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Western Congolian Swamp Forests
The Western Congolian swamp forests are an ecoregion of the Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo and adjoining Central African Republic. Together with the adjacent Eastern Congolian swamp forests, it forms one of the largest continuous areas of freshwater swamp forest in the world. It is a flooded forest with a high canopy, dense undergrowth and has a muddy floor. It has not been disturbed very much by outside influences and so remains largely pristine as getting through this forest is called "almost impossible". Location and description This ecoregion stretches for 1,200 km along the west bank of the Congo River, from the town of Bolobo in the southwest to Yangambi in the east, both in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The bulk of the territory is on the western half of this stretch; the eastern river portion is only a thin strip of group along the river. Mean elevation is 338 meters, ranging from 258 meters to 497 meters. Much of the terrain sits on floo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Congo River
The Congo River ( kg, Nzâdi Kôngo, french: Fleuve Congo, pt, Rio Congo), formerly also known as the Zaire River, is the second longest river in Africa, shorter only than the Nile, as well as the second largest river in the world by discharge volume, following only the Amazon. It is also the world's deepest recorded river, with measured depths around . The Congo- Lualaba- Chambeshi River system has an overall length of , which makes it the world's ninth- longest river. The Chambeshi is a tributary of the Lualaba River, and ''Lualaba'' is the name of the Congo River upstream of Boyoma Falls, extending for . Measured along with the Lualaba, the main tributary, the Congo River has a total length of . It is the only major river to cross the Equator twice. The Congo Basin has a total area of about , or 13% of the entire African landmass. Name The name ''Congo/Kongo'' originates from the Kingdom of Kongo once located on the southern bank of the river. The kingdom in turn was name ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Likouala-aux-Herbes
The Likouala-aux-Herbes is a river in the Republic of the Congo. It is a tributary of the Sangha River, which in turn is a tributary of the Congo River. It gives its name to the Likouala Department. Location The Likouala-aux-Herbes is almost long and is the main tributary of the Sangha River. The lower Sangha, the Likouala-aux-Herbes and Likouala-Mossaka rivers flow through the Congolese Cuvette, a huge depression. The soil of this region is sand or clay Quaternary fluvial alluvia. The Likouala aux Herbes basin is located on the predominantly sandy Quaternary formations of the Congolese basin. The course of the Likouala meanders and shifts over time. The coefficient of sinuosity is more than 1.5 in the upper section, around 2.0 in the middle section and in the lower section as high as 2.8. The lower sections of the Sangha and Likouala-aux-Herbes flow through flat land with little difference in elevation between the two rivers. Part of the lower section of the Sangha River divide ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yangambi Biosphere Reserve
Yangambi Biosphere Reserve is a protected area in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is located in Tshopo province. Geography Yangambi Biosphere Reserve lies north of the Congo River within the Congo River Basin. It is west of the city of Kisangani. Flora and fauna Plant communities within the Yangambi Biosphere Reserve vary based on rainfall, soils, and human disturbance. They include secondary forests with ''Pycnanthus angolensis'' and ''Fagara macrophylla'', semi-deciduous secondary rain forests, rain forests with ''Gilbertiodendron dewevrei'', climax forests with ''Brachystegia laurentii'' and swamp forests. The reserve is important for its biodiversity It is home to 32,000 tree species. Endangered and threatened tree species in the reserve include afrormosia (''Pericopsis elata''), iroko (''Milicia excelsa''), ilomba (''Pycnanthus angolensis''), and sapelli (''Entandrophragma cylindricum''). It was also once home to African forest elephants (''Loxodonta cyclotis''), ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ngiri Triangle Nature Reserve
The Ngiri Reserve is a protected area of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). It is located in western Équateur province, in the Bomongo, Bikoro and Makanza territories, and covers a total area of . It extends northward from the confluence of the Congo River and the Ubangi River. According to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) the reserve will conserve biodiversity and the ecosystem in the Ngiri triangle. History It was first proposed to make the Ngiri triangle, the area between the Ubangi, Congo and Ngiri rivers, into a reserve in 1975, but the project could not be completed. The project was revived by the WWF in the context of Lake Tele - Lake Tumba landscape project, of which the Tumba-Ngiri-Maindombe wetland is the DRC portion. It was proposed that the new reserve should be IUCN category VI. In August 2010, the Cooperation Agreement between the governments of the Republic of the Congo and the DRC on the Lake Tele - Lake Tumba landscape provided for creation o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
African Forest Elephant
