Boyoma Falls

As a Boyoma Falls, a series of seven cataracts refers to the upper reaches of the African Congo stream. You are in the Democratic Republic of Congo between cities Ubundu and Kisangani (also called Boyoma ). By the end of the twentieth century they were known as Stanley Falls, named after its describer Henry Morton Stanley.

In the first and seventh cataract, the river overcomes both less than 5 meters in altitude, the remaining rapids are lower. Overall, the cataract track has a length of about 100 kilometers and a height difference of about 60 meters. Since the impoundment of Sete Quedas cases of Paraná by the power plant Itaipu Boyoma the rapids are often referred to as water- richest event in the world. Like these, they have an average flow of 17,000 m³ / s However, the term does not apply to the waterfall on the Boyoma - cataracts.

This still often referred to as waterfalls, not navigable rapids form the border between the Congo headwaters, which bears the name Lualaba up there, and the middle section of the river through the Congo Basin, which ends above the so-called Livingstone Falls. Between the ports of Ubundu and Kisangani, a railway line closes the enforced through the rapids gap in the shipping lane. Economic significance of the rapids especially for the umwohnenden tribe of Wagenia that operate there fishing by attaching mostly wooden fish trap-like structures in the middle of tearing overflowed reefs.