| Inga Falls | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Location | Matadi Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Coordinates | 5°26′56″S 13°35′18″E / 5.448835°S 13.588362°E |
| Type | Segmented Rapids |
| Total height | 96 metres (315 ft) [1] |
| Longest drop | 21 metres (69 ft) [1] |
| Average width | 914 metres (2,999 ft) [1] |
| Watercourse | Congo River |
| Average flow rate | 25,768 m3/s (910,000 cu ft/s) (est.) [1] |
Inga Falls is a rapid 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).[2] The falls are part of a larger group of rapids in the lower Congo River. Livingstone Falls are located upstream closer to the Pool Malebo. These falls have formed in a sharp bend of Congo River where the width of river fluctuates from more than 4 km to only 260 m.[3]
With a median discharge of 42,476 m³/s (1,500,000 ft³/s), the falls could be considered the largest in the world,[4] but it is not widely considered to be a true waterfall. Its maximum recorded volume is 70,793 m³/s (2,500,000 ft³/s).[2] 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 and the Grand Inga Dam, the latter of which would be the largest (by power production) in the world.[5]
- ^ a b c d "Inga Falls, Congo, Democratic Republic of the - World Waterfall Database". www.worldwaterfalldatabase.com. Retrieved 2020-01-17.
- ^ a b World Waterfalls Database Inga Falls Archived 2018-02-17 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Inga Falls Wondermondo
- ^ World Waterfalls Database World's Largest Waterfalls Archived 2008-12-18 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Africa plans biggest dam project. BBC, Monday, 21 April 2008.