Hydrography and Navigation on the Congo River [electronic resource] : A Century of Visual History / by Paul Van Pul.

Part I. General hydrographic description of the Haut-Congo Basin -- Chapter 1. Introduction to the general geography of the DRC -- Chapter 2. Early shipping on the Haut-Congo -- Chapter 3. From the source to Kisangani: The Upper-Congo -- Chapter 4. From Kisangani to Mbandaka: The High Middle-Congo and Ubangi -- Chapter 5. The Low Middle-Congo: From Mbandaka to Tsumbiri -- Chapter 6. The last stretch to Kinshasa: The Congo Couloir -- Chapter 7. The Upper-Kasai watershed -- Chapter 8. The Sankuru, Fimi-Lukenie and Lower-Kasai tributaries -- Chapter 9. The Kwango and Kwilu River watersheds -- Chapter 10. The Congo Cataracts -- Part II. Early European mapping of the Maritime Congo River -- Chapter 11. The first Europeans venture up the Congo Estuary -- Chapter 12. The Kouilou-Niari, an alternative access? -- Chapter 13. The voyage from Europe to Congo -- Part III. The Hydrography of the Maritime Congo River -- Chapter 14. Introduction to the Bas-Congo -- Chapter 15. Early maps of the maritime river -- Chapter 16. The acute need for bathymetric surveys -- Chapter 17. Hydrographic basics in the tropics -- Chapter 18. A new navigation channel in the making -- Chapter 19. The Mateba Deceiving Bend (Barrage du Faux Bras de Mateba) -- Chapter 20. Difficult years -- Chapter 21. Independence in 1960 -- Chapter 22. Based on detailed land surveys -- Chapter 23. Epilogue: A concept for the future?

In a time without GPS and echosounder, European engineers and black labourers worked for decades to get a better understanding of the nautical intricacies of the Congo River. This is the first comprehensive story, in text and custom-made maps, of the, in flow, second largest river in the world. We follow the earliest explorers mapping the river, the expeditions to find an alternative access to the ocean and the first land and hydraulic surveys to improve navigation. The constant movement of shallows and islands keeps the guardians of the river constantly on their toes. Over the years, better technologies on all fronts improved safety, data collection and fairway maintenance. In conclusion, the author describes a proposal to develop a 21st container port that would rival any port facilities on the African west coast.