Zaire Geographic Regions
Figure 7. Topography and Drainage
Several major geographic regions may be defined in
terms of
terrain and patterns of natural vegetation, namely the
central
Congo Basin, the uplands north and south of the basin, and
the
eastern highlands
(see
fig. 7).
The country's core region is the central Congo Basin.
Having an
average elevation of about forty-four meters, it measures
roughly
800,000 square kilometers, constituting about a third of
Zaire's
territory. Much of the forest within the basin is swamp,
and still
more of it consists of a mixture of marshes and firm land.
North and south of the basin lie higher plains and,
occasionally, hills covered with varying mixtures of
savanna
grasses and woodlands. The southern uplands region, like
the basin,
constitutes about a third of Zaire's territory. The area
slopes
from south to north, starting at about 1,000 meters near
the
Angolan border and falling to about 500 meters near the
basin.
Vegetation cover in the southern uplands territory is more
varied
than that of the northern uplands. In some areas, woodland
is
dominant; in others, savanna grasses predominate. South of
the
basin, along the streams flowing into the Kasai River are
extensive
gallery forests. In the far southeast, most of Shaba
Region
(formerly Katanga Province) is characterized by somewhat
higher
plateaus and low mountains. The westernmost section of
Zaire, a
partly forested panhandle reaching the Atlantic Ocean, is
an
extension of the southern uplands that drops sharply to a
very
narrow shore about forty kilometers long.
In the much narrower northern uplands, the cover is
largely
savanna, and woodlands are rarer. The average elevation of
this
region is about 600 meters, but it rises as high as 900
meters
where it meets the western edge of the eastern highlands.
The eastern highlands region is the highest and most
rugged
portion of the country. It extends for more than 1,500
kilometers
from above Lake Albert to the southern tip of Shaba below
Lubumbashi (formerly Élisabethville) and varies in width
from
eighty to 560 kilometers. Its hills and mountains range in
altitude
from about 1,000 meters to more than 5,000 meters. The
western arm
of the Great Rift Valley forms a natural eastern boundary
to this
region. The eastern border of Zaire extends through the
valley and
its system of lakes, which are separated from each other
by plains
situated between high mountain ranges.
In this region, changes in elevation bring marked
changes in
vegetation, which ranges from montane savanna to heavy
montane
forest. The Massif du Ruwenzori (Ruwenzori Mountains or
Mountains
of the Moon) between lakes Albert and Edward constitutes
the
highest range in Africa. The height and location of these
mountains
on the equator make for a varied and spectacular flora.
Together
with the Virunga Mountains north of Lac Kivu, site of
several
active volcanos, and together with the game park situated
between
them, they constitute Zaire's most important potential
touristic
resource.
Data as of December 1993
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