Fwa River
Encyclopedia
The Fwa is a river
in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
in west Africa
, flowing through Kasai-Oriental
province
. The river is a tributary
of the Lubu River
, which is a tributary
to the Sankuru River
, in the southeastern Congo River
drainage basin.
. This community includes five endemic cichlid species: Cyclopharynx
fwae, C. schwetzi, Schwetzochromis neodon
, Thoracochromis brauschi
and T. callichromus.
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
in west Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, flowing through Kasai-Oriental
Kasai-Oriental
Kasai-Oriental is one of the ten provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo. It borders the provinces of Kasai-Occidental to the west, Équateur to the northwest, Orientale to the northeast, Maniema to the east, and Katanga to the south. Kasai-Oriental is one of the richest diamond producing...
province
Province
A province is a territorial unit, almost always an administrative division, within a country or state.-Etymology:The English word "province" is attested since about 1330 and derives from the 13th-century Old French "province," which itself comes from the Latin word "provincia," which referred to...
. The river is a tributary
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
of the Lubu River
Lubu River
The Lubu River is a river in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in west Africa, flowing through Kasai-Oriental province. The river is a tributary of the Fwa River. Tributaries of the Lubu include the Sankuru River, which ispart of the southeastern Congo River drainage basin....
, which is a tributary
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
to the Sankuru River
Sankuru River
Sankuru River is a major river in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Its approximate length of 1,230 km makes it the longest tributary of Kasai River....
, in the southeastern Congo River
Congo River
The Congo River is a river in Africa, and is the deepest river in the world, with measured depths in excess of . It is the second largest river in the world by volume of water discharged, though it has only one-fifth the volume of the world's largest river, the Amazon...
drainage basin.
Fauna
The river is particularly notable for its diverse community of fishFish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
. This community includes five endemic cichlid species: Cyclopharynx
Cyclopharynx
Cyclopharynx is a small genus of two species of cichlid fish. Both species are endemic to the Fwa river, in the Kasai-Oriental province, Democratic Republic of the Congo in west Africa.-References:...
fwae, C. schwetzi, Schwetzochromis neodon
Schwetzochromis neodon
Schwetzochromis neodon is a ray-finned fish species in the cichlid family. It is native to the Fwa River in the Congo Basin in Central Africa. It is the only member of the genus Schwetzochromis; others that have been placed here are now in Orthochromis.-References: [2009]: . Retrieved 2009-OCT-03....
, Thoracochromis brauschi
Thoracochromis brauschi
Thoracochromis brauschi is a species of cichlid fish, endemic to the Fwa River in the Kasai-Oriental province, Democratic Republic of the Congo in Central Africa.-References:...
and T. callichromus.