Cool water facts about the congo river

The Congo is the world's eighth-longest river at 2,914 miles long. It begins at the junction of the Lualaba and Luvua rivers, in the Altai Mountains, and flows southwest to the Atlantic Ocean. Major tributaries include the Aruwimi, kasai, and Lomami rivers.

It's not all tropical rainforest, though. Some parts of the surrounding land are full of long grass called "barnyard grass." Many animals graze in this tall grass, including buffalo, antelopes, zebras, gazelles, and giraffes.

The river forms most of the border between Zaire and the Republic of Congo and drains more than 1,600,000 square miles of land. The river has a width in a range of 0.5 to 10 miles.