The Likouala-Mossaka (or Likouala River) is a river in the
Republic of the Congo.
It is a 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 enters to the east of the town of
Mossaka.
Location
The Likouala-Mossaka is a right tributary of the Congo into which it flows at Mossaka about from its source.
Its basin adjoins that of 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 ...
to the north and the
Ogooué River
The Ogooué (or Ogowe), also known as the Nazareth river, some long, is the principal river of Gabon in west central Africa and the fifth largest river in Africa by volume of discharge, trailing only the Congo, Kasai, Niger and Zambezi. Its wa ...
in Gabon to the west.
To the south it adjoins the basin of the
Alima
The Alima River is a tributary of the Congo River. It is formed by the confluence of two streams, the Lékéti and the Dziélé.
Towns
Towns on the banks of this river include (from the source):
* Okoyo
* Boundji
* Oyo
Location
Se ...
, which has hardly any left tributaries.
The lower
Sangha
Sangha is a Sanskrit word used in many Indian languages, including Pali meaning "association", "assembly", "company" or "community"; Sangha is often used as a surname across these languages. It was historically used in a political context t ...
, the
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 lo ...
and Likouala-Mossaka rivers flow through the Congolese Cuvette, a huge depression with an equatorial climate.
The soil of this region is sandy or clayey quaternary fluvial alluvia.
Vegetation is dense, humid, shady forest that partly floods during the high water season.
Hydrology
Between 1951 and 1993 annual rainfall in the Likouala-Mossaka basin was and average discharge at the Makoua gauging station was .
The basin above this point covered .
European exploration
Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza
Pietro Paolo Savorgnan di Brazzà, later known as Pierre Paul François Camille Savorgnan de Brazza; 26 January 1852 – 14 September 1905), was an Italian-born, naturalized French explorer. With his family's financial help, he explored the Ogoou ...
explored the upper part of the Likouala-Mossaka, the Licona, in August 1878.
Albert Dolisie
Albert may refer to:
Companies
* Albert (supermarket), a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic
* Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands
* Albert Market, a street market in The Gambia
* Albert Productions, a record label
* Alber ...
entered its mouth in 1884.
Giacomo Savorgnan di Brazzà
Jacques Savorgnan di Brazza (or Giacomo Savorgnan de Brazza e Cergneu; 14 December 1859 – 29 February 1888) was an Italian naturalist, mountaineer and explorer, younger brother of Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza.
Early years
Giacomo Savorgnan di Bra ...
descended the river when he returned from his exploration of the north in December 1885.
In 1899 the whole Likouala-Mossaka basin was granted to the Tréchot brothers who had created the ''Compagnie Française du Haut-Congo'' (CFHC) for its operation.
In 1908 there were four administrative posts in a territory of about .
Seventy-two villages had to pay 44,648 francs in taxes.
Until 1909 the French administration of the Likouala-Mossaka basin was very light, and little had been done to develop its resources.
Notes
Sources
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Likouala-Mossaka
Rivers of the Republic of the Congo