Jungle

Along the equator in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the Congo Rainforest spans about 1.5 million square miles. See more... It's the world's second largest rainforest (only the Amazon is larger). The most famous Congo rainforest people are called Pygmies. Commercial logging and expansion of farming makes it one of most endangered ecosystems in the world. Five national parks in the Congo Rainforest are UN World Heritage Sites. The Congo rain forest average rainfall is about 58 inches per year. Average temperature is 77 degrees Fahrenheit. It is home to more than 11,000 different species of plants. In dense parts only 1% of the sunlight reaches the ground. Cancer Institutes have identified approximately 1,400 rainforest plants which could potentially be used to fight cancer. We have only learned how to use 1% of these amazing plants, resulting in 25% of our modern medicines. Imagine the possibilities from the other 99%. We depend on rain forest trees to absorb carbon dioxide we exhale, and to provide oxygen we need. When rainforest trees are burned they release carbon dioxide, which pollutes the atmosphere and contributes to global warming. Deforestation is one of the major drivers of climate change emitting carbon dioxide. NASA satellite images shows the “browning” of the Congo rainforest likely due to the warming of the Atlantic Ocean. Without rainforests droughts would become more common and would lead to human catastrophe. This rainforest is home to about 450 species of mammals, 300 reptile species, 200 amphibian species, and over 1,000 bird species. The Congo rainforest is the only place in the world where all three subspecies of gorillas can be found. They are the mountain gorilla, lowland gorilla, and the eastern lowland gorilla. Bonobos are found only in the Congo rainforest; they and chimpanzees are humans’ closest relatives – the former peaceful and the latter violent. See less...

Congo Gorilla

Virunga National Park in eastern DR Congo is the oldest park in Africa and a World Heritage site. See more... It is the home of most of the 880 endangered mountain gorillas (scientific name Gorilla beringei beringei) left on the planet and they are in danger of extinction due to conflict. These gorillas live high up above the equatorial jungle lowlands in the Virunga mountains, whose summits are higher above them, such as the 14,787 foot Mt. Karisimbi. National parks are one example of the enormous potential for tourism dollars that could flow into DR Congo to benefit the people, if the areas were safe from violent conflict. See the national park website. The movie “Virunga” is Leonardo DiCaprio's academy awards Oscar nominee for a “documentary” about the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). “Virunga” is about the Congo wars, the people living in the Virunga mountains of eastern Congo and about rare gorillas. The word "virunga" is an English version of the Kinyarwanda word ibirunga, which means volcanoes. The dangerous volcanoes there are symbolic of the wars. Watch this Virunga trailer. You can watch the movie on Netflix. See less...

Mount Stanley’s Margherita Peak

Higher is Mount Stanley’s Margherita Peak in Virunga National Park in eastern DRC, North Kivu. See more... Margherita is a mountain located in the northern sector Rwenzori range, whose summit is capped with permanent ice. With an elevation of 16,763 feet, Margherita Peak is the highest mountain straddling the border of the DR Congo and Uganda, and is the third highest in Africa, after Mount Kenya 17,057 feet and Kilimanjaro 19,341 feet. Margherita was the wife of Italian Luigi Amedeo, Duke of Abruzzi, who climbed this mountain in 1906 at a time when King Leopold was still slaughtering Congolese in the Belgian Congo. Margherita Peak is the highest permanent source of water for the Nile River. See less...