lake Tanganyika. Reptiles are common and include various snakes, such as pythons, vipers, and tree cobras, as well as lizards, chameleons, salamanders, frogs, and turtles.

Birdlife includes the pelicans, parrots, and many species of sunbird, pigeon, duck, goose, eagle, vulture, cuckoo, owl, crane, stork, and swallow. The insects are innumerable. There are hundreds of species of butterfly; in the savanna woodlands the butterflies have their special season at the beginning of the rains, when they can be seen flying in great numbers, filling the sky and wandering over the blooming trees. DRC also has the Congo Peacock.

There are also bees of all types, different species of grasshopper, and caterpillars, praying mantises, beetles, dragonflies, scorpions, mosquitoes, tsetse flies, ants, termites, spiders, centipedes, and millipedes. Much of the animal life has diminished as the result of hunting, which is now strictly regulated.

Several national parks have been created, most in the eastern highlands. They include Garamba, near the Sudan border; Virunga, north of Lake Edward in the Virunga Mountains; Maiko, west of Lake Edward; Kahuzi-Biega, north of Bukavu; Upemba, north of the Manika Plateau; and Kundelungu, near the Zambian border northeast of Lubumbashi.

Salonga is the largest National Park in DRC and is the world's largest equatorial forest reserve - it is the only National Park within bonobo range. It is also noteworthy that Garamba, Virunga, Kahuzi-Biega and Salonga are listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites ... considered to be "wonders of the natural world."