Geography & Social Studies Vocabulary

Downstream from Matadi is located the estuary of the Congo River.

• grasslands

• a passage in which freshwater meets salt water

• desert

The dominant landform of Central Africa is the watershed of the Congo River.

• rainforest

• grasslands

• land drained by a river and its system of tributaries

The source of the Zambezi River is in northwestern Zambia.

• the place where the river forms

• the place where the river empties into a larger body of water

There are numerous cataracts located along the Congo River and the Zambezi River.

• plateaus

• rainforests

• waterfalls

• dams

Experts believe that the change of forestland into savanna could be the result of clearing land through slash-and-burn agriculture.

• commercial agriculture

• cutting trees and shrubs in order to make the soil more fertile

• forestation

Environmentalists worry that activities that harm rainforests threaten biodiversity.

• the wide variety of life on Earth

• cultural differences

• the top layer of the rainforest

The kayakers found it difficult to travel through the river's rapids.

• small islands on the river

• tributaries

• the part of the river where the river runs fast

Many tributaries flow into the Congo River.

• pollutants

• streams or rivers that flow into a larger river

• branches and leaves from the rainforest

Rapids and waterfalls on the Congo River offer vast potential for hydroelectric power.

• fossil fuel

• electricity that is generated by flowing water

• power that is generated by burning coal

Lesotho, Eswatini, and Botswana are landlocked countries.

• coastal countries

• island countries

• countries that do not have a coast and are surrounded by land