EPOW - Ecology Picture of the Week

Lukenie Landscape

Lukenie River and Village
Democratic Republic of the Congo

Explanation:   Deep in the heart of the Congo River Basin of central Africa runs the Lukenie River, a tributary eventually to the Congo River further west and a major artery of transportation itself among incredibly isolated villages.  

The dense forests lining the river become flooded during the wet season (although much rain falls also during the "dry" season), allowing people to boat into, and fish within, the dense jungles.  

During the low water season (June, July, August) larger barges do not dare to ply even the lower reaches of this river, as they will become stranded on shallow shoals.  And the barges -- carrying people, goods, and supplies -- generally cannot reach this far up-river at all, leaving transportation only to small dug-out pirogues.