Boyoma Falls
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Seventh cataract of Boyoma/Stanley Falls near Kisangani |
|
| Location | Lualaba River, Kisangani, Democratic Republic of the Congo |
|---|---|
| Type | Cataract |
| Total height | 200 feet or 60 meters |
| Average width | 4,500 feet or 1,372 meters |
| Average flow rate | 17,000 m³/s or 600,000 ft³/s[citation needed] |
| Watercourse | Lualaba River |
Boyoma Falls, formerly known as Stanley Falls, consists of seven cataracts, each no more than 15' high, extending over more than 100 km (60 miles) along a curve of the Lualaba River between the river port towns of Ubundu and Kisangani/Boyoma in the Orientale region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
At the bottom of the rapids, the Lualaba becomes the Congo River. The seven cataracts have a total drop of 61 meters (200 feet). The two major cataracts are the first below Ubundu, forming a narrow and crooked stream that is hardly accessible, and the last that can easily be seen and also be visited from Kisangani.
A 1000mm portage railway bypasses the series of rapids, connecting Kisangani and Ubundu.
Especially among french speakers the cataracts are also known as Wagenia Falls (chûtes Wagenia), referring to the local people of fishermen named Wagenia or Wagenya who have developed a special technique to fish in the river. They build systems of wooden tripods across the rapids fixed in holes carved in the rock by the water current. They serve as anchors for baskets that entrap large fish.
The Boyoma falls are often pointed out as the biggest waterfalls on earth by volume since the Sete Quedas or Guaíra Falls of the Paraná River have been destroyed during and flooded after the construction of the Itaipú dam. Despite this, the Boyoma rapids can hardly be categorized as a waterfall. And by far the most voluminous cataracts on earth are Inga Falls, the most powerful part of Livingstone Falls on the lower course of the Congo river.
Coordinates: 0°29′28″N 25°12′23″E / 0.49111°N 25.20639°E
 |
This Democratic Republic of the Congo location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
