What is the importance of Zaire river?

The Congo River (also spelled Kongo River and known as the Zaire River; French: (le) fleuve Congo/Zaïre; Portuguese: rio Congo/Zaire; Kongo: Nzâdi Kôngo) is the second longest river in Africa after the Nile and the second largest river in the world by discharge volume of water (after the Amazon), and the world's deepest river with measured depths in excess of 220 m (720 ft). read more

The Congo River is an important transport route in a part of Africa that has few roads or railways. There are currently about 40 hydropower dams in the Congo Basin with a huge potential for growth because the river has the second highest flow volume in world after the Amazon. read more

During the period (1971–97) when the Democratic Republic of the Congo was called Zaire, the government also renamed the river the Zaire. Even during that time, however, the river continued to be known throughout the world as the Congo. read more