Ecological zones

Congo rainforest by FabMoustic

Overview: 
The Democratic Republic of Congo is composed of a wide varied ecological zones and biomes including forests, grass lands, savannas, mangroves and fresh water ecoregion. Each area throughout Congo contains different characteristics, vegetation and species.  

Rainforests 
The Congo rainforest, including Northeastern Congo Basin Moist Forests, Central Congo Basin Moist Forests and Western Congo Basin Moist Forests in The Democratic Republic of Congo, but also covering many parts of Africa, such as  Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, the Central African Republic is one of the larges rainforests in the world. The Congo rainforest is 18% of the worlds rainforest, making second in line right under the Amazon rainforest. Over half of the DRC is the rainforest, making it a key ecoregion to the country. Many species such as primates, including chimpanzee, gorillas and moneys call this area their home.

Mountains Forests 
The Albertine Rift montane forests contain the larges numbers of the endangered mountain gorilla seen anywhere else. It's also home to thousands of different plant and tree species, with some only found in the local area. 

Savana by Mark Marathon

Savannas and Shrublands
Comprised of low flat land and some rolling hills, Central and Eastern Miombo Woodlands and the Sudanian Savannas make an ideal home for many large mammals like  giraffes, elands, rhinos and African elephants. With very little water, land in these areas is vastly dominated with grass rather than trees. 

Zambézia Province by COSV

Flooded grasslands and savannas 
Many mammals travel miles to the Zambezian Flooded Savannas seasonally for water but it's floodplains are vastly inhabited by Waterbuck, Puku, Lechwe, Hippopotamus, and the Sitatunga. 

Mountain Grasslands and Shrubland
The East African Moorlands is an essential ecoregion for many species of birds with its high altitudes abundance of water. This area is depended on for migratory birds and birds that inhabit it while wintering there. 

Mangroves

Mangrove by Natalieragan

The Gulf of Guinea Mangroves serves as shallow line where water and land meet. It is a safe breeding area for many shrimp and fishes, as well as home to many other species that prefer its shallow waters, such as West African manatee, African slender-snouted crocodile, Nile crocodile and Cape clawless otter. 

Freshwater ecoregion: 
Rivers and Lakes
The Democratic Republic of Congo has an abundance of freshwater ecoregions including the Congo River and Flooded Forests, Congo Basin Piedmont Rivers and Streams, Gulf of Guinea Rivers and Streams, and the Rift Valley Lakes. Some of theses rivers stretch from the center of the continent all the way to the ocean, contain over 700 fish species and a high density of amphibians.  

Sources: 
"Yale University." Congo Basin Ecoregions | Global Forest Atlas. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2017.
"Central Africa: Democratic Republic of the Congo." WWF. World Wildlife Fund, n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2017.

"List of Ecoregions." WWF. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2017.
"The World’s Second Largest Rainforest: Congo." One Green Planet. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2017.
"Tropical and Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas and Shrublands." WWF. World Wildlife Fund, n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2017.
"Ecoregions by Country - D." WWF. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2017.