Boyoma Falls

Boyoma Falls

waterfall, rapids

Part of	Congo River
Drainage basin	Congo Basin
Country	Democratic Republic of the Congo
Edey de administrative territorial entity insyd	Kisangani
Ein location	Lualaba River
Coordinate location	0°29′28″N 25°12′23″E

Boyoma Falls (Swahili: Maporomoko ya Maji ya Boyoma, French: Chutes de Boyoma, Dutch: Boyomawatervallen), dem formerly known as Stanley Falls (French: Chutes Stanley; Dutch: Stanleywatervallen), be a series of seven cataracts, each no be more dan 5 m (16 ft) high, wey dey extend over more dan 100 km (62 mi) along a curve of de Lualaba River between de river port towns of Ubundu den Kisangani (dem sanso know as Boyoma) insyd de Orientale Province of de Democratic Republic of the Congo. De seven cataracts get a total drop of 61 m (200 ft). Dem dey form de largest waterfall by volume of annual flow rate insyd de world, wey dey exceed both de Niagara Falls den de Iguazu Falls.

De two major cataracts be de first below Ubundu, wey dey form a narrow den crooked stream dat be hardly accessible, wey dem fi see de last den visited from Kisangani. At de bottom of de rapids, de Lualaba be known as de Congo River. A 1 m-gauge (3 ft 3 in) portage railway bypasses de series of rapids, wey dey connect Kisangani den Ubundu.

De last of de seven cataracts of de Boyoma Falls sanso be known as de Wagenia Falls (French: Chutes Wagenia, Dutch: Wageniawatervallen), wey dey refer to de local Wagenya fishermen, wey develop a special technique to fish insyd de river. Dem build systems of wooden tripods across de rapids fixed insyd holes wey dey carve insyd de rock by de water current. Dese dey serve as anchors for baskets dat entrap large fish. De baskets be lowered insyd de rapids to “sieve” de waters for fish. E be a very selective fishing method, as dese baskets be quite big, den only large fish be entrapped.

De falls formerly be named after Henry Morton Stanley, wey explore de region den note de fishing technique of de Wagenya. According to Stanley, "...by taking advantage of the rocks, the natives have been enabled to fix upright heavy poles, 6 inches (150 mm) in diameter, to each of which they attach enormous fish-baskets by means of rattan-cane cable. There are probably sixty or seventy baskets laid in the river on each side, every day; and though some may be brought up empty, in general they seem to be tolerably successful, for out of half-a-dozen baskets...twenty-eight large fish were collected..."

Gallery

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  De falls dey insyd de bottom center of Stanley's map. Ein route be indicated by de solid black line.
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  Stanley Falls as Stanley interprete am
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  Wagenya fishermen at Wagenia Falls
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  Wagenia Falls.