
Pool Malebo: Kinshasa at the World's Second-Largest River
The Congo River at Kinshasa is one of the world's great geographical spectacles — the second-largest river by discharge, Pool Malebo stretching 30 km wide, and Brazzaville just 4 km away across the water
- 1
Kinshasa Beach (La Plage)
The banks of the Congo River below Gombe District are where the Kinois come to fish, wash and watch the river — the informal ferry traffic and pirogue crossings visible from the sand
- 2
The port of Kinshasa
The river port handles traffic from the entire Congo River basin – barges loaded with timber, cassava and goods from thousands of kilometers upstream arrive at Kinshasa's port
- 3
Pool Malebo Expanse
The extension of the Congo River to Pool Malebo — over 30 km across — is visible from the Kinshasa bluffs; the islands and canals between the two capitals create a complex river geography
- 4
Stanley Falls Historical Marker
The rapids downstream of Pool Malebo ('Livingstone Falls' series) were the barrier that made the upper Congo navigable only from Kinshasa — the reason both cities are where they are
- 5
Congo River Sunrise
Dawn over the Congo River from Kinshasa — the light over the water, the first pirogues of the day and the sound of the city waking up — is one of Africa's great urban nature experiences
- 6
Pirogue to Brazzaville
The official ferry and informal pirogue crossings between the two capitals are among the world's most unusual border crossings — the journey takes under 30 minutes across one of the world's largest rivers