The Major River Basins of Africa
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
There are sixty-three transboundary river basins in Africa, covering 64 percent of the continent’s land area. Kongo is the largest river basin of Africa, covering over 12 percent of the continent.
| Basin Name | Area of Basin (km2) | River Length (km) | Country/Countries | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Congo | 3,699,100 | 4,667 | Congo Democratic Rep.. Central African Angola, Congo Rep. Zambia, Tanzania, Cameroon, Burundi, Rwanda, Gabon, Malawi | Central Africa |
| Gambia River | 69,800 | 1,100 | Gambia, Guinea, Senegal | West Africa |
| Incomaputo | 77,400 | 810 | Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland | Southern Africa |
| Juba-Shibelli | 803,600 | 1,658 | Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia | Eastern Africa |
| Komati River | 44,800 | 480 | Mozambique, South Africa Swaziland | Southern Africa |
| Kunene | 110,000 | 1,050 | Angola, Namibia South | Western Africa |
| Lake Chad | 2,388,700 | 1,400 | Chad, Niger, Central African Republic, Nigeria, Algeria, Sudan, Cameroon, Chad, Libya Central Africa | West and |
| Lake Victoria | 180,950 | Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda | East Africa | |
| Limpopo | 414,800 | 1,750 | Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, Zimbabwe, | Southern Africa |
| Niger | 2,113,350 | 4,200 | Nigeria, Mali, Niger, Algeria, Guinea, Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Benin, Chad, Sierra Leone | West and Central Africa |
| Nile Basin | 3,038,100 | 6,700 | Sudan, Ethiopia, Egypt, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Congo Democratic Rep., Rwanda, Burundi, Eritrea | East and North Africa |
| Okavango | 725,000 | 1,100 | Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe | Southern Africa |
| Orange | 850,000 | 2,300 | Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa | Southern Africa |
| Ruvuma | 151,700 | 800 | Malawi, Mozambique, | Central Africa |
| Senegal | 490,000 | 1,800 | Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Senegal | West Africa |
| Volta | 414,000 | 1,610 | Benin, Burkina Faso, C6te d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mail, Togo | West Africa |
| Zambezi | 1,400,000 | 2,650 | Angola, Botswana, Congo Democratic Rep., Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe | Central and Southern Africa |
| Awash | 155,300 | — | Ethiopia, Gjibouti, Somalia | North Eastern Africa |
| Etosha-Cuveral | 167,600 | — | Namibia, Angola | South Western Africa |
| Lake Turkana | 207,600 | — | Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Sudan | East Africa |
| Ogoose | 223,400 | 850 | Gabon, Congo Republic, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea | Central Africa |
| Sabi | 116,100 | 680 | Zimbabwe, Mozambique, | Southern Africa |
This is an excellent resource, thank you.