The Itimbiri River is a right tributary of the
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 ...
, which it joins above
Bumba. At one time it was important as a navigable waterway for transporting good from the northeast of the country down to the Congo.
Course
The Itimbiri River originates in
Bas-Uélé
Bas-Uélé (French for "Lower Uélé") is one of the 21 new provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo created in the 2015 repartitioning. Bas-Uélé, Haut-Uélé, Ituri, and Tshopo provinces are the result of the dismemberment of the ...
, then flows through
Mongala
Mongala is one of the 21 new provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo created in the 2015 repartitioning. Mongala, Équateur, Nord-Ubangi, Sud-Ubangi, and Tshuapa provinces are the result of the dismemberment of the former Équateu ...
, and in its lower reaches defines the border between Mongala and
Tshopo
Tshopo is one of the 21 new provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo created in the 2015 repartitioning. It is situated in the north central part of the country on the Tshopo River, for which it is named.
Tshopo, Bas-Uele, Haut-Ue ...
.
The Itimbiri is formed by the confluence of the
Rubi River and the
Likati River.
The
Rubi River originates in the east of Bas-Uélé and flows west through
Buta.
The Likati River originates to the west, then flows through
Likati and southeast to join the Rubi.
Likati lies to the south of
Bondo on the
Uele River
The Uele, also known by the phonetically identical Uélé, Ouélé, or Welle River, is a river in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Course
The Uele forms at Dungu, at the confluence of the Dungu and Kibali rivers, which both originate ...
.
The Itimbiri flows in a general southwest direction.
Water volumes range from , with the main flood in November and a secondary flood in August, and lowest water in February or early March.
The river is very winding and generally has a sandy bottom, apart from the section upstream from Ibembo, where the bottom is very hard gravel.
During low water the river widens and splits into several branches, making navigation by large vessels difficult.
The average elevation is .
Biology
The Itimbiri,
Aruwimi and
Lindi/
Tshopo
Tshopo is one of the 21 new provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo created in the 2015 repartitioning. It is situated in the north central part of the country on the Tshopo River, for which it is named.
Tshopo, Bas-Uele, Haut-Ue ...
rivers are the main right bank tributaries of the Congo River downstream from the
Boyoma Falls
Boyoma Falls, formerly known as Stanley Falls, is a series of seven cataracts, each no more than high, extending over more than along a curve of the Lualaba River between the river port towns of Ubundu and Kisangani (also known as Boyoma) in t ...
in the ''
Cuvette Centrale (Central Basin).
This is a flat area of lowland rainforest.
As of 2015 about 231 fish species had been identified from the Itimbiri.
''
Mormyridae
The Mormyridae, sometimes called "elephantfish" (more properly freshwater elephantfish), are a family of weakly electric freshwater fish in the order Osteoglossiformes native to Africa. It is by far the largest family in the order with around 2 ...
'' was the most dominant family in the Itimbiri basin as well as in the Aruwimi and Lindi/Tshopo basins.
Human presence
In 1890 the Belgian officers
Léon Roget and
Jules Alexandre Milz travelled up the Itimbiri River from
Bumba, then the
Likati River, reached the
Uele River
The Uele, also known by the phonetically identical Uélé, Ouélé, or Welle River, is a river in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Course
The Uele forms at Dungu, at the confluence of the Dungu and Kibali rivers, which both originate ...
in the region of Djabir (
Bondo) and descended it almost to its junction with the
Mbomou River
The Mbomou River or Bomu (also spelled M'bomou in French) forms part of the boundary between the Central African Republic (CAR) and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The Mbomou merges with the Uele River to form the Ubangi River. The ...
.
A railway line (
Vicicongo line) connected Bondo on the Uele with Aketi on the Itimbiri.
The line was reopened in April 2005 after being closed for 14 years.
At one time the Itimbiri was the second most important tributary of the Congo in terms of tonnage transported after the
Kasaï River
The Kasai River ( ; called Cassai in Angola) is a tributary (left side) of the Congo River, located in Central Africa. The river begins in central Angola and flows to the east until it reaches the border between Angola and the Democratic Repu ...
.
It was used for cargo from Aketi, at the head of the Chemins de fer vicinaux du Zaïre (CVZ) down to its mouth, a distance of .
Cargo was transferred to the Congo River boats at Bumba, downstream from its mouth.
Notes
Citations
Sources
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Tributaries of the Congo River