Not only is the political environment a mess in the Congo, but the physical environment is uneasy as well. What's one important current concern?

The Congo is another one of those African countries, like Mozambique, that has had to endure political instability, extreme poverty, illiteracy and outbreaks of killer diseases such as ebola virus. In addition to the political turmoil, environmental problems such as Illegal logging of pristine areas of the tropical rain forest, uncontrolled mining operations, water pollution, soil erosion, poaching of endangered animals and wanton slaughter of elephants for their ivory have all played a role in creating a miserable quality of life for people in the Congo.

If all of this isn't bad enough, on occasion, natural disasters in the Congo have also taken a toll. Although these natural disasters don't always occur with the same regularity as do the military coups and civil wars that have ravaged much of central Africa over recent decades, resulting in hundreds of thousands of deaths, they can be very deadly nonetheless.

Known formerly as Zaire and before that, the Belgian Congo, Congo or it's true name, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is Africa's third largest country and is drained by the continent's second largest river, the Congo River. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is currently in the grip of a massive civil war that has drawn in military forces from the neighboring countries of Rwanda and Uganda. These countries are supporting a rebel movement occupying much of the eastern portion of the Congo. According to one source, The Democratic Republic of the Congo is referred to "as a dictatorship that's presumably undergoing a transition to representative government." This doesn't sound very promising for peace and freedom.

The "Kongo" region of Africa was little known to the western world until explored by Henry Stanley and David Livingstone in the mid 1800s. Geographically, the Democratic Republic of the Congo straddles the Equator and lies is in the heart of Africa. Elevations range from sea level along the Congo's toehold on the Atlantic coast to nearly 16,000 feet (5,100 m) at the summit of Mt. Ngaliema, on the border with Uganda. Approximately 77% of the Congo is forested or woodlands, while only 3% of the land is arable.

Unlike Mozambique, because of the Congo's equatorial location, hurricanes or cyclones are not a threat. Tropical storms generally never form within 10 degrees latitude of the equator since at low latitudes air will not spiral inward toward the center of a forming low pressure system. The Coriolis force (an apparent force caused by the Earth's rotation) is very small near the equator, so there's not enough spin available to trigger hurricanes development. However, tropical deluges are in some seasons everyday events and flash floods, especially in mountains areas, can be extremely dangerous. In other seasons, though, periodic drought can lead to famine and terrible loss of live.

Another periodic problem in the Congo is volcanic eruptions. The volcanic region of the Congo is located in the Virunga mountain chain that forms part of the boundary between the Congo and Uganda and Rwanda. This is where naturalist Diann Fossey studied mountain gorillas. The Virunga volcanoes are stratovolcanoes and are likely the most youthful geologic features in Africa. These shied-type volcanoes sometimes erupt explosively. Examples include Mt. Utu and Mt. Fuji in Japan and Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Ranier in the Cascade Range of the western US. Stratovolcanoes efficiently move magma from chambers deep within the Earth's crust to vents, fissures or craters at the surface. Alternating layers of lava, ash and cinder from prior eruptions give them their characteristic conical shape.

In 1977, an eruption of the volcanic mountain called "Nyiragongo" killed about 100 people. It has been relatively quiet since then, but it's feared more eruptions could be eminent since lava has been observed rising in its crater. A more pressing situation now, however, is the eruption of the 10, 000 foot peak known as "Nyamuragira," on the border with Rwanda, about 20 miles northwest of Nyiragongo. Nyamuragira spewed thousands of tons of molten lava early last month, and it was reported about 10 days ago that it has again increased its output of lava. The lava from the Virunda volcanoes is extremely fluid and therefore fast moving. Thus far, no deaths have been reported, but forests have been charred and valuable farmlands have had to be abandoned.

Nyamuragira is not Africas' largest volcano, that distinction goes to Mt. Kilimanjaro at over 19,000 feet, but it's Africa's most active volcano. Since 1882, Nyamuragira has erupted 34 times. It last erupted 6 years ago, but its last major eruption occurred in 1912-13. Because thousands of refugees, displaced by the ongoing civil conflict in the Congo, have sought refuge in the Virunga Mountains, they could very well be in harms way if a major eruption occurs. Fortunately, the lava has been flowing toward an area near the sparsely populated Virunga National Park. However, as a precaution, several villages have been evacuated.

22 March 2001