The Kouilou-Niari River—also spelled Kwilu, Kwila, or Kwil—is the most important river flowing to the Atlantic Ocean of the

Republic of the 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 ...

coast. Moreover, its entire drainage area is completely in the Republic of the Congo. The river is called the Kouilou River while flowing in the coastal region of the Kouilou till the Sounda gorges. Upstream from the gorges, its name is the Niari River and it flows through the

Niari Valley The Niari valley is a fertile region in the Niari Department in the south west of the Republic of the Congo. The soil in the area is good and this state is an important agricultural and industrial region. Geography The Mayombé Escarpment in the ...

. The river combines with the Louessé, the

Loudima Loudima is a town in the southern part of the Republic of Congo, in the Loudima District of the Bouenza Department. The town has about 18,000 inhabitants. Transport It is served by a station on the national railway system, and is to the east o ...

and the

Bouenza River The Bouenza River is a river of the Republic of the Congo. It is a right tributary of the Niari River. It feeds the Moukoukoulou Hydroelectric Power Plant. Course The Bouenza River meanders for most of its course. The northern part of the river ...

and eventually flows into the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

. It covers about 560 km from its origin in the Batéké Plateau of the Congo to its mouth at the coast. The river has numerous waterfalls and is impassable from its mouth, which is of difficult access by multiple

sandbars In oceanography, geomorphology, and geoscience, a shoal is a natural submerged ridge, bank, or bar that consists of, or is covered by, sand or other unconsolidated material and rises from the bed of a body of water to near the surface. It o ...

, formed primarily by the action of the Benguela current. The river is usable and boats are coming up to Kakamoéka. From Kakamoéka to Sounda, rapids and rocks are blocking access especially during dry season. Very limited traffic upstream Sounda as they are rapids and a few bridges. Bridges on the river are located at Bas-Kouilou, Sounda, Kimbangou,

Makabana Makabana is a small town in the south of the Republic of Congo. Transportation Makabana is served by a station on the national railway network and by Makabana Airport. See also * Railway stations in Congo Railway stations in the Republi ...

and

Bouenza Bouenza (can also be written as ''Buenza'') is a Departments of the Republic of the Congo, department of the Republic of the Congo in the southern part of the country. It borders the departments of Lékoumou Department, Lékoumou, Niari Department ...

. The Kouilou part is fairly flat with the water level rising only 16 metres above sea level on first 70 km. In the area of Kimbangou, the water level is around 60 metres above sea level and reaches 115 metres at the

junction.

List of waterfalls

*''

Zrinski Zrinski () was a Croatian- Hungarian noble family, a cadet branch of the Croatian noble tribe of Šubić, influential during the period in history marked by the Ottoman wars in Europe in the Kingdom of Croatia's union with the Kingdom of Hungar ...

chutes'': Honors

Nikola Zrinski Nikola () is a given name which, like Nicholas, is a version of the Greek ''Nikolaos'' (Νικόλαος). It is common as a masculine given name in the South Slavic countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, North Macedonia, Montene ...

and

Petar Zrinski Petar IV Zrinski ( hu, Zrínyi Péter) (6 June 1621 – 30 April 1671) was Ban of Croatia (Viceroy) from 1665 to 1670, general and a writer. A member of the Zrinski noble family, he was noted for his role in the attempted Croatian-Hungarian Magna ...

, Croatian nobles; "discovered" and named in 1882 by a Croatian member (

Dragutin Lerman Dragutin Lerman (24 August 1863 - 12 July 1918) was a Croatian explorer. Biography Lerman was born in Požega, Slavonia, but he left his home very early. He was a member of the 1882 Henry Morton Stanley expedition to Congo and was one of Sta ...

) of

Henry Morton Stanley Sir Henry Morton Stanley (born John Rowlands; 28 January 1841 – 10 May 1904) was a Welsh-American explorer, journalist, soldier, colonial administrator, author and politician who was famous for his exploration of Central Africa Cen ...

's exploration team. Local names, and local knowledge in general, are unfortunately ignored in such naming. * Sounda gorges. The gorges are remarkable with a small waterdrop of two metres and mountain around 120 metres high. An old iron bridge is still usable in 2012 to cross the river in Sounda. A road comes from the village of Mandzi south of Sounda while the road continues on north west toward Kakamoéka, sous-prefecture. An abandoned track on the southern bank of the river reaches Kakamoéka which was created during the exploration for the train. The mission Jacob was conducted in 1896. The track was reopened in 1954 for the evaluation of the hydro potential of the Sounda dam. In Sounda, a large hydro electrical project has been evaluated since the mid 1950s when France was looking at developing the region. Ten years of research have led to a tunnel built in the mountain, a bridge and a camp established on site. In May 2011, a protocole d'accord has been signed with a South African Company

IDG International Data Group (IDG, Inc.) is a market intelligence and demand generation company focused on the technology industry. IDG, Inc.’s mission is centered around supporting the technology industry through research, data, marketing technol ...

and the

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 ...

for the development of the Sounda dam project. IDG has teamed up with strategic partner

African Power Corporation African or Africans may refer to: * Anything from or pertaining to the continent of Africa: ** People who are native to Africa, descendants of natives of Africa, or individuals who trace their ancestry to indigenous inhabitants of Africa *** Ethn ...

(APC). The two companies have joined forces to lead the development of the project. Coming together with the potential users and financial institution to put the project on track for success. Such a project is expected to help develop the country's huge mineral potential. In October 2012, APC increased their presence in the country and name a country representative. Nicolas Rouzé has a great experience in the Congo as he has been in country since 1998. He is managing the efforts in the country to drive the project on the local scale.

Notes and references

Annex

Nicolas Tourot, Les Projets de développement hydroélectrique en Afrique noire, mémoire de maîtrise, Paris I, 2003 EDF, études préliminaires du site hydroélectrique de Sounda, 1954.

Articles

* Expéditions préludes à la fondation de l'État indépendant du Congo * Le chemin de fer Congo-Océan

External links

Le projet de construction d'un barrage sur le Kouilou-NiariAfrican Power Corporation WebsiteInstitut de Recherche et Développement Website
{{Authority control Rivers of the Republic of the Congo