Lomela River | |
---|---|
Location | |
Country | Democratic Republic of the Congo |
Physical characteristics | |
Mouth | Busira River |
• coordinates | 0°20′59″S 20°46′49″E / 0.3497°S 20.7804°E |
Length | 566 kilometres (352 mi) (navigable) |
Basin features | |
River system | Ruki–Busira |
The Lomela River is a river in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is one of the main tributaries of the Busira River, which forms where the Lomela meets the Tshuapa River. The Busira is in turn the main tributary of the Ruki River, which enters the Congo River to the north of Mbandaka.
The Lomela River flows in a northwest direction from the Sankuru Nature Reserve and across the Salonga National Park. The Busira River forms a few miles west of Boende where the Lomela River joins the Tshuapa River from the left.[1]
The Lomela flows through the heart of the central depression of the Congo Basin. Rainfall here averages 2,000 millimetres (79 in) annually, with no dry season. The Lomela meanders through a 88,000 hectares (220,000 acres) area of permanent swamp forest from 20°35'E to 21°30'E, and through a 46,500 hectares (115,000 acres) area of swamp forest between 21°50'E and 22°18'E.[3] Part of the river is protected by the Salonga National Park.[4]