Pool Malebo

Pool Malebo
Satellite image of the Pool Malebo; the capital cities of Brazzaville, ROC and Kinshasa, DRC are indicated.

The Pool Malebo (formerly Stanley Pool, also known as Malebo Pool, or Lake Nkunda by local indigenous people in pre-colonial times), is a lake-like widening in the lower reaches of the Congo River.[1]

The Pool Malebo is about 35 km (22 mi) long, 23 km (14 mi) wide and 500 km². Its central part is occupied by M'Bamou or Bamu Island[1] (180 km²), which is Republic of the Congo territory. The pool is shallow with depths of 3 to 10 m, while water levels vary by as much as 3 m over the course of a year at an average altitude of 272 m (900ft).

Aerial view of Pool Malebo from above Kinshasa

Contents

Geography

The capitals of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the CongoKinshasa and Brazzaville, respectively—are located on opposite shores of Pool Malebo. These are the two closest capital cities in the world (other than Rome, Italy and Vatican City, which are actually contiguous).

The Pool is the beginning of the navigable part of the Congo River upstream to the cities of Mbandaka, Kisangani and Bangui. Downstream, the river descends hundreds of meters in a series of rapids known as the Livingstone Falls to reach sea level at the port of Boma after a trajectory of 300 km.

Ecology

Flora

There are many palm and papyrus swamps along the edges of the river and pool, and often movement of floating mats of Eichhornia plants.[2]

Fauna

Fish

Most fish endemic to the area are catfishes, including the mountain catfish, L. brieni, Leptoglanis mandevillei, L. bouilloni and Atopochilus chabanaudi, an upside-down catfish.[2] The area has over 200 fish species documented, with Mormyrids as the most common with over 40 species, and with the highest diversification.[2]

References


Coordinates: 4°16′55″S 15°29′19″E / 4.28194°S 15.48861°E / -4.28194; 15.48861


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Look at other dictionaries:

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  • Pool Malebo — Administration Pays …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Pool Malebo — (anc. Stanley Pool) lac (450 km²; long de 40 km, largeur max. 25 km), formé par les eaux étalées du fleuve Congo. Sur sa rive S. E. a été bâti Kinshasa; sur sa rive N. O., Brazzaville …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Pool Malebo — Imagen de Pool Malebo, como de las ciudades de Kinshasa y Brazzaville vistas desde el espacio. Pool Malebo (antiguamente Stanley Pool, y también se suele llamar Malebo Pool), es un lago natural del centro oeste de África localizado en la frontera …   Wikipedia Español

  • Pool Malebo — geographical name see malebo (Pool) …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Malebo Pool — Pool Malebo 4°16′48″S 15°30′30″E / 4.28, 15.50833 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Malebo Pool — V. Pool Malebo …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Pool (región) — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Pool es una de las 10 regiones en las que se divide la República del Congo. Está rodeada por la regiones de Bouenza, Lékoumou, y Plateaux y hace frontera internacional con la República democrática del Congo. La… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Pool (Kongo) — Pool Basisdaten Hauptstadt: Kinkala Fläche: 33.955 km² …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Pool Region — Pool is a region of the Republic of the Congo in the southeastern part of the country. It borders the regions of Bouenza, Lékoumou, and Plateaux, and internationally, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It also surrounds the commune district of …   Wikipedia

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