| Pool Malebo | |
|---|---|
 Satellite image of the Pool Malebo; the capital cities ofBrazzaville,ROC andKinshasa,DRC are indicated. | |
  Pool Malebo  Pool Malebo | |
| Coordinates | 4°16′55″S15°29′19″E / 4.28194°S 15.48861°E /-4.28194; 15.48861 |
| Lake type | Fluvial |
| Primary inflows | Congo River |
| Primary outflows | Congo River |
| Surface elevation | 270 m (890 ft) |
| Islands | Mbamu |
| Settlements | Brazzaville,Kinshasa |
ThePool Malebo, formerlyStanley Pool, also known asMpumbu,Lake Nkunda orLake Nkuna by local indigenous people inpre-colonial times,[1][2] is a lake-like widening in the lower reaches of theCongo River.[3] The river serves as the border between theRepublic of the Congo to the north and theDemocratic Republic of the Congo to the south.
The pool's former name was in honour of the British explorer and journalistSir Henry Morton Stanley, who mapped this area.
In the late 19th century, British colonists named this natural feature Stanley Pool, after British explorer and journalist Henry Morton Stanley, who had mapped and reported on this region. When a railway was constructed nearby, a plaque was installed at Palaba to commemorate the rail line connectingMatadi to Stanley Pool.[4]
The Pool Malebo is about 35 kilometres (22 mi) long, 23 kilometres (14 mi) wide and 500 km2 (190 sq mi) insurface area. Its central part is occupied byM'Bamou or Bamu Island[3] (180 km2 (69 sq mi)), which isRepublic of the Congo territory.
The pool is shallow with depths of 3–10 m. But water levels may vary by as much as 3 m over the course of a year, because of seasonal flooding. The altitude here is an average of 272 metres (892 ft).
The capitals of theRepublic of the Congo and theDemocratic Republic of the Congo —Brazzaville andKinshasa, respectively— are located on opposite shores of the southern part of Pool Malebo. These two capital cities are the closest geographically of any in the world (other than the contiguousRome,Italy andVatican City).
The Pool is the beginning of the navigable part of the Congo River upstream to the cities ofMbandaka,Kisangani andBangui. Downstream, navigation of the river is blocked by its descent through hundreds of meters in a series ofrapids known as theLivingstone Falls.[5]: Vol.Two, 255 The river reaches sea level at the port ofBoma, Congo, after a passage of 300 km.
There are manypalm andpapyrus swamps along the edges of the river and pool. Floating mats ofEichhornia plants move on the river and drift through the pool.[6]
Most fish endemic to the area arecatfishes, including themountain catfish,L. brieni,Leptoglanis mandevillei,L. bouilloni andAtopochilus chabanaudi, anupside-down catfish.[6] More than 200 fish species have been documented.Mormyrids are the most common, with over 40 species, and have the highest diversification.[6]
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