Inga Falls

The runoff basin from above Inga Falls.

Inga Falls is a rapids 40 km from Matadi in the Democratic Republic of the Congo where the Congo River drops 96 m (315 ft) over the course of 15 km (9 mi).[1]

Inga Falls form a part of a larger group of rapids - Livingstone Falls and are located closer to the lower part of these falls. Falls have formed in a sharp bend of Congo River where the width of river fluctuates from more than 4 km to mere 260 m.[2] At median discharge of 42,476 m³/s (1,500,000 ft³/s) it is arguably the largest waterfall in the world,[3] although Inga Falls is not a true waterfall. Its maximum recorded volume is 70,793 m³/s (2,500,000 ft³/s).[1] Inga falls is also the site of two large hydroelectric dams, named Inga I and Inga II, as well as two projected dams Inga III, one, Grand Inga Dam, which would be the largest (by power production) in the world.[4]

References

  1. 1 2 World Waterfalls Database Inga Falls
  2. ↑ Inga Falls Wondermondo
  3. ↑ World Waterfalls Database World's Largest Waterfalls
  4. ↑ Africa plans biggest dam project. BBC, Monday, 21 April 2008.

External links

Coordinates: 5°30′S 13°37.5′E / 5.500°S 13.6250°E / -5.500; 13.6250


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