The African forest elephant (''Loxodonta cyclotis'') is one of the two living African elephant species. It is native to humid forests in West Africa and the Congo Basin. It is the smallest of the three living elephant species, reaching a shoulder height of . Both sexes have straight, down-pointing tusks, which erupt when they are 1–3 years old. It lives in family groups of up to 20 individuals. Since it forages on leaves, seeds, fruit, and tree bark, it has been referred to as the 'megagardener of the forest'. It contributes significantly to maintain the composition and structure of the Guinean Forests of West Africa and the Congolese rainforests. The first scientific description of the species was published in 1900. During the 20th century, overhunting caused a sharp decline in population, and by 2013 it was estimated that less than 30,000 individuals remained. It is threatened by habitat loss, fragmentation, and poaching. The conservation status of populations varies across ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Western Lowland Gorilla
The western lowland gorilla (''Gorilla gorilla gorilla'') is one of two Critically Endangered subspecies of the western gorilla (''Gorilla gorilla'') that lives in Montane ecosystems#Montane forests, montane, Old-growth forest, primary and secondary forest, secondary forest and lowland swampland in central Africa in Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. It is the nominate subspecies of the western gorilla, and the smallest of the four gorilla subspecies. The western lowland gorilla is the only subspecies kept in zoos with the exception of Amahoro, a female eastern lowland gorilla at Antwerp Zoo, and a few mountain gorillas kept captive in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Description The western lowland gorilla is the smallest subspecies of gorilla but still has exceptional size and strength. This species of gorillas exhibits pronounced sexual dimorphism. They possess no tails and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Manilkara
''Manilkara'' is a genus of trees in the family Sapotaceae. They are widespread in tropical and semitropical locations, in Africa, Madagascar, Asia, Australia, and Latin America, as well as various islands in the Pacific and in the Caribbean. A close relative is the genus ''Pouteria''. Trees of this genus yield edible fruit, useful wood, and latex. The best-known species are '' M. bidentata'' (''balatá''), '' M. chicle'' (chicle) and '' M. zapota'' (sapodilla). ''M. hexandra'' is the floral emblem of Prachuap Khiri Khan Province in Thailand, where it is known as ''rayan''. ''M. obovata'' shares the vernacular name of African pear with another completely different species, '' Dacryodes edulis'', and neither should be confused with '' Baillonella toxisperma'', known by the very similar name, African pearwood. The generic name, ''Manilkara'', is derived from ''manil-kara'', a vernacular name for '' M. kauki'' in Malayalam. ''Manilkara'' trees are often significant, or even do ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Garcinia
''Garcinia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Clusiaceae native to Asia, America, Australia, tropical and southern Africa, and Polynesia. The number of species is disputed; Plants of the World Online (POWO) recognise up to 400. Commonly, the plants in this genus are called saptrees, mangosteens (which may also refer specifically to ''Garcinia mangostana''), garcinias, or monkey fruit. Many species are threatened by habitat destruction, and at least one species, '' G. cadelliana'', from South Andaman Island, is almost or even completely extinct already. The fruits are a food source for several animals, such as the archduke butterflies (''Lexias'' spp.) of tropical eastern Asia which relish the sap of overripe mangosteens. The genus is named after French botanist Laurent Garcin (1683–1751). Description ''Garcinia'' species are evergreen trees and shrubs, dioecious and in several cases apomictic. The fruit is a berry with fleshy endocarp, which in several species is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Raffia Palm
Raffia palms (''Raphia'') are a genus of about twenty species of palms native to tropical regions of Africa, and especially Madagascar, with one species (''R. taedigera'') also occurring in Central and South America. ''R. taedigera'' is the source of raffia fibers, which are the veins of the leaves, and this species produces a fruit called "brazilia pods", "uxi nuts" or "uxi pods". They grow up to tall and are remarkable for their compound pinnate leaves, the longest in the plant kingdom; leaves of ''R. regalis'' up to long and wide are known. The plants are monocarpic, meaning that they flower once and then die after the seeds are mature. Some species have individual stems which die after fruiting, but have a root system which remains alive and sends up new stems which fruit. Cultivation and uses Fiber Raffia fiber is produced from the membrane on the underside of the leaf fronds. The membrane is taken off to create a long thin fiber, which can be rolled together for added ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Köppen Climate Classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notably in 1918 and 1936. Later, the climatologist Rudolf Geiger (1894–1981) introduced some changes to the classification system, which is thus sometimes called the Köppen–Geiger climate classification system. The Köppen climate classification divides climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on seasonal precipitation and temperature patterns. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (temperate), ''D'' (continental), and ''E'' (polar). Each group and subgroup is represented by a letter. All climates are assigned a main group (the first letter). All climates except for those in the ''E'' group are assigned a seasonal precipitation subgroup (the second letter). For example, ''Af'' indi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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