The Dja River (also known as the Ngoko River) is a stream in west-central Africa. It forms part of

Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...

–

Republic of Congo The Republic of the Congo (french: République du Congo, ln, Republíki ya Kongó), also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply either Congo or the Congo, is a country located in the western coast of Central Africa to the w ...

border and has a course of roughly . Rising southeast of the southeastern Cameroon town of

Abong-Mbang Abong-Mbang is a town and commune in the East Region of Cameroon. Abong-Mbang is located at a crossroads of National Route 10 and the road that leads south to Lomié. Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon, is 178 km to the west, and Bertoua, the ...

, the

Dja Faunal Reserve Dja Faunal Reserve (Réserve de faune du Dja, also known as Réserve de Biosphère Dja), located in south eastern Cameroon, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site inscribed in 1987. Causes of inscription include diversity of species present in the park, ...

, which was named a

UNESCO World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

in 1987, lies along the banks of its upper course. It protects one of the largest tracts of tropical rainforest in Africa. Forming its natural boundary, and almost completely encircling the reserve (except to the south-west), cliffs run along the course of the river in the south part of the reserve for 60 km and are associated with a section of the river which is broken by rapids and waterfalls. Following its course in the reserve, the Dja flows approximately southeast past Moloundou, below which small boats can navigate. At Ouesso, in the Republic of Congo, it empties into the

Sangha River The Sangha River, a tributary of the Congo River, is located in Central Africa. Geography The Sangha River is formed at the confluence of the Mambéré River and the Kadéï River at Nola, Central African Republic, Nola in the western Central Af ...

. Every year, poachers travel up the Dja for central

Nki National Park Nki National Park (Parc national de Nki, also Réserve de Nki) is a national park in southeastern Cameroon, located in its East Province. The closest towns to Nki are Yokadouma, Moloundou and Lomie, beyond which are rural lands. Due to its remo ...

, where elephant ivory is abundant. Strong currents on the river are a deterrent for half the year, but after that, according to freelance journalist

Jemini Pandya Jemini were a British pop group from Liverpool, best known for scoring ''nul points'' and finishing in last place at the Eurovision Song Contest 2003 with " Cry Baby". Early career Chris Cromby and Gemma Abbey (born 10 March 1981) met in 1995 ...

, the fauna is easy to prey upon.

References

Gallery

Rivers of Cameroon Rivers of the Republic of the Congo Cameroon–Republic of the Congo border International rivers of Africa Tributaries of the Sangha River Border rivers {{RCongo-river-stub

See also

References