Congo Basin Research Paper
Central Congo Basin Moist Forests
“The Congo Basin makes up one of the most important wilderness areas left on Earth. At 500 million acres, it is larger than the state of Alaska and stands as the world’s second largest tropical forest” (Congo Basin). The Amazon is the only moist tropical forest that is bigger than the Congo Basin moist forest. The Congo Basin moist forest is four times the size of France and contains about one fourth of the closed canopy forest left on Earth (Managing Congo Basin Forests: A Regional Approach for a Regional Resource).
Location: The central Congo basin is located in the south central part of Africa. The Congo covers the countries Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic …show more content…
The forests in the Congo start at the edge of the Albertine Rift in the eastern part of Democratic Republic of Congo and stretch all the way to the Atlantic coast of the Gulf of Guinea. The Congo River “drains the basin as it cuts across the region” (The Forests of the Green Heart of Africa). Swamps and lakes on the eastern side of the Congo River Basin are crucial for the regulation of flow in the river. The always snow-capped Ruwenzoris stand at 3,000 meters high. The Monts de Alen and Monts de Cristal are smaller mountain ranges that are located near the Gulf of Guinea (The Forests of the Green Heart of Africa). The elevation of the Basin varies from 0 to about 4000 meters above sea level (Exploring …show more content…
The Congo River Basin also consists of swamp forests, seasonally flooded forests, forest-grassland mosaics, and lowland rain forests (Central Congo Basin Moist Forests – A Global Ecoregion). The Congo River Basin forests are home to many plant species that are not found anywhere else on the earth. 11,000 forest plant species inhabit the Democratic Republic of Congo, alone. Out of these 11,000 plants, 1,100 of them are not found anywhere else (Plants of the Congo River Basin Forests). Some plants include: Caesalpiniaceae trees, Okume trees (also known as Bureraceae), the African mahogany, the Tropical Flowering Dogwood, and the Strangler fig (Plants of the Congo River Basin Forests). Common trees that are found are the Camwood tree and the Ground Orchid (Central Congo Basin Moist Forests – A Global Ecoregion). These plants and thousands more provide habitats for many different types of
“The Congo Basin makes up one of the most important wilderness areas left on Earth. At 500 million acres, it is larger than the state of Alaska and stands as the world’s second largest tropical forest” (Congo Basin). The Amazon is the only moist tropical forest that is bigger than the Congo Basin moist forest. The Congo Basin moist forest is four times the size of France and contains about one fourth of the closed canopy forest left on Earth (Managing Congo Basin Forests: A Regional Approach for a Regional Resource).
Location: The central Congo basin is located in the south central part of Africa. The Congo covers the countries Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic …show more content…
The forests in the Congo start at the edge of the Albertine Rift in the eastern part of Democratic Republic of Congo and stretch all the way to the Atlantic coast of the Gulf of Guinea. The Congo River “drains the basin as it cuts across the region” (The Forests of the Green Heart of Africa). Swamps and lakes on the eastern side of the Congo River Basin are crucial for the regulation of flow in the river. The always snow-capped Ruwenzoris stand at 3,000 meters high. The Monts de Alen and Monts de Cristal are smaller mountain ranges that are located near the Gulf of Guinea (The Forests of the Green Heart of Africa). The elevation of the Basin varies from 0 to about 4000 meters above sea level (Exploring …show more content…
The Congo River Basin also consists of swamp forests, seasonally flooded forests, forest-grassland mosaics, and lowland rain forests (Central Congo Basin Moist Forests – A Global Ecoregion). The Congo River Basin forests are home to many plant species that are not found anywhere else on the earth. 11,000 forest plant species inhabit the Democratic Republic of Congo, alone. Out of these 11,000 plants, 1,100 of them are not found anywhere else (Plants of the Congo River Basin Forests). Some plants include: Caesalpiniaceae trees, Okume trees (also known as Bureraceae), the African mahogany, the Tropical Flowering Dogwood, and the Strangler fig (Plants of the Congo River Basin Forests). Common trees that are found are the Camwood tree and the Ground Orchid (Central Congo Basin Moist Forests – A Global Ecoregion). These plants and thousands more provide habitats for many different types of