Previous Year Question

1. How is Cameroon part of the Congo Basin?

A portion of southeastern Cameroon lies within the Congo River drainage system. Rivers originating in this region eventually carry their water into the Congo River.

The principal river sequence is:

Dja/Ngoko River → Sangha River → Congo River → Atlantic Ocean

• The Dja River is also known as the Ngoko River in its lower course.

• The Ngoko forms a part of the boundary between Cameroon and the Republic of the Congo.

• It joins the Sangha River.

• The Sangha is an important tributary of the Congo River.

Thus, southeastern Cameroon is hydrologically part of the Congo Basin.

2. Important facts about the Congo Basin

• It covers approximately 3.69–3.7 million square kilometres.

• By area, it is one of the world’s largest river basins and is generally regarded as approximately the third largest.

• By volume of discharge, the Congo River ranks second in the world after the Amazon.

• Its mean annual discharge is approximately 40,600 cubic metres per second.

• The Congo River empties into the Atlantic Ocean.

• It is the only major river in the world that crosses the Equator twice.

According to the FAO’s international river-basin list, the countries sharing the Congo Basin are:

• Angola

• Burundi

• Cameroon

• Central African Republic

• Republic of the Congo

• Democratic Republic of the Congo

• Rwanda

• Tanzania

• Zambia

3. Why are the other options incorrect?

• Nigeria: Its principal river system is the Niger–Benue Basin. The Niger empties into the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean.

• South Sudan: Its principal drainage region is the Nile Basin. The White Nile and its tributaries constitute its main river system.

• Uganda: Most of its major drainage belongs to the Nile system. The Victoria Nile and Albert Nile are its major components.

Therefore, among the given alternatives, Cameroon is the clear and conventionally recognised part of the Congo Basin.

4. Important distinction

The Congo River Basin and the Congo rainforest region are not completely identical concepts.

• A river basin is delineated according to the river system into which surface water drains.

• A rainforest region is delineated according to vegetation and ecological characteristics.

• Consequently, the Congo River Basin also includes certain savanna and highland areas that are not covered by dense rainforest.